15-Deliberate and act on a Resolution in support of the Application to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation

Home Browse Search

DRAFT attorney\reswork\current\ATCOG Support - Rails to Trails 2010 RESOLUTION A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUIVCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICATION TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, TIGER DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM, BY ARK- TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (ATCOG), FOR FUNDS TO COIVSTRUCT THE NORTHEAST TEXAS (RED RIVER VALLEY) TRAIL, APPROXIMATELY 130 MILES OF PEDESTRIAN/BIKING/EQUINE TRAILS FROM FARMERSVILLE, TEXAS, TO NEW BOSTON, TEXAS, ALONG ABAIVDONED RAIL BANK; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, cities, counties, chambers of commerce, industrial development groups, and other non-profit entities along the proposed route desire to construct a multi-use, non- motorized pedestrian/biking/equine trail utilizing the abandoned rail bank corridor contiguous from Farmersville, Texas, to New Boston, Texas; and WHEREAS, these groups plan to unite and form the IVortheast Texas (Red River Valley) Trail Coalition in order to coordinate efforts to construct this pedestrian/biking/equine trail to provide a safe trail system; and WHEREAS, this trail would be the longest in the State of Texas and one of the longest "Rails to Trails" projects in the United States, thus bringing national attention to this area and creating additional tourism and dollars spent in the cities and counties along the trail; and WHEREAS, similar trails in other parts of the country have been immensely successful and we feel this pedestrian/biking/equine trail would provide economic, health and welfare benefits not only to the citizens in our region, but citizens all along the trail route; and WHEREAS, the City of Paris applied for the first round of stimulus funding for the "Northeast Texas (Red River Valley) Trail" project to reconstruct bridges and build up the trail along the rail bank to join the pedestrian/biking/equine trail from Farmersville to New Boston, but did not receive funding in the first round of grant money; and WHEREAS, the second round of federal stimulus money has been made available for trails projects by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TIGER Discretionary Grant Program; and WHEREAS, ATCOG will submit an application in the second round of grant funding and will sponsor the project to reconstruct bridges and build up the trail along the rail bank 1~'i3