Design work for a trail that will highlight Appomattox’s Civil War history is in its initial stages, said County Planner Johnnie Roark.
However, anticipated county and state budget woes could slow the process.
The Appomattox Heritage and Recreational Trail is designed to link Appomattox Court House National Historical Park with the town and surrounding recreational and historical sites.
Sites will include the county’s recreation park, the Museum of the Confederacy site and the battlefield of Appomattox Station, Roark said.
Though the full layout of the trail is still being worked out, Roark said the county has received two federal grants, totaling about $273,000, to support the design of the first phase.
That segment will span 1.95 miles from the Appomattox Community Recreation Park on Police Tower Road to the new Walmart site, near the intersection of U.S. 460 and Virginia 26, he said.
A $107,000 match by the county is required to receive both grants, and the county has already agreed to put forth about $33,000.
Last fall, the county hired Land Planning and Design Associates of Charlottesville to engineer the trail’s design, but progress on the trail has been halted because of funding issues.
Appomattox supervisors have said they would like the trail to be a cooperative effort with the town, National Park Service and local residents.
“This is a project the town and county have been looking forward to for many years,” said Sam Carter at joint meeting between the town and county. “It’s a great thing.”
The county has applied for a third federal grant to cover the first phase’s construction costs, totaling $404,000.
If received, the county will be looking for ways to supply those matching funds as well, Roark said.
Town Council member Bryan Baine spoke out in support of the trail’s completion at a Town Council meeting in February.
“Well, I think it’s great, Baine said about the project. “It connects the town to the county recreation park. That can only be good — particularly for kids.”
Council members also discussed putting $12,000 toward the trail’s construction from the 2010-11 budget.
Roark said easements from Wal-Mart and Gary Warner, an owner of an adjacent property, also could help cover expenses in the construction phase. However, some costs will still remain.
“It’s when we get to the construction part that we have the issue,” Roark told board and town council members in late February. “We have to have all the money in hand before we start building.”
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