Jessamine Countians are invited to provide their input as the Parks and Recreation Department enters the next leg of the trek to finish a multi-use recreation trail at Riney B. Park, seeking a federal grant to help complete the project.
As part of the grant approval process, the department will hold an open forum March 5 to give the public an opportunity to voice their opinions on the trail, which will be a little more than two miles long when completed and circle the Jessamine County Aquatic Center, said Duane McCuddy, director of Nicholasville-Jessamine County Parks and Recreation.
The department began building the trail last year after receiving a $125,000 grant. About a mile of trail has been completed, McCuddy said.
The trail, which will be the longest recreational trail in the county when complete, will help promote the health of Jessamine Countians, he said.
“It will help people live healthier lifestyles, let them get out and view some wildlife,” McCuddy said. “And we’d like to get people out to our parks.”
The trail also will connect neighborhoods in the area and cut down on traffic, he added.
The Parks and Recreation Department plans to apply for the $100,000 grant by March 29. The grant, which will come from the Recreation Trails Program funded by the Federal Highway Administration, is a 50/50 grant and must be matched equally with local funds, McCuddy said. He said he plans to ask the City of Nicholasville and the Jessamine County Fiscal Court for the matching funds. Each contributed half of the matching funds for the first part of the project, he said.
If the funds are received, the trail should be completed by spring 2015 at the latest, though McCuddy said he hopes it will be completed sooner.
The discussion forum will be held at 3 p.m. in the fiscal courtroom at the Jessamine County Courthouse. It is open to everyone.
