ARLEE — The Arlee Community Development Corporation and Jocko Valley Trails Committee (JVTC) recently received a $10,000 grant from Bikes Belong to cover engineering costs of the hub trails providing safe routes to school and into downtown Arlee. The group is hoping to start engineering this spring and begin construction this summer.

JVTC previously received a grant from the National Park Service RTCA Program, providing the group with trail employee Gary Weiner for two years. The committee is also working with five masters-level students from the University of Michigan to design pedestrian paths in the Tribal River Restoration Area and form approach to the restoration area. The students are developing design solutions to address the need for pedestrians and cyclists using a bridge across the Jocko River to connect the northern section of Arlee to the town and school complex.

The Arlee Joint School District No. 8 received $43,170 in funding from a Safe Routes to School grant in 2009 for trail infrastructure and $6,050 in non-infrastructure support and educational outreach.

Lake County awarded $150,000 in Community Transportation Enhancement Program (CTEP) funding from the State of Montana and JVTC received the highest mark for a National Parks Challenge grant (CSSP) submitted for $30,000 of funding for signage and landscaping around the trail. The 2011 funding cycle grant award is pending authorization by Congress, Gary Decker, JVTC chairman said.

“Right now, we’re trying to put together enough different types of packages to cover all the different kinds of expenses we’ll have,” he said.