Scandia 'Friends' receives
parks and trails grant

By Kyle Weaver, Editor, Country Messenger

(reprinted with permission)

Since its inception a few years ago, the Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails organization has been able to direct considerable amounts of time and talent toward its missions.

Now, for the first time, the organization has added a significant treasure to its abilities.

Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails, Scandia, Minnesota

Photo by:Carol Seefeldt Photography

Minnesota Parks and Trails Council Executive Director Brett Feldman displays an oversized check his organization granted to the Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails organization last week. The monies are to be used to create a comprehensive marketing and signage plan for all of Scandia's public parks and trails.

Last week, at the Friends organization's annual meeting, the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council announced that it had awarded a $3,500 grant to the Friends.

Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails, Scandia, Minnesota

Photo by:Carol Seefeldt Photography

Board members from left are Tom Triplett, Mike White, Julie White, Mike Harnetty, Sonia Borg, Sally Swanson, Judy Rydeen, Karen Schik, (Brett Feldman from the Parks and Trails Council of MN), and Tom Krinke.

The grant, according to Friends member Tom Triplett, will help the Friends develop a comprehensive marketing and signage plan for all the city's public parks and trails.

"It's a 100 percent grant," Triplett said, "but we will have to put in more on top of it (to accomplish everything the Friends want to accomplish.)"

For Triplett, who helped establish the Friends group in 2008, the grant is a logical next step for the organization, which has gathered a lot of volunteer support in its two-plus years of existence. Friends volunteers have helped clear and mark paths at two of the city's biggest parks, Wind in the Pines and Lilleskogen parks.

Now, Triplett said, with the grant helping with new signage, comprehensive trail maps and marketing materials, and planning and designation of bike routes, city residents and visitors will be more aware of the parks and trails that exist in the city.

"It's a huge plus for the Friends organization," Triplett said.

Triplett anticipates that the grant could lead to other sources of grants and funding becoming more available to the Friends.

"I think we will be able to leverage it for other funding," Triplett said.

Triplett also noted that having a recognizable trail system in Scandia will possibly assist in the extension of the planned St. Paul-to-Duluth Gateway Trail, another initiative the Friends organization supports.

Brett Feldman, executive director of the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council, said the Friends' plan is exactly the kind of project the Council wanted to fund when it approved its Bridging the Trail Gap grant initiative in response to state budget cuts in 2010.

"The Friends' idea is super creative," Feldman said. "They understand that a trail system is a backbone of the community. We just think that's a really great thing for such a small investment."

Feldman said the council's support of the Friends group and the city's trail systems should be seen as a result of the "grassroots level" efforts put forth by the Friends organization.

"I hope that people recognize that groups of citizens can make a difference," Feldman said.