Avon Trails To Benefit From Large State Grant

Town of Avon

AVON, CT — While the summer of 2024 is later this month, Avon officials recently announced vital grant funding to enhance the local trail scene starting in the summer of 2025.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection recently announced Avon will receive $114,412 in grant funding under the Connecticut Recreational Trails Grant Program.

Those dollars will pay for improvements to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in town.

Funding will be used to support the purchase and installation of various safety features and amenities including:

• Installation of a 10-foot-by-12=foot cedar pavilion at the Department of Public Works trailhead.

• Installation of a water fountain with bottle filler at the Sperry Park trailhead.

• Installation of safety lighting inside the Route 44 underpass at the rear of the Avon Town Office complex.

• The replacement of the stone dust running path adjacent to the paved multi-use trail from the Farmington line north to the Simsbury line (approximately 18,393 feet).

• Installation of wayfinding signage at trailhead parking lots, trail crossings, and along Climax Heights Road in the town office complex/Avon Village Center area and speed limit signs along the trail.

"The proposed projects are intended to improve the safety of trail users and enhance their user experience while utilizing the town’s most highly utilized and appreciated recreational asset," wrote the Town of Avon in an announcement.

Avon is one of 45 grantees to receive an award under this program and local officials anticipate implementing these projects in the summer of 2025.

For more information on the grants statewide, click on this link.