By Will Pafford, Staff Writer

Rollingwood officials are proceeding with a walking trail that would wrap around the ball fields at the Rollingwood Municipal Park, but the funding for the project is still undecided. 

Parks Commission Chairwoman Kelli Carlton requested the Rollingwood City Council allow the commission to relinquish a grant administered by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and proceed with the project using Rollingwood Community Development Corporation funds. 

The Council decided  during its meeting on June 17 to proceed with the walking trail but not give up the grant yet. 

Carlton said the commission received the $100,000 grant from the Texas Department of Transportation, , which is administered by CAMPO, in 2003 before the city created the RCDC. 

Now the Park Commission would rather use RCDC funds to complete the project because the grant includes restrictions.

The CAMPO grant would require the walking trail to be eight feet wide, instead the planned six feet, and the grant requires Rollingwood to build bike lanes, both of which would significantly increase the cost, Carlton said. 

“It became more cumbersome than beneficial,” she said. 

Mayor Dale Dingley said TxDOT’s chief concern is bike lanes, and the walking trail is secondary to the organization.

Carlton said a ballpark estimate of the cost of the project, based on city staff installing the trail, would be between $40,000 and $60,000. 

Currently, the RCDC has $35,000 budgeted for the walking trail, which is an approved project, Carlton said. 

“It’s been long- approved,” she said. 

Alderman Bill Ham-ilton said he is not comfortable walking away from $100,000 yet. 

He said he wants to move forward with the project but not relinquish the grant until the city has another conversation with CAMPO. 

The Council approved the motion unanimously.