For Immediate Release — January 3, 2025
Hermantown Awarded GMRPTC Trail Grant
Hermantown, Minn. – Hermantown has been awarded a $950,000 grant from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission (GMRPTC) to continue the development of the Hermantown Connector Trail System, which is part of the larger Proctor-Hermantown Munger Trail Spur Master Plan.
The GMRPTC recently completed its extensive application review process and chose Hermantown and 13 other parks and trails around the state for more than $13 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2026. The GMRPTC will now ask the Minnesota Legislature to approve the recommendations through the Parks and Trails Legacy Fund, one of four funds created by the 2008 Minnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. The Legislature has annually approved GMRPTC requests since Legacy Funds are already dedicated and may only be spent to support parks and trails of regional or statewide significance.
“We are thrilled to have been selected for this grant from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission allowing us to complete a key section of our trail system,” said Eric Johnson, Hermantown’s Community Development Director. “The current sections of our trail system have proven to be incredibly popular to residents of the region, so connecting our parks and our neighboring communities will only enhance that experience further.”
The Hermantown Connector Trail System is planned to extend from the northern edge of Hermantown near the Hermantown Community Schools and the Essentia Wellness Center through three community parks before reaching the city’s southern border with Proctor. Proctor recently passed a sales tax referendum dedicating nearly $7 million to constructing their portion of the trail, eventually connecting to the state-run Willard Munger Trail in Duluth.
The GMRPTC provides recommendations to the Minnesota Legislature for grants to parks and trails of regional significance in the 80 counties outside of the seven-county metropolitan area. Since 2014, the GMRPTC has awarded almost $100 million in grants with community investment matches of nearly $40 million.
###
For more information, contact Joe Wicklund, Communications Director, City of Hermantown, at [email protected] or 218.729.3614.