Released: November 9, 2021
Something epic is happening in Delaware County! The Delco Green Ways Grant Program is driving the future of green space, trails, and recreation for Delco residents while elevating the County’s system as a unified whole.
Thank you to all who took the time to apply for this easy and exciting grant opportunity. The County received 74 grant applications totaling $13.5 million, which included representation by 46 of the 49 municipalities in Delaware County. Your message was heard: the people of Delaware County are thirsty for more and better green spaces, trails, parks, and planning. The 2021 grant round was incredibly competitive with all grant-worthy projects. The review team thoroughly reviewed and deliberated over applications using the criteria developed by the Green Space Task Force and as described in the User’s Guide: Green Ways Users Guide 2021
On October 5 and November 3, Council received funding recommendations for projects at the $6.7M, $8M and $10M levels of funding. They voted to invest $7.4M to support impactful Green Ways projects throughout Delaware County. That's an allocation of over $1.9M more than the original reserved $5.5M for Grant Round 2! There is a huge appetite for funds to make Conserve, Enhance, Connect and Planning & Design investments throughout Delco.
We are proud to share that 43 projects will be awarded funding, which includes one non-profit and 38 municipalities, totaling $7,372,521 invested throughout Delaware County.
The breakdown is:
All 16 Mini-PROS Plan applications are to be awarded, for a total of $722,850
9 Planning & Design applications are to be awarded, for a total of $848,315
6 Conserve applications are to be awarded, for a total of $2,386,477
6 Connect projects are to be funded, for a total of $1,990,809
6 Enhance projects are to be funded, for a total of $1,424,070
Awards for Conserve, Connect, Enhance, Planning & Design, and Mini-PROS Plans can be found here: Green Ways Grant Round 2 Awards Table
“This is a transformative leap forward for Delaware County’s people and places and the planet!” said Delaware County Councilwoman Elaine Schaefer. “Together we are strengthening and unifying Delco through Conserve, Enhance, Connect, and thoughtful Planning & Design. We all benefit from a greener, more connected, modernized, and well-planned County-wide system. This program is a substantial investment in the economic recovery of our county. We applaud all who applied for Green Ways Round 2, and we encourage reapplication in the next grant round. Thank you for sharing your passion projects with us and for participating in Delaware County’s epic grant program.”