BANDON — The walking trail at Bandon Heights has been a favorite among locals for years. Overseen by the Bandon School District, the trail had fallen into disrepair after the district improved the baseball field there for use by the high school team.

Not anymore thanks to the efforts of two dozen residents.

The district had promised to upgrade the trail, but financial times became tight. That’s where the Ford Institute Leadership Program stepped in. The class, sponsored by the Ford Institute for Community Building, a program of the Ford Family Foundation, was the second in a series of three community-based classes that selects a group of about 25 residents to go through community training and take on a project.

The foundation put $5,000 toward the project and the class was charged with raising matching donations.

“We ended up doing a project that was small enough that we could get it done,” said class member Roger Straus.

Some class members had grand ideas, while others were more grounded. But part of the lesson was to learn to work together for a common goal for the benefit of the community.

The group chose the trail project partly because it emphasized fitness, said class member Stephanie Polizzi. She had envisioned exercise stations at intervals along the trail, which is about a quarter-mile loop and set in an area with views of the Coquille River, the lighthouse and the ocean. The money just wasn’t there for the exercise stations, but Polizzi hopes the next class might pick up where their class left off.

“People could take it upon themselves to beautify it further,” she said.

The group also partnered with Kody Lawrence, a Bandon High School senior who installed two picnic tables and benches along the trail for his Eagle Scout project. BHS students also planted trees along the path.

Volunteers put in more than 1,000 hours on the project, Straus said. 

“The only thing missing now is a dog waste station,” he added.