Politics & Government

Lower Merion Could Allocate $500,000 For Bridge Trail Wednesday

The amount would match a state grant the township is seeking.

Lower Merion officials are set to decide Wednesday night whether to devote $500,000 of township tax revenue toward the $2.5 million cost of renovating the Manayunk Bridge as a trail connector for hikers and bikers.

At a previous meeting, the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners discussed the possibility of lining up other funding sources to help put up the local match for a $500,000 grant being sought from the state. But that is unlikely to happen before the grant application is due April 4, said Chris Leswing, assistant director of building and planning.

The township recently got a business-tax windfall of almost $7 million, from which the $500,000 might be drawn. The prospective grant and the match, plus $1.3 million from a grant Philadelphia got, would leave about $200,000 of funding to get. Leswing said Montgomery County has agreed to pursue another grant for the project.

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The bridge would connect the to trails on the Philadelphia side of the Schuylkill River.

See the attached memo from township staff for more information. The Parks and Recreation committee meeting is slated for 7:55 p.m.

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