Walhalla agrees to match trail grant
By CARLOS GALARZA-VEVE
THE JOURNAL
WALHALLA — City officials heard more this week about the plans to connect Walhalla’s downtown to
the more-than-350-mile Palmetto Trail and pledged $20,000 in matching funds should trail planners
nail a $100,000 federal grant for the project.
Natalie Britt, executive director of Palmetto
Conservation, which oversees the Trail, said her
board members are leaning toward calling the
Oconee County extension of the statewide chain
of hiking trails and bike lanes the “Walhalla
Passage,” although an official name has yet to be
picked.
Britt said the segment would stretch from Oconee
State Park to downtown Walhalla, where the new
terminus would be.
“We’re still looking at the Stumphouse property
with the goal of developing a comprehensive
biking and hiking destination that we believe will
be very similar to what we see in Pisgah Forest,
N.C.,” Britt said. “People are going to come from
all over the Southeast to visit this property, where
they’re going to be doing really fun mountain
biking and getting out and hiking. That’s our phase one.”
The second phase of the project is looking at development of the urban section of the trail, Britt
said.
Palmetto Conservation will be seeking a $100,000 grant from the Recreational Trails Program, which
is funded through the Federal Highway Administration, which channels funds to states. Britt said the
Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department administers the grant program in South Carolina.
“We’ve used this funding over the past two decades to really develop amazing sections of the
Palmetto Trail,” Britt said.
To date, Palmetto Conservation has received more than $1.5 million in federal funds for trail
development and maintenance, Britt said.
Britt told officials at Tuesday night’s council meeting she needed a $20,000 commitment from the
city to match the RTP grant. She said the match could be a combination of in-kind work and hard
cash.
“I think Walhalla will be extremely competitive, because you have not received (RTP) funding
before,” Britt said. “The other benefit you’ll get is that once you get in the system, you start
establishing some credentials within that system and you are encouraged to continue applying. As
part of the Palmetto Trail, you’ll be very competitive in that process.”
Council unanimously approved the request.
In a related move, council agreed to hire Blake Sanders of Alta Planning and Design in Greenville to
undertake a master plan for the city’s downtown that would enhance its Palmetto Trail terminus.
The terms of the contract are still to be determined.
carlos@upstatetoday.com | (864) 973-6684
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