CANFIELD TOWNSHIP — Officials hope to begin construction next spring on a bike trail connecting the Canfield Township Park on Herbert Road with the Mill Creek MetroParks bikeway.

Tuesday night, the Mahoning County commissioners presented a $99,000 check to the township trustees to complete the funding for the $500,000 project and provide the matching funds needed to receive two grants.

Keith Rogers, Canfield Township administrator, said the township is receiving grants from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Clean Ohio Trails and Ohio Public Works Commission Transportation Alternatives program.

Also, the Neff family is allowing the township to obtain a right of way through its Palmyra Road property to create a part of the bike trail, and the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center is allowing a right of way on some of its property for the trail, Rogers said.

The trail will leave the township park parking lot at 7419 Herbert Road, travel south through a farm field and then enter the Neff property, and then east through woods and a field and enter the MCCTC property, Rogers said.

Engineering students at MCCTC will be invited when the project is constructed to see what is involved in this type of project, Rogers noted.

It will connect to the MetroParks bikeway 2 miles south of the Kirk Road trailhead and will be named the Robert and Maxine Neff Memorial Bike Trail.

“I think it will be beneficial to the entire community,” Rogers said, thanking the commissioners for partnering with the township.

Commissioner Anthony Traficanti said the commissioners learned earlier of the township’s need for additional funding to make the bike trail connection feasible when the township applied for Community Development Block Grant funds.

The township did not receive any CDBG funds, but because general fund dollars remained after 2020 ended, the commissioners felt it was appropriate to provide some for the project as local-match money, which frequently is required when a government entity receives grant funds.

“This is something they have been doing a long time,” Traficanti said of planning this project. “There were wetland issues,” he said. “This money will help with that and provide the local match.”

He noted that the commissioners also provided $70,500 of general fund dollars last year for a handicap-accessible ramp for the township hall. The ramp has been completed.

He noted that Canfield Township is not the only community receiving funds.

“We’ve been doing some check presentations,” Traficanti said. “We have some more coming up.”

erunyan@vindy.com