Pasadena Awarded $500,000 Grant for Arroyo Trails Critical Linkages Project

Pasadena has been selected as one of only two grantees in Los Angeles County for the federally funded Recreational Trails Program (RTP), administered by the California Parks and Recreation Department.

The grant for Pasadena, totaling $500,000, will fund the Arroyo Trails Critical Linkages Project, a collaborative effort between the City’s Parks, Recreation, and Community Services department and the One Arroyo Foundation, according to Koko Panossian, Director of Pasadena’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services (PRCS).

The Recreational Trails Program is designed to enhance outdoor access by providing financial support to local, state, federal, and nonprofit organizations for the development of non-motorized recreation trails and trail-related facilities.

In Pasadena, the funds will contribute to the construction of two new multi-use trails and the restoration of approximately 3.5 miles of existing multi-use trails in the lower and central Arroyo.

The grant application was submitted in June 2023 as part of a collaboration between PRCS and One Arroyo Foundation.

Among the enhancements proposed under the Arroyo Trails Critical Linkages Project are stone terracing, footbridges, guardrails, stairs, boulders, trailheads, and benches – all intended to improve accessibility and overall trail quality.

In California, out of 56 applications submitted, only nine projects were selected for the state’s $6.7 million recommendation to the program under the Federal Highway Administration. The other grantee in Los Angeles County is the city of Glendora, which received $1 million for the Glendora Urban Trails System Phase 2 and 3.