Valley County accepts $250,000 LTAC grant for Sampson Trail; county to start work where funds allow

Valley County commissioners on Feb. 10 accepted a $250,000 grant from the Local Tourism Attraction Committee (LTAC) for phase 2 of the Sampson Trail project and authorized county staff to sign the grant agreement.

County staff said the phase-2 LTAC award leaves the county with $250,000 for work on Sampson Trail but that the dollars cannot be used as a matching source for a separate Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) grant. Lucinda (county parks staff) said the phase-2 LTAC award follows an earlier $250,000 grant for phase 1. "We have $250,000 for this project that was bid out at $501,000," Lucinda said, describing the shortfall and the county's plan to start work at the Elo intersection and build south as far as funds permit.

The county described two possible approaches: (1) confirm the status of storage units at the corner of Elo — one condition of prior approvals required a pathway through that property — and, if the property work looks likely to proceed quickly, complete most of the remaining trail; or (2) begin at Elo and stop at an existing crosswalk about two-thirds of the way toward Pearson, where the available funds would naturally end the work. Lucinda said the LTAC award is an "award" of $250,000 and that the county "just can't use that as the match for the other grant."

Parks staff also told the board that previous attempts to use LTAC funds as match had been part of the county's plan; when that option was not allowed the county planned to move ahead with the work segment it can afford now and seek additional funding later. The board voted by voice to approve signing the local agreement to accept the LTAC award.

The parks department also reported that a large grooming machine (the "Challenger") used to maintain trails and groomed routes is out of service and that replacement parts are being ordered from Germany, decreasing grooming efficiency until repairs are completed. That equipment issue is delaying some maintenance work while staff use smaller machines in the interim.

The county said it is continuing to pursue other grant opportunities to complete the trail and will hold the LTAC funds until project timing and property access are clarified.

The motion to accept and sign the LTAC/local agreement was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote. The board did not provide a roll-call tally in the record; the minutes show a unanimous voice vote in favor.

The county indicated it will return to the board with next steps once the property-access condition at Elo is clarified and bids/contractor availability are known.