Supporters ask council to accept TAP grant and back West Greenville trail; residents also urge sustained Greenlink funding

Residents, business leaders and nonprofit partners appealed to Greenville County Council to support a federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant and to sustain Greenlink bus service.

Trail grant: Multiple speakers urged council to approve a local match to secure about $1 million in TAP funds for the proposed Textile Crescent Trail that would connect Judson Mill and Brandon Mill and provide links to schools, businesses and existing greenways. Joshua Blankenship, president of the Brandon Mill Community Association, said the county’s parks-and-recreation match funds are already earmarked for trails and argued "For every dollar we spend on this, we get nearly $4 in federal grant money for free." Nathan Galbraith, who identified himself as chairman of a Greenville County nonprofit that helps deliver trails, said the TAP funds are restricted to alternative transportation projects and noted that the county was the grant applicant. Councilor Seaman later moved to refer consideration of the pending TAP grant application for the West Greenville shared-use path to the Committee of the Whole; the motion carried.

Transit funding (Greenlink): During the public-comment portion, transit users asked council to maintain and expand Greenlink service. Anais Morris described missed transfers that left riders waiting an hour and urged "30-minute service." Margaret McGinney urged the council to make transit "a travel mode of choice, not of last resort," saying that increased service and ridership should be a policy goal rather than eliminating service for low-ridership reasons.

Why it matters: If council authorizes the county match, the TAP grant would bring federal dollars to build a trail that advocates said would improve connections in underserved neighborhoods, stimulate economic activity, and reduce short car trips. For transit, speakers said reliable service enables employment and health-care access for riders who depend on buses.

Council action: Councilor Seaman moved and the council agreed to refer the TAP grant application for the West Greenville shared-use path to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration. No final appropriation vote for the TAP match was recorded at this meeting. Greenlink funding requests were made in public comment; no specific vote on Greenlink funding was taken at the meeting.

Ending: Supporters asked council to act so the county can leverage the federal funds; council referred the grant application to the committee to allow more detailed consideration.