By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
President and founder of the Highlands Trail Foundation Karen Carper addressed the City of Parsons Council February 18th. Carper updated the Council on the latest developments with the Foundation and requested a donation to assist with a grant match for a federal grant for the trail system.
Carper thanked the Council for the City’s commitment and support to the Foundation over the past 30 years. “We really appreciate you’re always stepping up whenever we ask,” Carper said. “We have events, you send out volunteers, emergency services helps us out. We have help with parking and we’ve also had sponsorship from Council. So I can’t neglect to say thank you for all of the support we’ve gotten for all of the years that we’ve been around. And I’m here to ask again.”
Carper informed the Council that the Foundation had received a grant through the Division of Highways for the trail system. “We have received a grant,” Carper said. “I applied for a Recreational Trails Grant from the Division of Highways. That’s a program that, every state has one, it supports trails through federal highway funding.”
The grant, according to Carper, was for $250,000 with a $50,000 grant match. “I called and checked today and the money is still there,” Carper said. “So we got a $250,000 grant. We are responsible for $50,000 of that.”
The grant match, Carper said, the Foundation needed to come up with up front in order to receive the grant and explained how the grant process worked for the particular grant the Foundation qualified for. “And because we are a small organization, we can’t do a pay as you go kind of a grant,” Carper said. “So the way it works is, we have to have our $50,000 match up front. Before we sign the agreement, he hand over our $50,000 and they set up an account in escrow and they keep the whole $250,000 and they pay the invoices as we go.”
The grant, according to Carper, was awarded in December and once paperwork is signed, the Foundation has two years to spend the money. “It was awarded in December,” Carper said. “So its 2024 money. And we have two years to spend it once we sign the agreement. We agreed in the application that we would spend it by 2026. I’m sure you can extend it if you need to.”
The grant is slated to fund work on the oldest part of the trail from Elkins to Parsons, Carper said. “The project is on the oldest part of Allegheny Highlands Trail, which is from Elkins to…Parsons,” Carper said. “A lot of it is maintenance. There has been such different maintenance on this trail for so long.”
There had been work started and completed in Tucker County under a previous grant, according to Carper. The previous grant saw the installation of new bollards and paving along the trail, Carper said. This new grant will also see some refurbishing, according to Carper. “Some of it has already been done here in the Tucker County area,” Carper said. “If you noticed paving that was done, that was the last grant that we had. They did some paving and they put in some new yellow folding bollards. So they don’t come out and they don’t have those receivers that stick out of the ground. They stay put. Which is what we are going to put on the whole trail, all the way into Elkins with this grant project”
Carper said the initial Parsons project was going to be a new kiosk at the railroad bridge, but with the placement of one there already, she is open to hearing what the City would like to see. One project that was discussed was the development at Corricks Ford Battlefield. “What we discussed briefly was some of the development that you are doing down near where Corricks Ford is. Maybe we could put a kiosk or some structure there that would improve and contribute to your development in that area,” Carper said. “I would totally be open to discussing how we could adjust our grant project to provide something for the City of Parsons. We certainly want to include you in the project.”
Carper said she was in need of funding that would help leverage other organizations into giving, as well. According to Carper, every funding body she approaches wants to know what other entities have given or who else she has approached. “What I need is some funding that I can help leverage some more funding,” Carper said. “Because everybody I have asked has said, well what have you gotten from them? What are you getting from them? And I am going to see the Tucker County Commission in a couple of weeks and they are going to want to know.”
Carper said she had already received funding from the Convention and Visitors Bureau in both Tucker and Randolph Counties and from the City of Elkins for the grant match. “Fortunately, I did get some funding from the CVB,” Carper said. “So I have funds from the CVB, both in Tucker County and Randolph County. I have some funding from the City of Elkins.”
One of her next stops besides the Tucker County Commission will be the Randolph County Commission, Carper said. “I’m hoping to go to the Commission, the Randolph County Commission,” Carper said.
Carper said she is trying to raise $25,000 of the $50,000, as her foundation has half of the grant match currently. “If I can pull it all together, Highlands Trail Foundation can probably cough up $20, 25,000 from what we have in our account and will not quite wipe us out, but close,” Carper said. “I’m trying to get a match to match our match, if you understand what I’m saying.”
Carper said she hopes to accomplish raising the funds through gifts of $5,000 from multiple entities. “If I could cobble together these $5,000 gifts and put together with what we have, then I think we can write a check for $50,000,” Carper said.
Carper said she did not need the money immediately and would be happy with a pledge for now and would invoice for the money when it was needed for the grant match at signing. “When I spoke with the grants person today, she said it wasn’t going to be right away,” Carper said. “I would be happy with a pledge if this isn’t a great time for you. If the council would be able to pledge $5,000, I could invoice it when we need it. Whatever works for you.”
City Recorder Richard Lemons suggested that Carper reached out and contact the construction companies working on Corridor H in the area of the Allegheny Highlands Trail like Kokosing, specifically was mentioned. Carper said she had not thought to reach out to them, but would be contacting not only Kokosing, but other construction firms in the area as well about donating. “They tore up pretty bit sections of the trail out there,” Lemons said. “So, you might be able to get some money out of them and get them a plaque out there saying donated by Corridor H construction Kokosing.”
The Council agreed to put the issue on the Harman Draw in the upcoming weeks and agreed that Carper could tell other entities that the City was taking the matter under consideration. No amount of donation was determined at the meeting.
Carper said she appreciated the contribution and would like to help the City of Parsons to develop the area around Corricks Ford. “I would appreciate the contribution and the help,” Carper said. “We would like to help you, too get what you want down there at that development.”
