Genoa: Park district receives trail funding

The Park District of Ottawa County is receiving $1.1 million in federal funding to extend the North Coast Inland Trail from its existing terminus at Washington Street in the Village of Genoa, over Packer Creek, finishing at Ninth Street.
The Genoa extension project was selected for funding in the Transportation Alternatives Program through the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The project traverses through Genoa’s Main Street Historic District and creates trail access to retail, restaurants, professional/medical offices, government offices and historic sites including the Genoa Town Hall and Civic Theatre.
Once completed in its entirety, the NCIT will connect Lorain County, Huron County, Sandusky County, Wood County and Ottawa County with future connections into Lucas County.
“Receiving these funds is a huge milestone for the park district and the Village of Genoa,” Jannah Wilson, executive director of the park district said. “Bringing the North Coast Inland Trail through the village will provide additional outdoor recreation opportunities to the surrounding community and Northwest Ohio. The park district has worked on acquiring funding for this portion of the trail for several years and we are extremely grateful to ODOT for supporting this initiative through the Transportation Alternatives Program. We look forward to getting started with the project.”
A selection committee reviewed and scored applications through February and March 2024, and award recipients were notified in the spring.
“The park district will continue to work with the Village of Genoa and the ODOT District 2 office to plan out our next steps with trail engineering and design. ODOT has slated construction for the project to take place during ODOT’s fiscal year 2027,” Wilson added.