MWV Trails Association awarded a $1.2 million matching grant for Rec Path development
North Conway, NH – Last week, supporters of a 2.8-mile paved recreation path between Cranmore Mountain Resort and Hemlock Lane near Walmart announced they were awarded a $1.2 million matching Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program grant. Administered by the Federal Highway Association and disseminated through state highway departments, the grant will now allow work to begin on the $2.3 million project to create a paved pathway for recreation alongside the North-South Road and the middle section of the proposed (but unfunded) Route 16 bypass west of Puddin Pond in North Conway.
Joined by representatives of the non-profit Mount Washington Valley Trails Association, District 1 Executive Councilor Joe Kenney (R-Wakefield) appeared before Conway selectmen on Tuesday, Dec 19 to announce that the group’s request for a $1.2 million matching CMAQ grant had been approved by the Executive Council on the state’s 10-Year Highway Plan. It next awaits Gov. Chris Sununu’s signature and the Legislature, according to Kenney.
According to a recap by Tom Eastman appearing in the Conway Daily Sun, Trails Association member, Capital Campaign co-chair and Mt Washington Valley resident, Ted Wroblewski, announced, “With this $1.2 million, and with our pledges and gifts from donors, we have raised $1,757,370, which represents 76 percent of our goal.” The Mt Washington Valley Trails Association further maintained that the Rec Path will be entirely funded through donations and no taxpayer money will be spent on the project. The Committee is expected to soon announce additional grants indicated from foundations and donors and is hopeful they will have CDFA tax credits available for sale to business owners.
The Mt Washington Valley Trail Association’s mission is to build and maintain multi-use recreation paths within the Mount Washington Valley area that provide residents and visitors alternative community access and opportunities for safe, family-oriented recreation and transportation. A milestone was met to achieve the first step in meeting that mission with the CMAQ matching grant to help fund the proposed Rec Path. The goal and dream of the Mt Washington Valley Trails Association is to see the Mt Washington Valley Recreation Path incorporated into a continuous 70-mile family-friendly "Linear Parkway" stretching from Portland, Maine through Bartlett, New Hampshire and beyond for recreation enjoyed by residents and businesses.
For more information on the Mount Washington Valley Trails Association and to follow news and progress of the of the new proposed Rec Path, visit http://mwvrecpath.org.
