Officials will seek funds for bike trail

The two phases have a price tag of $1.54 million.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County Planning Commission officials are drafting a request to county commissioners for funding to proceed with phases of the Greenway bicycle trail just north and south of Warren.
Alan Knapp, planning commission director, and planner Julie Green are asking for $80,000 -- which would provide matching money needed to get state and federal grants needed to construct two phases of the path.
Knapp and Green are sending the request on behalf of the Trumbull Metroparks Board, which is overseeing the trail.
The commissioners would need to agree to the funding right away because Feb. 1 is the deadline for applying for the grant money, Knapp said, adding that Commissioner Dan Polivka encouraged him to write the request because such funds "might be available."
In addition to the local match, the two phases would be funded with state and federal money, Green said.
What's needed
Phase 3 from Champion to Warren would cost $690,000 and needs a $35,000 local match, Knapp said. Phase 4 from Warren to Niles would cost $850,000 and requires a $45,000 match, he said.
Phase 3 of the trail would run from Champion Avenue south to the county engineer's facility on North River Road.
Phase 4 would run from Warren south to the intersection of state Route 46 and Robbins Avenue in Niles.
Warren city is studying the best route and planning to build its portion of the trail with mostly federal money.
It hopes to have its portion complete by 2008. Niles city has made plans to complete the section from Robbins Avenue south through the city, Green said.
The first phases of the Greenway are already being used. With the exception of a 6-mile gap between Orwell and Rock Creek, the Greenway has been continuously paved from Champion Street to West 52nd Street in Ashtabula. Other sections have been paved in Mahoning and Columbiana counties, and plans call for it to extend from Lake Erie to the Ohio River.
runyan@vindy.com