The Boone County Trails Advisory Committee is pleased to announce two new grant awards that will aid in their effort to expand hard-surface trails in Boone County. The awards, made by the Leonard Good Trust to the Boone County Conservation Foundation, will amount to a total of $260,000.

The first grant of $60,000 will help maintain engineering and consultation services through the design and pre-construction process of the committee’s Phase I project, a 2.1 mile path extending from the High Trestle Trail at QF Lane, north toward and through Swede Point Park. The second grant of $200,000 will be distributed over the course of four payments, one each year beginning with $50,000 in 2020, and is earmarked towards the construction of Phase I.

Boone County Conservation Director Tanner Scheuermann said, “The amazing generosity of the Leonard Good Trust helps bolster our efforts to expand the local trails network, and combined with three other previous grant awards, really changes the trajectory and timeline for us to build the first new hard-surface trails in Boone County since 2011.” The group has previously been awarded grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Central Iowa Regional Transportation Planning Alliance, and the Wellmark Foundation that total $275,000. Total cost of the Phase I project is estimated at $929,000, with BCTAC currently seeking funds from state and federal transportation programs to close the financial gap. Committee Chair Kurt Phillips added, “I can’t thank the board of the Good Trust enough for embracing the vision that our committee has put forth to expand outdoor recreation opportunities and improve health and wellness opportunities through the enjoyment of our amazing river valley lands.”