State funding to aid local trails
Lincoln County Port Authority has received nearly $50,000 in state funding to spruce up trail sections near Libby Creek.
Recreational Trails Program grants, administered by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, awarded local officials $29,432 to assist in the rehabilitation of the J. Neils Trail. Tina Oliphant, port authority executive director, said the funds would help rehabilitate dilapidated sections of the walking path. To lay new asphalt and establish a consistent width for the trail, the port authority would partner with the county road department.
Funds from the Recreational Trails Program also would help the port authority rebrand the section of trail near the settling ponds.
Officials are floating the idea of putting up signs labeling the area as “Turtle Pond Park.”
By sprucing up this section of the path, Oliphant hopes to let visitors appreciate the plant and wildlife that inhabit the settling ponds while expanding local recreational opportunities. The idea to rehabilitate the area came after seeing a group of children playing in Libby Creek last year.
“It was just so fun and I had the realization that this thing has got to improve,” she said.
A second grant for $19,725 from the Montana Trail Stewardship Grant Program, also administered by FWP, would help the port authority improve 6,000 feet of the Old Haul Road Trail. County road crews will lay asphalt on the loop area of the Old Haul Road Trail to improve access for people with disabilities. The trail’s parking lot would also receive a coat of asphalt.
Oliphant said officials were ready to break ground on the projects but were waiting for an opening in the road department’s schedule. Once crews could turn their attention to the trails, Oliphant said the work would move quickly. She expected the projects to be completed in August or September.
Both grants were partially funded by the FWP. Port authority officials originally asked for $58,864 for the Recreational Trails Program Grant and $26,300 for the Montana Trail Stewardship Grant Program.
“You never get funded for everything,” said Oliphant.
The Recreational Trails Program offered more than $1.56 million to 42 projects across the state this year, according to an FWP statement. Troy Snowmobile Club received $24,000 from the program to assist with grooming, weed spraying and brushing.
The dollars awarded through the Montana Trail Stewardship Grant Program this year topped $1.15 million and go towards 41 projects, according to a release from FWP.
The City of Troy received a $10,000 grant as part of this year’s cycle to develop the municipality’s trail system. FWP awarded Troy Snowmobile Club $36,000 for grooming, brushing and bridge replacement work. Kootenai Cross Country Ski Club received $18,178.20 through the program for trail maintenance work at the Flower Creek Nordic Trail system.