Delaware County Council has launched a $10 million grant program for funding open space and recreation projects. “The new grant program, Delco Green Ways, will make funds available to municipalities for local open space and recreation projects throughout the county,” Council Chairman John McBlain said. “We established the open space funding with the borrowing that we did last year, and now it’s time to start pushing that money out to municipalities so that we can improve our green space and parks throughout the county.”
Awards will be announced by Oct. 23. These grants can be used for conservation purposes, such as: fee simple acquisitions, and conservation or trail easements on private lands; enhancements for capital improvements to park and recreational facilities; connections, including construction of multi-use segments of the countywide trail network or of local multi-use trials; and professional services including comprehensive open space plans, feasibility studies, design and engineering, and permitting.
The grants can only cover up to 25% of the total cost of a project and cap out at $100,000 for professional services or enhancements, and $500,000 for land acquisitions or connections. All grants require a local match from 15% to 50% of the total cost. In the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s 2011-2016 Open Space Inventory Comparison of nine counties in the Delaware Valley region, Delaware County was the second lowest with 12,675 acres in 2016. The lowest was Philadelphia with 12,414 protected acres that year.
Source: Daily Times; 7/11/2019