On Wednesday, Dec. 11, the Morris County Board of Freeholders unanimously approved grant funding for a half-dozen recreational trail projects in six towns across the county at a cost of $827,412 as part of the four-year-old Morris County Trail Construction Grant Program.
The county’s volunteer Trail Construction Grant Advisory Committee in November had recommended the projects, totaling 2.6 miles of trails, to the county governing board. They are:
- Chatham Borough, Garden Park Pedestrian Walking Path, 0.25 miles, $88,290
- Chatham Township, Hilltop Walking Trail, 0.7 miles, $119,962
- Denville, Den Brook Park Trail, 0.62 miles, $95,656
- Hanover Township, Bee Meadow Pond Nature Trail, 0.5 miles, $172,332
- Mendham Township, Pitney Farm Historic Park, 0.5 miles, $264,753
- Netcong, Arbolino Park Pedestrian Bridge and Trail, 1,000 feet plus bridge replacement, $86,422
“These trails being created across Morris County, and financed with the help of these voter-approved county grants, helps connect our green spaces and makes our vast tracts of open spaces accessible to all residents,” said Freeholder Director Doug Cabana. “These investments in the county’s recreational infrastructure help make our county a great place to live, work and locate a business.”
Funding for the trail projects comes from the county’s voter-approved Preservation Trust Fund.
In 2014, voters approved a ballot question by a margin of 3 to 1 to make trail development an allowable use for a portion of the trust fund money. The first grants were awarded in 2016.
Including the 2019 awards approved on Wednesday, the Trail Construction Grant Program has awarded 26 grants totaling $2,705,470 since 2016.
More than one-third of awarded projects, or 38 percent, are built on property purchased through the county’s Open Space Trust Fund Program. Five of the funded projects are completed.
Twenty-three of Morris County’s 39 municipalities have submitted grant proposals since 2016.
To see the list of 2019 projects, visit https://planning.morriscountynj.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Funding-Requested-Summary-2019-Website.pdf For the 2016-18 summary of projects, go to https://planning.morriscountynj.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Trail-Construction-Grant-Award-Summary-2016-to-2018.pdf