Following a lengthy process that involved a couple of years of submitting documents and plans, the county was notified that the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission (GMRPTC) is recommending funding for the development of mountain bike trails in the full amount the county sought of $278,250.
GMRPTC Executive Director Renee Mattson notified the county board about the award in a letter at the end of November.
The recommendation will now go to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources commissioner who will hopefully okay it and forward it to the Minnesota legislature for approval.
Grants awarded in this cycle that are approved by the legislature are available in July 2017.
Once approval is given, the county will be contacted by the DNR who will assist the county with the completion of the DNR application that is required to process the grant.
The county will partner with the Superior Cycling Club on the grant. The county will administer the grant while the club takes care of trail planning, trail building, and trail maintenance.
Superior Cycling, said Tim Kennedy, has received one-half million dollars in funding for developing mountain bike trails this year. But, he noted, there is various paperwork to process before the money is available to use.
“Our goal is to connect Britton Peak to Lutsen Mountains,” Kennedy said.
The expanse covers 15 miles and will take two to three years to complete, said Kennedy.
Competition for the GMRPTC money was “pretty stiff,” said Kennedy. “A lot of good projects didn’t get funded in this cycle. There just wasn’t enough money available to support them all. We put in a lot of hard work to get the grant. Now, once we receive funding, we will have to find professional trail builders who have a good track record and ask them to submit bids. That will take time. Our goal is to have the work done by 2018, but that depends on finding enough qualified mountain bike trail builders.”
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