Recreational Areas Get $1.5 Million In Federal Grant Money
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Recreational areas up and down the state will be sharing more than $1.5 million in federal grant money to repair bridges, build trails, purchase property and help pay for other projects.
Governor Bruce Rauner's office says the projects are in eleven communities and include city park districts, county forest preserve districts as well as Southern Illinois University and Prairie State College.
"These projects will help provide safe places for children and families, hikers, bike riders and horseback riders to enjoy the outdoors," Rauner said.
The communities that will receive the grants include Aurora, Charleston, Mahomet, Rockford Park District, Shabbona Township, Tinley Park, Macon County Conservation District as well as the Cook County and DuPage County Forest Preserve Districts,
The money will come from the Recreational Trails Program, a federal grant program that in Illinois is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in cooperation with the state's transportation department.
Under the program, the federal government reimburses up to 80 percent of the projects' cost to the local grant recipients, with the recipients paying for the rest.
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