State Senator Erica Harriss is proud to announce $1 million in grant funding to two communities across the 56th District as a part of the state’s Open Space Land Acquisition and Development or OSLAD program through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
“The Metro East has a rich history of connecting people to nature and it’s exciting to see these new investments in our parks and recreation facilities close to home,” said Senator Harriss. “As a mom especially, I find great pride in finding outdoor spaces for both mental and physical activities.”
For this year, $54.9 million in grants were awarded to 111 projects across the entire state. The OSLAD program was established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1986 and is a cost sharing program between state and local governments to help fund land acquisition and development for outdoor recreation.
Projects across the 56th Senate District include:
- Granite City Park District – $500,000 – The Wilson Park Inclusive Playground is proposed to be built on the existing park playground area. This includes construction of asphalt layer to support synthetic surface and purchase of ADA accessible playground equipment.
- Madison County Mass Transit District – $500,000 – The MCT Formosa East Trail is a separated Class I bikeway that will eventually connect the City of Troy to the MCT Goshen Trail and the 138-mile MCT Trails system. The OSLAD funds will allow MCT to acquire 8 acres of land in order to construct the trail from the existing trail to US 40. In a subsequent phase, a bike-ped bridge will be constructed over US 40 connecting to the MCT Silver Creek Trail, and the City of Troy.
In the 37-year history of the program, OSLAD has provided more than $585 million for park projects across the state. For a full list of projects and the amount communities are receiving, click here.
