Posted on September 25, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Representatives of the Prairie Trails Club recently came before the North Judson Town Council to get involved with talks about the potential sale of the railroad.
Organization rep Carolla Heilstedt explained that the PTC is once again seeking funding through the Governor’s Next Level Trails grant program to continue expanding the Erie Trail.
She explained, “We were recently awarded funding to extend the trail a couple of miles south of Knox and one of our largest interest points and what we’ve seen from the surrounding community is expanding north, through North Judson.
She noted that the Club has an ongoing relationship with the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum and in the past, the trail has been built alongside the railway since there is existing foundation.
In addition to being useful for local bicyclists and walkers, Club member Kathleen Lucas highlighted the fact that the Erie Trail brings in travelers from outside of the community.
She noted, “Just so you know, in the last two weekends we’ve run across people from Lake County who prefer to come down here and use our trail because it’s quiet and peaceful and they always end up going to a particular local business for lunch after that so I think it really is a benefit to the Town.”
Heilstedt told the council that Club members wanted to get involved with the process as early as possible to ensure that the eventual sale of the railroad will not impact the trail extension plans.
Town Council President John Rowe stated that the trail is good resource for the town to have and said he didn’t see any problem with working with PTC, in conjunction with the HVRM, as the sales process proceeds.
He did ask reps to provide Town Attorney Justin Schramm with a map clearly indicating the area they’re looking to utilize for their expansion so it can be incorporated into any potential sales documentation that may be needed in the future.
Stephen Lucas suggested the addition of a town council liaison that could coordinate with the Club about updates related to the trail.
However, rather than appointing a town official to that position, President Rowe asked if the PTC could select a representative who could attend meetings. The members of the PTC who were in attendance were content with that idea.
Heilstedt also recommended holding a meeting with Town officials, PTC reps and Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Larry Wickert to discuss details surrounding the planned expansion.
Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe added that while he may not be able to serve in the capacity of an official liaison, he is available to act as a go-between and members are always welcome to give him a call or come into Town Hall during office hours.
If you’d like to learn more about the Erie Trail or ways that you can get involved with the PTC, visit PrairieTrailsClub.org.
Showing posts with label Next Level Trails grant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Next Level Trails grant. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Monday, July 29, 2019
Workshops Scheduled for Round Two of Next Level Trails Grant Program
Posted on July 29, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Anyone interested in applying for funds in the second round of the Next Level Trails grant program is encouraged to attend one of the application workshops being held during the month of August.
Governor Eric Holcomb and Indiana Department of Natural Resources Director Cameron Clark recently shared details about the second round of funding, including the dates and times for three workshops.
On Friday, August 9th a workshop will be held at Fort Harrison State Park Inn in Indianapolis. This opportunity will also be offered via webinar.
A workshop will also be held on Tuesday, August 13th at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell. The final workshop will be held on Tuesday, August 20th at Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton.
All of the workshops will begin at 3 p.m. local time. Click the following link for registration information.
Next Level Trails, which will dedicate $90 million of State funds over the life of the program, is the largest infusion of trail funding in state history.
In the first round, seventeen communities and non-profit organizations were awarded a total of $24.9 million for 42 miles of trail development.
Locally, the Prairie Trails Club was awarded a grant totaling $390,750 to extend the Erie Trail by a little over 2 miles.
According to information provided about this round of funding, $25 million will be awarded to regional projects and up to $5 million will go into local projects.
Each component requires a 20 percent project match. While the match can include monetary contributions, it can also include land value and in-kind donations of materials and labor. Projects funded through the program must be open to the public.
The application period for the second round begins October 1st and ends November 1st at 5 p.m. ET. First-round applicants that did not receive funding may re-apply this round. A third-round is anticipated in 2020.
Applicants should review the updated Next Level Trails Application Handbook, as some minor changes have been added for round two.
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Anyone interested in applying for funds in the second round of the Next Level Trails grant program is encouraged to attend one of the application workshops being held during the month of August.
Governor Eric Holcomb and Indiana Department of Natural Resources Director Cameron Clark recently shared details about the second round of funding, including the dates and times for three workshops.
On Friday, August 9th a workshop will be held at Fort Harrison State Park Inn in Indianapolis. This opportunity will also be offered via webinar.
A workshop will also be held on Tuesday, August 13th at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell. The final workshop will be held on Tuesday, August 20th at Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton.
All of the workshops will begin at 3 p.m. local time. Click the following link for registration information.
Next Level Trails, which will dedicate $90 million of State funds over the life of the program, is the largest infusion of trail funding in state history.
In the first round, seventeen communities and non-profit organizations were awarded a total of $24.9 million for 42 miles of trail development.
Locally, the Prairie Trails Club was awarded a grant totaling $390,750 to extend the Erie Trail by a little over 2 miles.
According to information provided about this round of funding, $25 million will be awarded to regional projects and up to $5 million will go into local projects.
Each component requires a 20 percent project match. While the match can include monetary contributions, it can also include land value and in-kind donations of materials and labor. Projects funded through the program must be open to the public.
The application period for the second round begins October 1st and ends November 1st at 5 p.m. ET. First-round applicants that did not receive funding may re-apply this round. A third-round is anticipated in 2020.
Applicants should review the updated Next Level Trails Application Handbook, as some minor changes have been added for round two.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Community-Wide Matching Efforts Help Secure Next Level Funding for Prairie Trails Club
Posted on May 11, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Members of the Prairie Trails Club gathered together Thursday night to celebrate receiving a Next Level Trails grant that’s going to help extend the Erie Trail.
According to officials, the first three-mile segment of the Erie Trail was built in 2008 connecting the Town of North Judson to County Road 100 W. Another segment of a little over six miles was completed in 2010. State and federal funds were utilized for those projects.
Currently, the trail is a little over 9 miles long and extends from the Town of North Judson up to U.S. 35. The planned expansion will add an additional 2 miles that will reach toward Ora.
Prairie Trails Club President Carolla Heilstedt said the Club was incorporated as their own non-profit organization in 2017, which allowed them to start applying for grants on their own. Up to that point, they’d been coordinating with the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.
The Erie Trail isn’t only for bipeds and bicyclists. A portion of the trail running from County Road 100 W to U.S. 35 has an adjacent sand-based equestrian path, which will be a part of the extended trail as well.
In addition to giving local travelers a safe route to use, the Erie Trail is also a draw for people from all across the country, according to Club President Heilstedt.
She explained, “We have a couple of different coast-to-coast trail lines that we’re a part of; so we’re a part of The American Discovery Trail, which extends from the east to the west coast, U.S. Bike Route 35 and we actually just received word that we were included in a new coast-to-coast trail system called The Great American Rails to Trail System.”
The Next Levels Trails Grant required a local match. Heilstedt mentioned that they never would have been able to secure the funding without the generous help of many.
Specific details about those contributions can be found below.
Key Sources for the Next Level Trails Grant Local Match:
Additionally, it will provide a safer route to Tippecanoe State Park, a forested area with cabins and equestrian camping facilities. The PTC is also working to close the gaps between the existing Panhandle Pathway and the Nickel Plate trails.
Heilstedt mentioned that there is a lot of preliminary work that must be done before any construction efforts can begin on the extension.
She shared, “We’ll have to have permitting, we’ll have to have surveying and just so much engineering and architectural planning submitted to INDOT and DNR for approval before we’ll be able to begin work.”
She added that she’s been coordinating with Territorial Engineers, the firm that assisted with the grant proposal and past work, about what they can do before the funding is in hand. The state is not expected to release the grant money until the end of their fiscal year in July.
Looking ahead, the Prairie Trails Club has more plans for the future.
Heilstedt noted, “We are very interested in expanding, not just the trail, but the opportunities along the trail and one of those opportunities that we’d like to offer the community are learning kiosks.”
She said they would like the kiosks to be digital and interactive. The trail-side devices would allow path-users to learn more about the plants and animals in the surrounding area and the efforts that Prairie Trails Club volunteers take to ensure invasive species are removed so native foliage and fauna can thrive.
Aside from informational kiosks, the organization is also interested in installing bike repair stations intermittently along the trail to help people who hit a snag during their travels.
There will be more grant rounds provided through the DNR’s Next Level Trails program yet this year and Heilstedt noted that officials consistently apply for grants from other sources to help fund future development.
For more information or to get involved with the organization visit PrairieTrailsClub.org.
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Members of the Prairie Trails Club gathered together Thursday night to celebrate receiving a Next Level Trails grant that’s going to help extend the Erie Trail.
According to officials, the first three-mile segment of the Erie Trail was built in 2008 connecting the Town of North Judson to County Road 100 W. Another segment of a little over six miles was completed in 2010. State and federal funds were utilized for those projects.
Currently, the trail is a little over 9 miles long and extends from the Town of North Judson up to U.S. 35. The planned expansion will add an additional 2 miles that will reach toward Ora.
Prairie Trails Club President Carolla Heilstedt said the Club was incorporated as their own non-profit organization in 2017, which allowed them to start applying for grants on their own. Up to that point, they’d been coordinating with the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.
The Erie Trail isn’t only for bipeds and bicyclists. A portion of the trail running from County Road 100 W to U.S. 35 has an adjacent sand-based equestrian path, which will be a part of the extended trail as well.
In addition to giving local travelers a safe route to use, the Erie Trail is also a draw for people from all across the country, according to Club President Heilstedt.
She explained, “We have a couple of different coast-to-coast trail lines that we’re a part of; so we’re a part of The American Discovery Trail, which extends from the east to the west coast, U.S. Bike Route 35 and we actually just received word that we were included in a new coast-to-coast trail system called The Great American Rails to Trail System.”
The Next Levels Trails Grant required a local match. Heilstedt mentioned that they never would have been able to secure the funding without the generous help of many.
Prairie Trails without Next Level extension
Specific details about those contributions can be found below.
Key Sources for the Next Level Trails Grant Local Match:
- Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum: Has played an integral role in the PTC for years; donated the land where the trail is to be extended
- Greenways Foundation: An Indiana organization that promotes green and blue-ways provided a $5,000 grant
- The Luminous Fund: A charitable foundation led by the Carrier family provided a $5,000 grant
- Starke County Community Foundation: The local philanthropic organization donated $5,000
- Starke County Highway Department: With the authorization of the Starke County Commissioners, the Highway Department was permitted to provide up to $5,000 in labor and materials for an in-kind donation
- SCILL Center: built three bike racks that were valued at about $1,000 each
- Kankakee Valley REMC: supplied grant funding for bike rack materials
- Prairie Trails Club:
Club officials shared that this expansion will greatly improve safety by extending the trail past U.S. 35 to reach broad, quiet, rural roads that allow easy connection to the Bass Lake community which has numerous amenities for trail users.
- Provided $5,000 from treasury fund for general construction costs
- Collected plastic bottle caps for the Lids to Benches Program to recycle material into seating for the trail
- Committed to furnishing and coordinating safety and identification signage through partnerships already established with the Highway Department and local signage manufactures
Additionally, it will provide a safer route to Tippecanoe State Park, a forested area with cabins and equestrian camping facilities. The PTC is also working to close the gaps between the existing Panhandle Pathway and the Nickel Plate trails.
Erie Trail including Next Level extension
Heilstedt mentioned that there is a lot of preliminary work that must be done before any construction efforts can begin on the extension.
She shared, “We’ll have to have permitting, we’ll have to have surveying and just so much engineering and architectural planning submitted to INDOT and DNR for approval before we’ll be able to begin work.”
She added that she’s been coordinating with Territorial Engineers, the firm that assisted with the grant proposal and past work, about what they can do before the funding is in hand. The state is not expected to release the grant money until the end of their fiscal year in July.
Looking ahead, the Prairie Trails Club has more plans for the future.
Heilstedt noted, “We are very interested in expanding, not just the trail, but the opportunities along the trail and one of those opportunities that we’d like to offer the community are learning kiosks.”
She said they would like the kiosks to be digital and interactive. The trail-side devices would allow path-users to learn more about the plants and animals in the surrounding area and the efforts that Prairie Trails Club volunteers take to ensure invasive species are removed so native foliage and fauna can thrive.
Aside from informational kiosks, the organization is also interested in installing bike repair stations intermittently along the trail to help people who hit a snag during their travels.
There will be more grant rounds provided through the DNR’s Next Level Trails program yet this year and Heilstedt noted that officials consistently apply for grants from other sources to help fund future development.
For more information or to get involved with the organization visit PrairieTrailsClub.org.
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