Consultants outline FM 407 corridor trail study and grant strategy, emphasize community input

Consultants from 0.5 and Associates presented the Highland Village Parks & Recreation Advisory Board and Community Development Corporation with an FM 407 corridor trail assessment and a two-year grant positioning plan. Kevin Grumble, the consultant who opened the presentation, said the study aims to analyze potential trail routes and prepare competitive grant applications.

"We are here tonight to present to you all the FM 47 corridor and amenities, and traffic update," Kevin Grumble said, framing the work as both a connectivity and a grant-readiness exercise. The consultants described a map of seven corridor segments and the constraints planners must resolve — limited right-of-way, buried utilities and several railroad crossings — as they prioritize segments for future applications.

The team explained that grant competitiveness will rely on community support, project readiness (design at 30–60%), and letters from property owners or railroad companies when right-of-way is implicated. Liz Range Pindell, who leads grants and funding resources for the firm, said the typical funding mix for the programs discussed is roughly 80% grant, 20% local match.

Board members and residents stressed that neighborhood-level outreach and targeted workshops should precede any expensive preliminary or final alignment studies. The consultants agreed: next steps are to collect public feedback, narrow options to three preliminary alignments, then produce opinions of probable cost and prepare grant applications in advance of the 2027 call for projects.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 109, topfinish SEG 138.