Greenfield awarded close to $700K for trails

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GREENFIELD — Nearly $700,000 is heading Greenfield’s way to expand the city’s trail system.

The state’s Next Level Trails program awarded $24.9 million in grants to 17 communities and non-profit organizations for 42 miles of new trail development, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Thursday. The City of Greenfield received $699,200 for 1.4 miles of multi-use asphalt path called the Franklin Street Trail.

The trail, divided among three segments on Franklin Street and New Road, will hook up to existing trails and connect three Greenfield parks, two schools, neighborhoods and other amenities and businesses on the west side of the city. Construction of the trail extension is slated for 2021.

Two segments of the Franklin Street Trail will connect to current paths along Franklin Street near Greenfield Central Junior High School and on New Road next to Hancock Wellness Center. A third segment would stretch from the roundabout of New Road and Franklin Street and head north on the bridge over Interstate 70 and hook up to Beckenholdt Park, just south of County Road 300 North.

Once completed, the trail will link Beckenholdt Park to the wellness center; the junior high; Greenfield Baseball Park and the future inclusive park next to the junior high; Hancock County Public Library; Mary Moore Park; Greenfield-Central High School; as well as neighborhoods and business parks. The city plans to later extend the Franklin Street trail down to the Pennsy Trail, said city engineer Jason Koch.

The state grant will cover 80 percent of project cost, while the remaining 20 percent is a local match.

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Next Level Trails is the largest infusion of trails funding in state history, according to a press release from Holcomb’s office. The $90 million grant program — administered through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources — is divided into two components: a $70 million fund for regional projects and a $20 million fund for local projects.

A total of $25 million was available for the first round, including $20 million for regional projects and $5 million for local projects. The 17 grant recipients contributed $12.5 million in local matches, resulting in $37.4 million total investment for trails, the press release states.

Greenfield also applied for grant funding to support a $1.2 million phase two of the future Brandywine Greenway — a mile-long connector between Brandywine Park and the Pennsy Trail. The city wasn’t successful in securing grants through Next Level Trails or the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization this year, but Koch said officials will keep applying for future grants to help fund the trail.

Next Level Trails is part of Holcomb’s $1 billion Next Level Connections infrastructure program, which focuses on major highway projects; expands access to rural broadband services; creates more nonstop flights; and pursues the expansion of rail projects in northwest Indiana, according to the press release.

The DNR expects to announce the next application period for funding later this year. Three rounds of funding are planned.