The new McDonald’s on Progressive Parkway in Platteville will have its grand opening ribbon-cutting Friday at 10 a.m.

The Moving Platteville Outdoors Rountree Branch Trail Committee announced that McDonald’s has committed 100 percent of all proceeds from its grand opening up to $16,640 to the Rountree Branch Trail.

After having already pledged $10,000, McDonald’s owner Glenn Karpinski learned the MPO Rountree Branch Trail needed another $6,640 to go to fully fund the paving and lighting of the three-mile Rountree Branch Trail from UW–Platteville to the start of the future Platteville-to-Belmont Trail. 

McDonald’s committed the initial $16,640 of proceeds from its Grand Opening Friday through Sunday for the trail project.  

“An ending to the fund raising effort could not have been better scripted with a local business putting this effort over the top,” said MPO’s Gene Weber. “Our local businesses have been so supportive with many helping with fundraising.” 

“Our roots are in Platteville; our first McDonald’s was located in Platteville,” said Karpinski, whose Karpinski Enterprises owns six McDonald’s. “Platteville is special to us. As we learned more about this effort and found out it involved a collaborated leadership effort between three non-profits (Platteville Community Fund, Platteville Community Arboretum and Building Platteville) and the City of Platteville, not to mention the community wide support of 28 fundraising projects involving 1,500 people, we just knew we had to utilize our Grand Opening to help make this happen. We are honored to have the opportunity to do so.”

Schmidt Electric has the conduit installed and Rule Construction has been putting in the gravel trail base from the Mineral Street bridge to the future start of the Platteville-to-Belmont trail.  

Rule Construction has also been installing culverts near the Mineral Street Bridge. Iverson Construction will begin asphalt paving of a one-mile section of the trail soon.