The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is helping communities expand recreational opportunities with the approval of more than $6.3 million in Clean Ohio Trails Fund grants. Those grants include one in Delaware County.
“Trails bring families together, promote healthy living, and can connect people across the state,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “These grants provide communities with more options to help people get outside and enjoy the natural beauty that the Buckeye State has to offer.”
These grants will be used to purchase land, build, and improve trails. The work will link people to statewide trails, connect urban areas to recreational areas, and upgrade regional trail systems across Ohio. The investments help facilitate travel and provide safe and scenic trails where Ohioans can hike, bike, and run. Grant recipients provide a 25% match for their projects.
The funding will be provided as a reimbursement for 16 projects in 14 counties. Counties with approved projects include Ashtabula, Butler, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Knox, Medina, Meigs, Pickaway, Shelby, Trumbull, and Warren. Some of the approved projects include:
- $316,500 for construction of 1.4 miles of the Ohio-to-Erie Trail in Delaware County
- $500,000 to expand Cincinnati’s Wasson Way Trail by 1.25 miles for use by joggers, skaters, and cyclists
- $485,000 to construct 1.25 miles of trail connecting north Columbus to the Alum Creek Trail
- $500,000 for construction of a 4-mile section of the Western Reserve Greenway Trail in Trumbull County
The local project is being undertaken by Preservation Parks of Delaware County, and has a total price tag of $428,000. This will construct 1.4 miles of the Ohio-to-Erie Trail in the Sunbury area in along a former railroad corridor. The width of the multi-use trail will be a 10-feet-wide asphalt route.
The Clean Ohio Trails Fund, administered by ODNR, is one of three components of the Clean Ohio Fund, which restores, protects, and connects Ohio’s natural and urban places. Ohioans approved the establishment of the $400 million bond program in 2000. This is the 15th round of funding to be awarded through the Clean Ohio Trails Fund.
To date, the Clean Ohio Trails Fund has awarded nearly $100 million to provide Ohioans with better access to recreational opportunities through the creation of nearly 500 miles of trails and the acquisition of 128 miles of abandoned railroad and greenway corridors. To learn more about Ohio’s trails, please visit trails.ohiodnr.gov.
