Envision Lincoln seeking grants, input on Main Street Montana planning

Envision Lincoln has applied for two new grants to support in-town trails efforts and is in the beginning stages of gathering input regarding how to move forward as a Montana Main Street member.

A USDA Rural Business Development Grant will support further planning related to trail cost estimates, trail surface design, easements, tree removal and wayfinding, according to Envision Lincoln's lead organizer Karyn Good.

"The USDA grant would support trails planning by encouraging Lincoln residents to go through a public community planning process that would develop a new, more in-depth in-town trails plan that could be used as a planning tool for important partners such as Lewis and Clark County, Montana Department of Transportation, and for future grant applications," said Good, who worked with Erin Farris-Olsen from the Heart of the Rockies Initiative to submit the grant.

The grant would support two contractor positions. Good would serve as the Community Coordinator for the grant. Another contractor would be hired to develop an interactive map of trails in the Lincoln area for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, ATV and snowmobile use. If the grant is secured, the map developed through the contractor would be printable and mobile-friendly and it would be hosted on the Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce website.

"The importance of this web-based map is to encourage people looking for their next outdoor opportunity to visit Lincoln because of the great trail opportunities," said Good.

A grant from AARP, if received, would "help fund trail wayfinding audits and a fall community open house, with an emphasis on Envision Lincoln trails planning," said Good. Good hopes to hear by the end of June if Envision Lincoln will receive either grant.

In early 2020, Lincoln was selected as a Montana Main Street member. The Montana Main Street program is run through the Montana Department of Commerce. According to the department's website, Montana Main Street focuses on providing communities with tools to "strengthen and preserve their historic downtown commercial districts by focusing on economic development, urban revitalization, and historic preservation through long-range planning, organization, design, and promotion."

"It's extremely important that Lincoln residents and business owners participate on some level in this Montana Main Street planning for our downtown. It was difficult to get all business owners to engage in Envision Lincoln planning originally, but we are hoping this will change now that Lincoln is a Montana Main Street member and we actually have the professional planning and tech assistance needed to develop a downtown revitalization plan," said Good.

"We've struggled to know the best way to let people know about Envision Lincoln meetings and have relied heavily on the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch and Facebook to get the work out. If people have suggestions on how to better spread the word, please let us know," Good said. She added that although there haven't been any meetings lately, a Zoom meeting is being planned for early June.

People interested in learning more about Envision Lincoln or wanting to be added to the email list can contact Karyn Good at [email protected].