Illinois trails receive funding

Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevic announced $949,800 in grants for multi-purpose recreational trail projects that will create or improve Illinois trails. Nearly half ($448,000) of the grant money will directly affect snowmobile trails in Illinois.

Funding for the project is supported by the federal government’s Recreational Trails Program.

“These grants will increase recreation opportunities for people who love the outdoors – hikers, runners, bike riders, snowmobile riders, and boaters,” says Gov. Blagojevich. “The recreational trail projects supported by these federal and local funds are good news for both residents and visitors to these communities.”

The grants for these projects were recommended by the Illinois Greenways and Trails Council, which includes representatives of statewide motorized and non-motorized trail user organizations, statewide agency organizations, organizations with expertise in greenways and trails, and metro-area greenways and trails coalitions.

Freeport Park District in Stephenson County was granted $104,000 to purchase a 165-horsepower tractor to groom the Jane Addams Trail and other public snowmobile trails within Stephenson County during the winter and to mow the shoulders of the Jane Addams Trail during warm weather months.

An additional $144,000 was granted to the district to acquire a 50-foot wide corridor, 3.18 miles long that will be developed with a 12-foot-wide graded path for snowmobile use and a 12-foot wide asphalt path for bicycling and walking. This corridor will tie into the Jane Addams Trail.

The city of Shelbyville was granted $200,000 to construct a one-mile extension of the General Dacey Trail, a snowmobile/bicycle/hiking trail. Like the first two sections of the trail, this phase will be a 10-foot wide limestone screenings trail with two-foot shoulders. The trail will be constructed on both City of Shelbyville and the US Army Corps of Engineers’ property.