Snowmobile trail grant could aid local communities

According to State Assemblyman Bill Reilich (R,C,I-Greece), a grant administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), establishes a mechanism for allocating funds to local government sponsors that engage in the development and maintenance of snowmobile trails designated as part of the state snowmobile trail system. The funds can be used for trail development and maintenance of existing trails and trail facilities, including grooming.

To be eligible for a grant, a municipal government agency (county, city, town, village) must agree to compile grant applications from within its jurisdiction and develop one grant application. A trail will not be eligible for funding unless it has been previously designated by the OPRHD as being part of the state snowmobile trail system. The application deadline is September 1.

The annual funding is allocated to the local government sponsor on a prorated basis. The prorated amount is derived from the application and is paid out with a 70 percent "grant-in-aid" followed by a 30 percent reimbursement to the municipality upon documentation of 100 percent of the awarded total cost.

For information about the Snowmobile Trail Grant Program contact Debra Dukes at OPRHD, Grants Management Bureau, 16th Floor, Agency Building 1, Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12238; phone (518) 474-3831; fax (518) 486-7377; or visit www.nysparks.com/grants.