NKY gets fed funds for parks

A. J. Jolly Park is one of the largest county parks in Kentucky.

Campbell County and the City of Ludlow are the recipients this year of federal grants to improve parks. Campbell will receive $32,000 in federal funds to build a paved trail  at A.J. Jolly Park, and Ludlow will get  $19,177 to build a FitCircuit Trail at Albert S. Ludlow Memorial Park.

The federal funds are part of more than $1.8 million in grants to local communities to develop and maintain recreational trails across Kentucky. The awards were announced Wednesday (Feb. 15) by First Lady Jane Beshear.

Campbell’s grant will pay for an extension of the bicycling, walking and running trail that starts at the Environmental Education Center and runs along along Race Track Road. The extension will double the length of the trail and bring it nearer to the park’s lake. This is the second year that the county had applied for the grant.

The total of $1,849,648 in federal grants will be spent across the state for hiking, biking, horseback riding and other types of trails as part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program.

“Developing Kentucky trails is instrumental in increasing overall adventure tourism efforts and boosting local economies throughout the state,” said Mrs. Beshear. “These federal funds help communities get trail projects off the ground so they can bring in tourism dollars and provide areas for their citizens to be active and live healthier lifestyles.”