Town of Middleborough Awarded $60,000 MassTrails Grant for Pratt Farm Accessible Trail Extension

MIDDLEBOROUGH – Town Manager James McGrail and Conservation Agent Patricia Cassady are pleased to announce that the Town of Middleborough is a recipient of a 2023 MassTrails grant. 

Middleborough has been awarded $60,000 to go toward efforts to maintain and reconstruct the wheelchair accessible, hard‐packed surface of the Pratt Farm Accessible Trail. The grant will also allow the town to add a boardwalk to extend the trail’s handicapped accessible portion. The boardwalk will additionally function as a bog bridge over marshy areas to protect fragile wetlands.

The Pratt Farm Accessible Trail provides access for people of all abilities to the serene Pratt Farm, which features trails, forests, plant identification signs in braille provided by funding from a previous MassTrails grant, and small ponds and streams.

“The Pratt Farm Accessible Trail gives all residents in our region the opportunity to enjoy nature and outdoor recreation in our community, and we are grateful for these funds that will allow us to improve and extend the trail,” Conservation Agent Cassady said. “I would like to thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the inter-agency MassTrails Team for their support of our project. I would also like to recognize our grant writer, Mel Jenks, who was crucial to our success in this grant process.”

The Pratt Farm Accessible Trail Extension project is one of 68 trail improvement projects receiving a portion of $11.6 million in funding through the MassTrails Grant Program, announced by the Healey-Driscoll Administration last week. 

The MassTrails Grant Program provides matching grants, technical assistance, and resources to individuals, municipalities, non-profits, and other public entities. The funds go toward the design, construction, and maintenance of diverse, high-quality trails, including hiking trails, bikeways, and shared-use paths. This year’s projects will directly impact over 100 communities.

“DCR manages a vast trail network that connects communities across the Commonwealth and creates opportunities for outdoor recreation, tourism and economic opportunity,” said Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Brian Arrigo. “The MassTrails Grant program enables us, with our state and local partners, to expand our trail network and create new connections that benefit even more families around our state and help build healthier communities.”   

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