Grant Project Success

Arizona’s grants team is hard at work making outdoor recreation more accessible for all Arizonans! The team has awarded millions of dollars in the last year, and this is just one of the many success stories. Arizona’s outdoor recreation potential grows with each grant awarded, and Arizona State Parks and Trails ensures funding is available for a variety of projects throughout the state. 

For Show Low, creating a new trail was key for the community. Although the city has received other grants from Arizona State Parks and Trails, they made it a point of tuning in to the bi-monthly workshops to learn about current opportunities. Once they knew the funding was available, they applied for Phases I and II of the Meadow Trail project – and were approved through the Recreational Trails Project (RTP) funding.

The Recreational Trails Program provides funds for all kinds of recreational trail uses, such as pedestrian uses (hiking, running, wheelchair use), bicycling, equestrian use, snowmobiling, off-road motorcycling, or using other off-road motorized vehicles. Each state develops its own procedures to solicit projects from applicants and to select projects for funding, in response to motorized recreational trail needs within the state. Arizona has approximately $2 million available for projects from non-profits and governmental entities such as cities, towns, counties, tribal governments, state and federal agencies.

Phase I of the trail project was approved by the State Parks Board on April 27, 2019 for $77,230 and closed out on May 3, 2021. Phase II was approved November 9, 2021 for a total of $133,952. The project closed out on September 30, 2022. The project was delayed slightly due to the onset of COVID delays in procuring materials.

The scenic Meadow Trail provides nearly two miles of out and back asphalt trail that safely accommodates wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Bench seating and signage are placed at intervals along the path. The city has made other recent improvements to the Meadow that include new ADA restrooms, enlargement of the parking lot, landscaping and a barn pavilion at the trailhead, and gabion basket fencing the length of the property perimeter that stretches along SR260. Along Meadow Trail are ADA-accessible fishing piers, which makes the park attractive to many types of users, including parents with strollers, dog walkers, and individuals in wheelchair and walkers. The site is also a popular venue for Lexington Academy, an education and care services school for students with autism.

These improvements have all contributed to the positive feedback from the community. The highly visible location of the park in the heart of town attracts visitors and highlights the beauty of Show Low. According to Grants & Transit Manager Lisa Robertson, this project has been a roaring success for the community. In fact, the city is now moving forward with the reintroduction of horses to the area, which has been a part of this meadow for decades. Now that the trail project is complete, the horses will be returning to the meadow, which will please the public. 

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