Ramsey County accepts Transportation Alternatives grant for county bridle path

Ramsey County commissioners voted to accept a Transportation Alternatives (TA) grant to support a 2027 transportation-alternative project on a Ramsey County bridle path.

County staff described the acceptance as a step that allows the county to receive and manage state reimbursement but does not obligate the county to start construction. “We do have until July 18, so we can take a little time on that if you guys wanna table that for now to decide if we wanna invest that money in the pathway,” a county staff member said during the discussion.

Staff explained that the state requires inspection and quantity tracking tied to reimbursement. A county staff member said contractors must submit paperwork and a contractor certification for installed items before the state will process estimates, and only after the state certification is complete can the county receive reimbursement. “Inspection with quantity tracking. Right. Record keeping. We have to before we can pay them for the quantity,” a staff member said.

Commissioners noted public complaints about the pathway and the difficulty of some users navigating it. One commissioner said the pathway “is certainly something that's needed out there. I've gotten several complaints about that.”

A commissioner moved to accept the TA grant; another commissioner seconded the motion. The motion passed on a voice vote.

The acceptance documented at the meeting does not itself direct construction; commissioners and staff discussed taking additional time to decide whether to invest county matching funds or proceed with the project before the July 18 deadline for grant submittals.

Next steps described by staff include compiling the required contractor certifications and submittal paperwork for state processing. No motion or vote to start work on the project was recorded at the meeting.