$2.5M in trail grants announced by state DNR; Chicopee Woods getting $100K

ATLANTA -- The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced the award of 27 new grants totaling $2.5 million for trails around the state. The selected projects, including several in northeast Georgia, will provide new outdoor recreation opportunities for a variety of trail user groups. A total of 87 applications requesting approximately $9 million were received from state, federal and local governments during this grant cycle.

 

The recipients include the Chicopee Area Parks Commission in Gainesville as well as projects in Maysville and Gwinnett, Hart, Union and White counties  A number of projects in the Chattahoochee National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service Office in Gainesville are also included.
 

“We are excited to continue serving new communities through this long-established grant program,” said Becky Kelley, Director of the Division of Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites. “Sixty percent of the projects awarded to cities and counties are receiving a trails grant for the first time.”

DNR administers the Recreational Trails Program locally under the guidance of the Federal Highway Administration. Funding for the program is appropriated by Congress in national highway legislation and is overseen by the Federal Highway Administration. Each year, the DNR offers awards through a competitive grant program. Agencies of state, federal, local government and authorized commissions are eligible to compete. Every recipient is required to match the grant by providing at least 20 percent of the cost of the project.

The Recreational Trails Program funds hiking, biking, and horseback trails, in addition to canoe and kayak launches. Funding is also available for trails that accommodate motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and off-road light trucks.

The grant recipients are:

1. City of Brunswick, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Trail - $100,000
2. City of Byron, Byron’s Cemetery Park Trail - $70,000
3. Chicopee Woods Area Park Commission, Chicopee Woods Bridge - $100,000
4. DNR Wildlife Resources Division, Little Ohoopee River Blue Trail - $80,000
5. City of Fort Valley, Festival Park Trail - $100,000
6. Gwinnett County, Tribble Mill Greenway Connection - $100,000
7. Hart County, Hart County Trail - $60,000
8. City of LaFayette, Chattooga River Greenway Trail - $100,000
9. City of LaGrange, Granger Park Trail - $100,000
10. City of Maysville, Nature Trails at Maysville City Park - $100,000
11. Meriwether County, Lake Meriwether Trail - $100,000
12. City of Milledgeville, Fishing Creek Community Trail - $100,000
13. Newton County, Yellow River Water Trail Browns Bridge Launch - $80,000
14. Peach County, South Peach Park Trail Extension - $70,000
15. City of Roswell, Old Mill Park Trail Project Phase III - $100,000
16. Town of Trion, Park Avenue Trail - $100,000
17. Union County, Byron Herbert Reece Connector Trail - $100,000
18. USFS, Ocmulgee Bluff Equestrian Trail Maintenance - $100,000
19. USFS, Chattooga River Ranger District OHV Trail Maintenance – $120,000
20. USFS, Conasauga Ranger District Motorized Trail Maintenance - $78,000
21. USFS, Duncan Ridge Trail Improvement - $87,000
22. USFS, Panther Creek Trail & Trailhead Maintenance - $77,000
23. USFS, Town Creek ATV Trail Maintenance - $131,000
24. Wayne County, Bill Morris Park Nature Trail - $100,000 
25. White County, Yonah Preserve Multi-Use Trail - $95,000
26. Wilkes County, War Hill Trail - 1779 Battle of Kettle Creek - $77,000
27. City of Winterville, Pittard Park Trails - $70,000