The Raccoon River Valley Trail’s Perry-to-Woodward connector trail was one of seven Iowa projects winning grant funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Recreational Trails Program, the DOT announced Tuesday.
The Dallas County Conservation Board received DOT approval for $162,000 in funding for the land-acquisition phase between Quinlan Avenue and the city of Woodward, the eastern portion of the nine-mile connector-trail project linking the Raccoon River Valley Trail to the High Trestle Trail.
About $2.53 million has been raised toward the Let’s Connect project so far, according to Dallas County Conservation Board Director Mike Wallace. Last October, the project landed a $366,000 state DOT grant for phase-one construction, which is planned to begin this year near Perry.
“It’s a lot of money,” Wallace said about the latest increment of federal funding, “but we still need quite a bit.” The connector trail has an estimated price tag of $5 million. For more information or to make a donation toward the Let’s Connect project, visit the Let’s Connect website.
The Raccoon River Valley Trail grant was part $1.4 million approved by the Iowa Transportation Commission, which administers the federal Recreational Trails Program projects. Other projects approved for 2018 funding include:
- Des Moines River Trail, Phase 2 (Des Moines) – $250,000
- Iowa DNR Off-Highway Vehicle Program (Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa Off-Highway Vehicle Association) – $295,370
- Iowa State Parks Trail Repair Crew (Iowa DNR) – $159,384
- Support for Program and Bicycle Summit (Iowa DOT) – $7,000
- Tatonka Ska Trace – Rail Trail Phase II (Dickinson County Trails Board) – $344,048
- Trail Maintenance Equipment (Franklin County and Iowa State Snowmobile Association Snowmobile Grant Fund Program) – $200,000
The federal Recreational Trails Program was created in 1991 for the purpose of developing and maintaining recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both motorized and non-motorized trail users. Funding is available to cities, counties, state and federal agencies and private organizations through an annual application-based program.
