Applications are open and organizations are vying for a piece of the $3 million which will be awarded for trail projects throughout Montana.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks manages both the Recreational Trails Program and the Trail Stewardship Grant Program, and applications for both are due by Jan. 31, 2023.
Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is a federally funded grant program that awards approximately $1.5 million annually for the development, renovation, and maintenance of recreational trails and trailside facilities.
The Trail Stewardship Grant Program (TSP) is a state program funded by both Montana’s $9.00 light vehicle registration as well as tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales and will also award approximately $1.5 million for for the development, renovation, and maintenance of motorized and nonmotorized recreational trails and trailside facilities throughout Montana.
The highest awards are $100,000 for an RTP grant and $75,000 for a TSP grant. Each grant requires matching funds: the RTP grant requires that the community provide 20% of the funds for the project and TSP requires a 10% match.
There will be at least three applications coming from the Billings area. Billings Metropolitan Planning is applying for both the RTP and TSP in a combined effort to connect apartment complexes to Rose Park Elementary School; to help better utilize the north-eastern part of Rose Park; and to connect residents north of the ditch and east of 19th St. W to Rose Park. Currently, students must walk through ice and mud to access the school from the apartment complex, and the route to the school is not ADA compliant.
Billings TrailNet is partnering with the Parks Department and Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) to apply for the RTP grant to repave the trail which parallels Lillis Ln, just south of Grand Avenue. The current trail is cracked and has bollards on either side of bridge over Arnold Drain Ditch, which prevent people in wheelchairs from crossing the bridge and accessing the trail and Lillis Park. The application also includes adding curb cuts and ADA ramps at Lillis Park, an ADA accessible picnic table plus directional signs and mileage markers along the trail.
Decisions for these grant awards will be given in May 2023.
For more information about these grants or to apply, please see:
RTP grant: https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/grant-programs/recreational-trails
TSP grant: https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/grant-programs/trail-stewardship