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JUNEAU - Trail Mix Inc. will host a series of three neighborhood meetings to discuss future plans for the Treadwell Ditch Trail on Douglas Island.

The first meeting will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at the downtown library. The second meeting will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Mendenhall Valley library. The last meeting will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Douglas library.

The 16-mile-long Treadwell Ditch Trail runs alongside the historic aquaduct that once carried water from Fish Creek, near Eaglecrest, to the Treadwell Mines south of Douglas. It follows a constant 1 percent grade along its entire length, and was recently determined to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the trail is in a state of severe disrepair, with nearly every bridge in need of replacement. (A full report on the trail's condition and archaeological resources is available at www.juneautrails.org.)

Trail Mix and the City & Borough of Juneau applied earlier this year for more than $1 million in federal funding to replace dozens of bridges along the Treadwell Ditch Trail, and to improve the trail's surface. The goal of the neighborhood meetings is to gather information from trail users regarding what improvements they would like to see made, including trail width, types of uses, interpretive signage and other details.

Trail Mix Inc. is a nonprofit partnership among government agencies and local trail users dedicated to improving and expanding Juneau's world class trail system. For more information on this or any other trail project in Juneau, visit www.juneautrails.org or call 790-6406.