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Cincinnati takes action to further expand CROWN with two grant applications
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 by Wade Johnston
Cincinnati’s CROWN is taking shape. The City of Cincinnati recently applied for two Clean Ohio Trail Fund grants through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to advance key connections in the 34-mile urban trail loop vision. If awarded, the grants would build the first segment of the Little Duck Creek Trail in Madisonville and support connecting Wasson Way to the Murray Path. Tri-State Trails has stepped up to support the City to make these requests possible.
Little Duck Creek Trail: 72 years in the making
The vision for the Little Duck Creek Trail originated in 1948 in the Cincinnati Master Plan. In 2016, residents organized the Little Duck Creek Task Force to prepare a Feasibility Study for the trail. Before the City applied for this $143,000 grant, they were in search of $48,000 in local match funds. Tri-State Trails secured $24,000 of this, thanks to a gift from an anonymous donor. On February 28, the Cincinnati Park Board approved the remaining $24,000 to fulfill the match.
Should the grant be awarded, the funds will build a trail connecting Bramble Park to the Murray Path and soon, Wasson Way!
Wasson Way heads east
The Cincinnati Department of Transportation & Engineering’s requested grant totals $500,000 and will provide matching funds for a $6 million Surface Transportation Block Grant that Tri-State Trails helped the City secure from OKI Regional Council of Governments in October 2019. The money would go toward phases 4 and 5 of Wasson Way, slated to start construction in 2021. These segments will extend Wasson Way through Ault Park and connect to the Murray Path. Tri-State Trails is partnering with Wasson Way and the Ohio River Way to launch a capital fundraising campaign this year that will support additional connections in the CROWN vision. Stay tuned!