Recreational Trails grant round open but bond allocation still pending, DEEP says

Staff from the state recreational trails program said the 2025 grant round is open and will accept applications through December 18, but the program's funds have not yet been placed on the bond commission agenda.

"Our recreational trail grant round is open. The closing date is December 18," the program representative said, describing a review process that includes subcommittee scoring and a short list for the Greenways Council's March meeting. The staff member explained that DEEP has repeatedly requested bond commission placement but that OPM — which sets the agency's bond agenda — has not added the item yet.

Committee members asked whether the omission signaled opposition to the program; staff said the request had cleared agency steps and that the request is in OPM's hands, so direct feedback was not yet available. "We have not gotten any direct feedback as to why this hasn't been added," the staff member said.

DEEP staff also offered pre-application resources: an October 16 overview webinar recording, weekly office hours between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Friday, and email contact for questions. Staff said the review subcommittee will recommend awards, and in a worst-case timeline the committee's short list would be forwarded to the bond commission request package when a meeting is scheduled.

Members were advised that Recreational Trails awards previously served as local matches for the RAISE application and that towns should be ready to move those local design efforts forward even if federal consolidation is not available.

The committee agreed to continue coordinating application support and to prepare letters backing local submissions.