By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
WABASH CO,IN Amy Ford, chair of Wabash River Trail Inc., is expected to appear before the Wabash County Council on Monday, July 25, to formally request $1.2 million in County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) funds to be used toward the trail between Wabash and Lagro.
Wabash River Trail Inc. seeks to put an east-west trail through Wabash County, from the Huntington County line to the Miami County line. The total length of the trail is expected to be 33 miles.
Ford is listed on the council’s agenda distributed on Thursday, July 14, by County Manager Jim Dils.
“Amy will be making a formal request for $1.2 million in CEDIT funding through both commissioners and council,” Council President Mike Ridenour told The Paper of Wabash County on Friday, July 15. “I am not planning on making the formal request, that will be up to her to present the advertised request to both commissioners and council.”
Ford broached the idea of using CEDIT funds for the Wabash to Lagro segment at the June county council meeting.
The segment, labeled the project’s first phase, is estimated to cost about $6 million to construct and set up a maintenance budget, she told the council in June. Between $3.6 million and $4 million in private donations are expected for that phase.
The trail’s board hopes to align the project with the Northeast Regional Cities Initiative (NRCI) for the remainder of the funds. That would require a 20 percent grant match – roughly $1.2 million – to receive the remaining $1.2 million from NRCI.
The Paper of Wabash County interviewed all the Wabash County Council about this issue, as well as County Commissioner Bryan Haupert and Wabash Mayor Scott Long. For their thoughts, see the July 20 issue of The Paper.