County council is seeking a $325,000 grant from a provincial government program as part of an overall $755,000 plan to provide cycling trails and upgrade washroom facilities on Civic Centre property.
If council receives funding under the Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure program, it would help establish 2.3 kilometres of trail around the Civic Centre linking to Fairview Avenue as well as two other access points to Essex.
A further $300,000 would come from the County Wide Active Transportation System program with $80,000 pulled from the Civic Centre building fund and $50,000 provided by the Town of Essex and the Essex Region Conservation Authority.
Upgrades to the washroom facilities would include showers.
Council also applied for $25,000 from the Cycling Training Fund for delivery of skills and public education projects.
CWATS has a long-range goal of providing a network of on-road and off-road trails throughout Essex County.