The Mad River Valley Recreation District (MRVRD) has made its 2022 grant awards and has also updated its website (www.mrvrd.org)
The MRVRD board had made its annual grant awards to Valley recreation organizations. Fayston, Waitsfield and Warren contribute annually to fund the grant program, and the MRVRD’s nine-member board votes on how best to distribute the available funds. With nearly $80,000 of 2022 grant requests, the board was able to direct $38,300 to 12 organizations and Mad River Park. Mad River Park, Waitsfield, is owned by the Mad River Recreation District and its fields are open for both winter and warm weather activities. The following organizations were awarded MRVRD Recreation Grants in 2022:
- Couples Club was awarded $3,000 for maintenance and operation of Couples Club Field.
- Harwood Youth Basketball was awarded $3,900 for equipment for its new co-ed first- and second-grade program.
- Mad River Lacrosse was awarded $3,000 for a backstop and newly required shoulder pads.
- Mad River Little League was awarded $2,100 for safety and facility improvements with a carryover of $2,200 from 2021 for a new scoreboard that was delayed last year.
- Mad River Nordic/Mad River Bill Koch League (BKL) Club was awarded $2,000 toward the purchase of a trail groomer.
- Mad River Path was awarded $4,000 for the development of the Spaulding Greenway (a new 1.25-mile path segment), path-side shelters and vegetation management.
- Mad River Riders was awarded $45104,000 for engineering plans and other expenses associated with the Mill Brook bridge.
- Mad River Ridge Runners was awarded $3,000 toward signage, tire replacement and annual groomer maintenance.
- Mad Valley Sports (the nonprofit host of the Mad Marathon, Mad Half & Relays) was awarded $2,900 for sponsorship of the relays.
- The Skatium was awarded $1,000 toward a feasibility study.
- Vermont Adaptive was awarded $500 for its new Mt. Ellen facility.
- Warren Skatepark was awarded $3,500 for construction materials.
"MRVRD works in coordination with a number of recreation partners, including the Mad River Valley Trails Collaborative, an umbrella group that supports the use and maintenance of Valley trails and other recreation assets. The new web site effectively brings information about the MRVRD and its partners, including youth sports groups, together in a valuable new internet nexus," said rec district spokesperson Laura Arnesen.
Included on the website is a community survey aimed at assisting the MRVRD board in supporting, improving and expanding recreational opportunities in the Mad River Valley. If you, your family and your friends spend any time recreating in the area, taking the survey will go a long way in helping to tailor The Valley’s recreational opportunities to best meet the needs and interests of the community.
Also, in the news from the Mad River Valley Recreation District is that the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) has announced a delay until mid-February 2022 in its funding decisions. The MRVRD, on behalf of a group of Trails Collaborative partners, applied in late November 2021 for a $410,000 grant for the creation of a multi-use recreation hub in Waitsfield. Check mrvrd.org for updates.
For more details about the grants and the grant program, go to mrvrd.org.
