The Project Selection Criteria for the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) underwent some major revisions during our meeting last Friday at the Governor’s Office for Local Development (GOLD) headquarters.
Positive Developments
1. The sections Trail Corridor Sharing and Types of Trail Use have been combined into Types of Trail Use, and the maximum score rose from 10 to 15 points. In addition, bicycling and mountain biking have now been divided into separate usage categories.
2. Trail Length is now one of the scoring categories. For new, or refurbished, trail of 5 or more miles applicants score a new maximum of 15 points.
3. Getting the trail GIS mapped by your local government has been added as a scoring category and will count as 10 points. GOLD’s objective is to (eventually) have all of the recreational trails in the state mapped and available on-line.
4. For applicants that haven't had a project selected during the last 5 years, we created a new category, that awards them 5 points, to encourage additional grant applications.
Not-So Positive Development
Grant match amounts, which went from a 50/50 match at the lower end, to 80/20 (which mirrors the very successful programs in Indiana & South Carolina for example) have been changed back to 50/50 at all levels, mostly due to complaints from applicants whose projects were not selected.
I suggested keeping the 80/20 match for grants at the lower end, possibly up to $10K or $20K and pointed out how difficult it is for small mountain bike clubs to secure a 50% match in order to complete a grant. I was then asked “What small clubs are you talking about?” The only one that came to mind was Central Ky. Wheelmen’s grant from last year. Based on the fact that only one mountain biking group, over the last several years, put forth the effort to submit a grant, my proposal was voted down.
Once again, the RTP is the best vehicle available for putting in trail that benefits both the community and the applicant. It’s a shame that the local club didn’t take advantage of the golden opportunity they had last year. One of our Metro Council members actually approached the club and requested that they submit the RTP through the council. The club DECLINED!!! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
Unless IMBA develops their Regional Based Rep. program to provide some much needed state leadership, Kentucky will continue to see the vast majority of RTP funding spent on something other than mountain bike trails.
Update on 2007 Awards
The “green-light” or approval for the 2007 RTP winners should take place in a matter of weeks. Taylorsville Lake State Park was one of the winners of last years $100K 80/20 grants. The trail system there is multi-use, and it will be interesting to see if the improvements result in a trail system where horses and mountain bikers can co-exist.
In conclusion, look for the new scoring criteria to be posted in the near future. Applications should be available by early December. Note- if you do submit, please make sure that you complete the Special Populations sections. Several applicants left this section blank and received zero points on last years applications.
Note- not really a change,
Note- not really a change, but we received confirmation from GOLD yesterday that volunteer labor is valued at minimum wage, $5.85 per hour, when you fill out the application.
If the volunteers are under age 20, they're classified as "youth workers" and their wages are lowered to $4.25 per hour.
Skilled and/or certified workers allow you to claim the wage rate they would normally be paid. For example, if some welding was needed on a metal braced bridge, and the welder normally rec'd. $25 per hour, then that's the amount you could claim for their volunteer welding on the RTP project.
Unfortunately, with Kentucky having the highest percentage of smokers in the country (and probably the least amount of physical activity as well) we only have a relatively small core group of serious mountain bikers in the state. To the best of my knowledge, in the last several years there has only been 2 RTP grants submitted and accepted on behalf of mountain biking groups. (Three if you count the Red River George climbing group's RTP from a couple of years ago.)
The 2008 RTP applications
The 2008 RTP applications (which have undergone a major revision when compared to years past) are now available on-line, via the Governor's Office for Local Development (GOLD) site.
Applications are due Feb. 1, 2008!
The RTP grant is a surefire way to add more quality trail miles, all the while receiving federal funding to do so. That's how the good folks in the Hoosier Mountain Biking Association have been adding trail to Brown County. With Indiana being a larger state, and hence more funding, the upper limit for grants is $150K, which is exactly what the good folks working at Brown County received.
Unfortunately, here locally, where the vast majority of mountain bikers live and ride, Metro Parks dominates the conversation when it comes to RTP grants, and since they don't want local mountain bikers to submit an RTP, local mountain bikers don't.
Note- Metro Parks, which has went to great lengths to kill mountain biking locally, also opposed the local groups efforts back in 2003, when they received an RTP. Local leadership simply bypassed Metro Parks, after they repeatedly tried to kill our efforts, and contacted our local elected officials who gave us the green light. Net result, the funding the local club received, $12,400, helped it to buy numerous trail working tools and supplies, as well as providing the downpayment for our jersey's, shorts and other items.
Contrast our situation with the progress and leadership displayed in Indiana. They're adding high quality trail, and it's attracting riders who don't hesitate to drive a couple of hours, or more, to enjoy it.
In conclusion, until local mountain bikers are willing to stand up and do the right thing, the local scene will continue to suffer.
50% matching sucks. For
50% matching sucks.
For example, how is the situation in DBNF going to change if the USFS struggles coming up w/ 20% of the total project costs. Now they gotta come up with half the costs. Either means the projects don't get done, or are so small they are almost insignificant.
The minimum wage value of volunteer labor is silly. No one would do trail work for minimum wage.
Due to the popularity of the
Due to the popularity of the RTP grants (and numberous complaints received from applicants who weren't accepted last year) GOLD decided to go back to the old way of doing business, 50/50 grants.
I guess they figure they could keep the complaints down that way, disperse smaller amounts to more applicants.
Unfortunately, the change, at least for the time-being as it could always be revised in the future, means that KY will most likely not see a large well developed hike/bike system such as FATS in South Carolina, or Brown County IN.
KY still needs that extra little bit when it comes to organizing/leadership when it comes to mountain biking directed RTP grants. I guess we're a little too far away to enjoy the benefits of SORBA leadership, and as of this writing, IMBA's goal of having regional based staff on the ground is still on the drawing board (most likely waiting on funding).