Newtown Nature Trails Get $124K Boost From State

NEWTOWN, CT — The town and a local nonprofit will receive over $124,000 between them as their share of approximately $9 million in state grants being released through the Connecticut Recreational Trails Program to plan, build, expand, and improve a total of 50 multi-use trails across Connecticut.

The Town of Newtown will receive $80,000 for the planning and design of the Al's Trail Greenway Feasibility Study. The nonprofit Newtown Bridle Lands Association has been granted $44,080 from the state.

The program is administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Funding for this grant round was allocated by the State Bond Commission in July 2022.

The grant money can be allocated for a wide variety of purposes, including planning, design, land acquisition, construction, construction administration, and publications for bikeways, walkways, and greenways, as well as for equipment and trail amenities, such as parking lots, toilet buildings, signs, and benches.

DEEP has seen demand for outdoor recreation increase dramatically since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, according to the release. Annual visits to locations in the Connecticut State Parks and Forests system reached an estimated 17 million in 2022 – a 75 percent increase from pre-pandemic visitation levels of between 9 and 10 million in 2019. Additionally, the economic value of hiking, climbing, and tent camping increased by 50 percent from 2019 to 2021. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the value of outdoor recreation in 2021 contributed nearly $4 billion to the state and supported more than 40,000 jobs.

“These projects are timely and will improve our state’s connectivity and accessibility to open space, which benefits our residents and visitors physically and mentally, enhances our state’s outdoor economy, and makes our state such an attractive place to live,” DEEP commissioner Katie Dykes said.

DEEP anticipates most of the awarded projects being completed by 2026.