Benton County backs Sauk Rapids and Rice trail grant applications, clarifies local match and maintenance expectations

Benton County commissioners voted to provide a letter of support and adopt resolutions enabling Sauk Rapids and the City of Rice to apply for federal and state active‑transportation funding to build trails that would tie into existing pedestrian connections.

County engineer Chris Byrd explained the two requests: Sauk Rapids asked for a letter and an accompanying resolution for an application to the Transportation Alternatives/Active Transportation program to construct a trail along Mayhew Lake Road and tie into an existing south‑side trail. For Rice, the county would be the applicant for a trail along County Road 55 that lies within Rice city limits; the city indicated it would accept routine maintenance responsibilities if the county provided the local match and the grant covered construction.

Byrd emphasized that the grant "only covers construction costs," and that engineering, inspection and other non‑construction costs (and local matching funds) would fall to the county. Commissioners pressed staff and the cities to include explicit maintenance language and permit conditions so the county would not be left paying to relocate or remove trails later if road reconstruction occurs.

With those clarifications, the board approved motions to supply a letter of support for Sauk Rapids and a resolution of support for Rice, with votes recorded as carried.

County staff said routine maintenance arrangements and any future maintenance agreements would be developed once successful grants are awarded and projects move into preliminary engineering stages.