Gadsden City to accept nearly $3 million federal grant for downtown greenway; city must provide matching funds

The Gadsden City Council voted to accept a federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant for development of a Downtown Gadsden Greenway.

Councilman Wilson said the award is for $2,995,000 and described plans for an eight-foot-wide asphalt trail with trailheads, pedestrian lighting, security pedestals, crossings at roadway intersections and sidewalk connections to adjacent neighborhoods. "This is a $2,995,000 grant that's gonna build an incredible, pedestrian greenway space all the way through the heart of the city," Councilman Wilson said during the Aug. 5 meeting.

The council also discussed a mismatch in figures on the paperwork: one exhibit in the packet showed a slightly different amount, which council members flagged as a typographical discrepancy. The council chair said, for full transparency, the award is effectively being discussed as a $3 million grant and that the city would be required to match roughly 50% of the project cost. "That's a 50/50 match. So the city of Gadsden is gonna have to match with $3,000,000," the chair said, describing the city match obligation and calling the combined program about $6 million.

Council members voted by voice to accept the grant and proceed with the project acceptance. The resolution to accept the grant was moved, seconded and carried by voice vote.

The council did not adopt a construction contract at the meeting; the action was limited to accepting the grant award and authorizing staff to proceed with next steps in the grant process. Councilman Wilson thanked staff and volunteers who prepared the application.

The grant is described in meeting materials as coming through the National Park Service via the Land and Water Conservation Fund (Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership). The council discussion noted that final project costs, required local match timing and specific contract awards for construction remain to be determined in later actions.

Minutes of the meeting record the vote as a voice vote with the motion carrying; no roll-call tally was provided in the meeting transcript.

The council chair and Councilman Wilson said the greenway aligns with a recent city master-plan engagement effort and will be used as an economic-development and quality-of-life project if funding and matching obligations are finalized.

What happens next: staff will proceed with grant acceptance steps and subsequent procurement or contracting for design and construction; the city will need to identify and budget the local match, and future council meetings are expected to include contract approvals and project details.