DEM ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF $1.6 MILLION TO CREATE AND IMPROVE RECREATIONAL TRAILS ACROSS RHODE ISLAND
Online pre-application training workshop set for December 2nd
TRAILHEAD BENCHES AT CLIFF WALK, NEWPORT
PROVIDENCE – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) along with the RI Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration (FHA) announce the availability of $1.6 million in federal transportation funds for recreational trail projects in Rhode Island. Applications for the grants will be accepted by DEM through January 28.
“There are tremendous economic, health, and environmental benefits to modernizing our recreational facilities and creating greenspace in our communities,” said DEM Director Janet Coit. “Never were our open spaces as popular as in 2020, when state and locally-managed open spaces were at full capacity during much of the summer. Good trail networks connect residents and visitors to the wide array of natural resources Rhode Island has to offer. By enhancing public enjoyment, a good trail network also helps protect these resources.”
Local, state and non-profit agencies and Native American tribes are eligible for the matching grants, which provide 80 percent of the cost up to $100,000, for projects that promote and enhance trail-based recreation. Grants may be used for the development of new trails, improvement or restoration of existing trails, and development of trailside and trailhead facilities and trail linkages. Projects on trails that are not open to the general public, as well as research and planning projects and landscaping, are not eligible for grant funding.
GRANITE TRAIL PARK BURRILLVILLE
The local trails grants draw upon federal funds made available under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Under an interagency cooperative agreement, DEM administers the grant program with funds made available by RIDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.
An online pre-application training workshop will be held on Wednesday, December 2, at 1:30 PM. Prospective applicants are encouraged to join the workshop via Zoom Meetings using the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85899443242?pwd=T0FRZUFFdWErWm5oNnNjK0Rrd1N3dz09
Meeting ID: 858 9944 3242. Passcode: 555155.
Prospective applicants also may call in to hear the workshop: (929) 205-6099, meeting ID: 858 9944 3242.