Ike Anderson Bike Trail

Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.

City officials – on Tuesday evening, Oct. 1 – gave engineer Joshua Baxley, of Dewberry Engineering, the go-ahead to apply for a $50,000 Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for the upgrade of the Ike Anderson Bike Trail.
would be used to apply asphalt millage to the remaining 3,000 feet of the trail that remains dirt, replace or repair the boardwalk, and add lighting to sections of the trail.
The city applied for the same funding last year. Because of Hurricane Michael, however, the state didn't fund any projects in 2018, Baxley said.
“I feel we have a good chance to get the money this year,” he said.
Dedicated in May 2006, the Ike Anderson Bike Trail extends 2.1 miles from Rocky Branch Road on the north side of Monticello to Nacoosa Road on the south end. Only 1.5 miles of the trail are currently paved, however.
The late Isham ‘Ike’ Anderson was a popular and colorful local character who served as mayor of Monticello for many years. An attorney who often wore white suits with red suspenders and a large cowboy hat, Anderson frequently rode his fat-tire bicycle around the town, greeting and interacting with citizens.
The trail was originally a railroad right-of-way that the city purchased from CSX Corporation for $30,000 in 1978. The easement then lay dormant until about 1999, when then City Clerk Julie Conley took it upon herself to pursue funding from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) through its Rails to Trails program.

Horse arena

Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Meanwhile, the Jefferson County Commission on Thursday evening, Oct. 3, instructed Dewberry engineer Joshua Baxley to pursue a $50,000 FRDAP grant for improvement at the county’s horse arena.
Commissioners want to use the money to add bleacher seating to the arena and add some picnic tables and trash receptacles.
The horse arena, which is west of town off U.S. 90, is on property that was once a University of Florida Research and Education Center, before the facility was moved and consolidated with the one in Gadsden County. The property is presently home to the Jefferson County Extension Service.
The FRDAP is a competitive program that provides grants for the acquisition or development of land for public outdoor recreation use to construct or renovate recreational trails.
The grants amounts available range from $50,000 upward to more than $150,000. Typically, the grants require a local contribution, but not in the case of the $50,000 grant, which is why this level is so appealing to local officials.