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Council accepts $136,700 DNR stewardship grant for Eastside trail land acquisition; Arboretum must raise match
Summary
Council voted to accept a tentative $136,700 DNR stewardship grant to buy land for an Eastside trail extension; the Platteville Community Arboretum (PCA) must raise the required local matching funds, council said.
The Common Council voted Tuesday to accept a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources stewardship grant of $136,700 to support land acquisition for the Eastside (Rowntree Branch) Trail extension, contingent on the Platteville Community Arboretum raising the required local match.
City staff explained the stewardship grant is a matching program that would fund up to 50% of the corridor acquisition cost to connect Business Highway 151 to Eastside Road along the old railroad right‑of‑way. The Platteville Community Arboretum told staff it would lead fundraising and pursue other grants to supply the local match. "We would be the owners of the property moving forward," staff said, and the city would administer the grant and hold the property with possible maintenance responsibilities similar to other trails.
Council members asked what would happen if the Arboretum failed to raise the full match; staff explained the grant award amount would be adjusted downward to match funds raised (for example, if only $100,000 were raised, the awarded grant would match that amount). Council clarified that the DNR requires the city to confirm acceptance before executing further agreements.
Council moved and seconded to accept the $136,700 stewardship grant with the requirement that the Platteville Community Arboretum raise the matching funds. The roll call vote recorded unanimous support and the motion carried. Staff said additional DNR agreements and details remain to be worked out.
