Monterey Awarded $256K For Connecting Schools To Walking Trail

Tennessee Department of Health has awarded Monterey a $256,000 grant.

Monterey grant writer Dawn Kupferer said the funding will help connect area schools to the town’s walking trail.

“We’ve never had a sidewalk system around the high school and elementary school,” Kupferer said. “Although about 130 kids from the elementary school walk to school, this might increase as we move forward with building the trail.”

The sidewalk system will provide students a safer route to and from school and provide easier access to the trail.

Kupferer said the project will also include the construction of a boardwalk at Burks Elementary School.

“They have a little wetland by the school that has a diverse group of trees, bushes, and different types of animals,” Kupferer said. “We’re going to build a boardwalk through that wetland so the teachers can utilize it for education purposes.”

Kupferer said Monterey officials plan to hold meetings with citizens and stakeholders before construction begins.

“The first step is to have some planning meetings to talk about the design phase,” Kupferer said. “Once it goes to design, we should be able to start construction on the project early next year.”

Kupferer said she anticipates a 2021 completion date. The grant requires no match from the city.