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Palmetto Trail seeks $2.75 million for bridge, planning and Greenway connection; nonprofit says FEMA largely ineligible
Summary
Palmetto Trail representatives asked the subcommittee for $1 million to build a Tiger River suspension bridge, $1 million for Saluda Riverwalk planning and $750,000 to connect the Palmetto Trail to the East Coast Greenway; they said the nonprofit is generally ineligible for FEMA public assistance except where trail work is within state parks.
A Palmetto Trail representative, identified in the hearing as Buddy Hammond, told the subcommittee the Palmetto Trail is one of about 16 cross‑state trails in the country and that demand for the route has grown since the pandemic. Hammond said 12 of roughly 500 bridges across the trail were damaged by storms and that, because the Palmetto Trail is a nonprofit, FEMA public‑assistance funding generally is not available except where the trail passes through state parks.
“Our request is very simple,” Hammond said, summarizing three capital and planning requests aimed at tying existing trail passages together and connecting to a national corridor.
Nut graf: The Palmetto Trail asked for three line items: $1,000,000 to build a suspension bridge over the Tyger River to link Spartanburg and Union County passages; $1,000,000 to plan and permit the Saluda Riverwalk extension from Lake Murray Dam toward Prosperity; and $750,000 to construct a spur connecting the Palmetto Trail at Awendaw to the East Coast Greenway into Charleston and Mount Pleasant.
Hammond said the governor’s office has proposed a separate $150,000,000 pot for storm damage funding for small towns and nonprofits; the Palmetto Trail intends to apply for that money. He described close coordination with Parks, Recreation & Tourism and the Department of Natural Resources on repairs that traverse state parks.
Ending: Committee members asked about partner support and timelines; Hammond said engineering work was underway with an expectation to supply more detailed timelines and cost breakdowns to committee offices within the week.
