County firms up trail project guidelines

Work continues by employees in the Flathead County roads, parks and planning departments to firm up guidelines for future recreational trail projects, Planning Director BJ Grieve told the county commissioners last week.

Employees have met several times to update county policies for the use of Community Transportation Enhancement Program funds, he said. The state program funds transportation-related projects.

“It’s a really good document, but we are refining it,” Grieve said.

County staffers are considering establishing a funding cycle for trails projects, with due dates for applications and decisions. Members of the parks board will review trail applications, Grieve said.

The planning department staff will prepare the applications that are submitted to the state transportation department instead of having the volunteer group do that work as has occurred in the past.

Engineers will be told that the scope of any project they prepare designs and cost estimates for must fit into the budget, Grieve said. Projects that come in with a higher price tag than is available from the grant and matching funds won’t advance in the process unless they are scaled back.

Four trail projects are still in various stages of work in the county.

The Willow Glen trail in Kalispell is being closed out, Grieve said. Construction was finished earlier this summer. The sponsoring group, the Sam Bibler Commemorative Trail Project, wrapped up its fundraising efforts, allowing the project to be considered complete.

The agreement to proceed with the Lakeside Blacktail trail has been sent to the state for review. The county planning office is reviewing the Swan River Road application for a trail near Bigfork. That application hasn’t been submitted to the state yet.

The fourth project is the proposed Red Bridge trail project in Columbia Falls that’s still up in the air.