But Mid America now plans to close that location once it wins approval to locate in the Bauer Farm area in west Lawrence. Jim Holt, president and CEO of the credit union, said the credit union felt like it was time to get its Lawrence branch located in a more traditional retail area rather than in an industrial park.

“The location we have is OK for the folks who work out there, but it is not a high-traffic location, and it is not terrifically convenient for anybody else,” Holt said.

The new location will open up some growth possibilities for the credit union, although Holt said the credit union will take a conservative approach in adding new members. Technically, any resident of Douglas County is eligible to become a member of the credit union. But Holt said the credit union will be more selective in whom it targets as new customers.

“We’ll reach out to some other groups, some other businesses that don’t have credit union, and see if their employees would like to have an association with a credit union,” Holt said. “We target employers. We don’t really come in and say we’re for everybody in the community.”

The credit union has been very successful in doing that in Wichita. It has been operating there since 1936, and it has served as the credit union for large companies such as Learjet, Pizza Hut, Coleman and others.

Holt said the credit union likely will begin reaching out to several businesses in the west Lawrence area to see if their employees want to take advantage of the credit union’s new location.

“We have noticed it is a growing commercial area of the community,” Holt said. “That’s one of the things we liked about the location.”

As for details about the project, the building is slated for the lot directly behind the CVS drug store at Sixth and Wakarusa. Holt hopes the credit union will start operating out of the new building in May or June.

In other news and notes from around town:

• Well, I know how this goes. You start a construction project, then realize your original plans need to change a bit. (I should have known the smoke from the backup generator would waft over to the TV area.) Lawrence’s Parks and Recreation Department finds itself in a similar situation.

The department at Tuesday evening’s City Commission meeting will request an additional $78,000 to complete a trail along the south bank of the Kansas River between Constant Park and Burcham Park.

Commissioners in March approved an approximately $108,000 bid to construct the nearly seven-tenths of a mile long trail. But the parks department is now asking for additional funding so the entire trail can be constructed out of concrete. The original plans called for about a third of the trail to be constructed with concrete and about two-thirds with asphalt millings.

But now parks and recreation leaders are rethinking the feasibility of asphalt millings along the Kansas River.

“With the high rain totals and occasional flooding that has occurred in Lawrence in 2015, this area of park along the river has been constantly wet,” department leaders wrote in a memo to city commissioners. “After observing this site for nearly a year, staff believes concrete provides a better long-range surfacing option for this park area.”

Concrete is more expensive than asphalt millings; thus the price increase. The city has received about a $50,000 grant from the Sunflower Foundation that is paying for a portion of the trail. The city is proposing to take the unexpected $78,000 expense from a sales tax reserve fund of the city’s.

When the project is completed, the entire trail will be 10 feet wide and concrete. It is a pretty interesting trail project to watch. It will create a bit of a river walk that would be pretty easy for downtown visitors to access, if they choose. Constant Park is basically just north of Sixth and Kentucky streets.

My understanding is construction work is underway. I’m not sure when the new trail is scheduled to open. Work in that area is obviously very weather dependent.

Town Talk column