Montana State Parks announced Thursday that Flathead Valley Community College will receive $40,500 as one of 54 grants awarded from the federal Recreational Trails Program for 2013.

The grant will pay for construction of the first phase of Stillwater River Trail to link the college with downtown Kalispell and the Kidsports complex. Chuck Jensen, vice president of finance and administration, said the college will augment the value of the grant by using its heavy equipment operator students to perform the dirt work.

Students recently worked on the college’s new Broussard health sciences building. To date, heavy-equipment operator students have contributed about $1 million in community service work while gaining on-the-job experience.

“This will be connecting the trail that comes off the [U.S. Hwy.] 93 tunnel and then it would run along Grandview, then connect up to the new tennis courts,” Jensen said. “That would be the initial  link to the trail.”

He estimated the new section of trail at about a half-mile. It will run along the campus side of Grandview Drive.

“We’re hoping to start this spring [or] early summer,” he said.

As money becomes available to extend the trail, the college master plan calls for a network of trails on campus, including the property along the Stillwater River on the eastern border of the campus to West Reserve.

“Our board of trustees have continued to look at making the campus accessible,” Jensen said.

Along with the Flathead Valley Community College grant, the parks department announced the award of $40,500 in Recreational Trails Program dollars to the Flathead Snowmobile Association for trail grooming and maintenance in Flathead and north Lake counties.

Other projects among the 54 grants announced include:

 Herron Park Trail Project, $31,500

 Bike/pedestrian path on U.S. 93, $11,819

 North Shore Nordic Club Blacktail and Bigfork Trail Improvement Project, $11,988

 Avalanche Education and Snowmobile Trail Steward Program, $27,000

 Averill’s Viking Creek Wetland Preserve: Interpretive Nature Trail Phase III, $22,270

 The Recreational Trails Program provided almost $1.4 million in federal funds for Montana projects. States received these dollars in the 2012 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act passed by Congress.

Local communities, trails organizations and land management agencies submitted applications for these grants awarded through a competitive process. Projects can include construction and maintenance of trails, development of trail side and trailhead facilities, ethics education and interpretive programs and weed control.

People may view a complete list of projects for 2013 at http://stateparks.mt.gov/recreation/rtpGrants.html.