Donations and contributions to the project to pave and light the Rountree Branch Trail have been predicated on a state Department of Natural Resources grant to cover roughly half the cost of the project.
Last week, the DNR awarded a $633,336 grant for the Moving Platteville Outdoors project.
Combined with a $200,000 commitment from the City of Platteville, and another $230,000 in cash and cash pledges, the project needs another $150,000 to complete the DNR match.
Some of that $150,000 may come from the federal government. City Manager Larry Bierke said the DNR submitted a $45,000 funding request to the federal government as an additional contribution.
Bierke said the grant was the “highest scoring application in our region,” which includes Dane, Sauk, Rock and Columbia counties, while noting “how complete our application was.” In fact, the MPO project is the only project the DNR funded in those five counties, Bierke said.
The city, which sponsored the grant application, is contributing $200,000 to the project. Of that commitment, $50,000 was the city’s half of last year’s “3 for $100K” matching grant, which was to replace one bridge, relocate another bridge, and reroute portions of the trail. Of the added $150,000 approved in March, $20,000 will come from park impact fees, $25,000 will come from the park Capital Improvement Plan, and $105,000 will come from Tax Incremental Financing District 5.
UW–Platteville is contributing $50,000 through a donor and another $50,000 in an in-kind donation, while another $150,000 is coming from contributions from about 130 local residents, 40 businesses and three foundations, according to PCA’s Gene Weber. Another $30,000 is coming from three donors outside Platteville — the Woodward Foundation and John Deere of Dubuque, and the Alliant Energy Foundation of Madison.
Weber repeated the DNR’s statement that “a total community effort is the key to making this happen.”
Contributions can be made to the Platteville Community Arboretum with “MPO” in the memo line and sent to PCA, P.O. Box 302, Platteville, WI 53818.
A meeting on the trail project will be held in the Mound City Bank Motor Branch Thursday at 8 a.m. Bierke and PCA will provide an update on the project, specifically sharing information on concerns about using tax money for the project, annual trail maintenance costs, trail width, trash pickup, etc. A question-and-answer period will be included in the presentation.
