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County’s new Rural Champion to rework trail plan while RAISE design grant awaits federal sign-off
Summary
Amy Robertson, the county’s Rural Champion, outlined a 12‑month plan to revisit the 2022 countywide trail plan and pursue grants for phased construction. A pending federal RAISE-design grant (about $2.6M for engineering/design if executed) would fund detailed design, but the trail alignment assumes stormwater retention lakes that some commissioners said they currently do not support.
Amy Robertson, the county’s Rural Champion under a state Department of Commerce program, told the board she will spend the next 12 months re-engaging municipalities and residents on a countywide trail plan, assembling a phased funding strategy, and updating the 2022 plan to current priorities.
She explained the work plan will combine community surveys, town halls, and direct municipal outreach so the county can finalize a revised, implementable design that matches municipal appetite and funding reality. Robertson said she will focus on grants and partnerships and listed several grant programs she is tracking; she also said that if the county’s pending RAISE-design grant agreement from the Federal Highway Administration is finalized it would fund professional design (she cited roughly $2.6 million for design and engineering).
A central design assumption from the 2022 plan was the construction of stormwater retention lakes near Burlington, Leroy and Waverly. Commissioners told Robertson they suspected those lake projects were not likely in the near term; several said they were not currently supportive of building large retention lakes in the county. That difference affects trail routing in the 2022 plan, so Robertson said she will revisit the plan to remove the lake dependency if communities do not want to pursue them.
Why it matters: commissioners and staff said trails can deliver recreational benefits, health and connectivity for residents, and tourism opportunities, but the construction scale and funding approach will control how much the county itself needs to invest. Commissioners asked for guidance about whether the county is willing to provide the typical 10–20% match that many federal and foundation grants require.
Next steps: Robertson will present her outreach schedule to town councils and return with a phased design and grant plan; county staff will support municipal engagement and consider whether to provide matching funds for implementation grants on a case‑by‑case basis.
