City could get new trail with help from grant funds

Published 2:52 pm Saturday, July 3, 2010

The city of Austin could be adding a new recreational trail — if federal dollars come its way.

On Tuesday, the City Council will discuss submitting a grant to the Minnesota Department of Transportation for a trail that would run from Bandshell Community Park to 16th Avenue Southwest, following the Cedar River.

The trail is projected to cost roughly $200,000. If the city can secure a grant through MnDOT — which is accessing federal dollars for various Transportation Enhancement Projects — up to 80 percent of that cost could be covered.

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The city has been successful with these grants before. Two trails that run from the Mill Pond area were partially funded through the program, while the Wildwood Park Trail and the new Cedar River pedestrian bridge also were aided by MnDOT grant dollars.

However, don’t expect a new trail anytime soon.

The current round of grant applications are for projects that would be funded in 2014 and 2015.