By DAVE SCHULTZ
Brandy Fiechter, superintendent of the Bluffton Parks and Recreation Department, had to look at her email twice this week. She really couldn’t believe what she saw.
What caught her attention was an announcement from Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Dan Bortner, director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, telling her that Bluffton will receive a $408,035 Next Level Trails Grant.
The money will provide 80 percent of what is needed to extend the Interurban Trail from its current northern terminal at Monroe Street to Lancaster Park. The local 20 percent match is in place with a combination of land donations, in-kind services, and cash.
“I saw it pop up and had to look at it twice,” she said. “About the same time, I got an email from our grant writer with lots of smiley faces.”
She was so excited, she said, that she ran downstairs from her office at City Hall to tell Mayor John Whicker the news.
The competition for the grants is intense. Fiechter said she had reason to be optimistic because the grant request touched a number of the qualifying measures, such as being near a school and near residential areas, but she didn’t know for sure if it was enough.
It was.
There is still work to be done before construction begins. For instance, there is a 12-page post-awards document that fiechter has to go through.
The engineering has started, Fiechter said, and the trail extension should go out for bids soon, Fiechter said Friday.
According to the statewide announcement, 17 regional projects and 21 local projects have been funds. The funding will provide %65 million for 77 miles of new trail development.
“Trails connect communities together in such a personal way and are perfect pathways to good mental and physical well-being,” Holcomb said in the announcement. “These continued quality-of-life investments will reap generational economic and tourism development dividends and further showcase Indiana’s incredible outdoor experiences.”
daves@news-banner.com
