| Reelfoot Lake awarded grant for visitors center construction |
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Posted: Thursday, August 16, 2012 10:00 pm
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Reelfoot Lake has been awarded one of three state Department of Transportation grants, a $1.5 million appropriation that will be used to construct a new visitors center for the byway at Reelfoot Lake.
The center will serve as a gateway and point-of-interest stop for multistate visitors traveling the byway, according to a state news release.
“We’re really excited about it,” Tennessee State Parks regional naturalist David Haggard told The Messenger. “It will give us the potential to expand the educational and interpretive opportunities for the lake area.”
The three Tennessee Scenic Byways grants in the amount of nearly $2.1 million were announced earlier this week by the state Department of Transpor-tation. The grants are funded by the Federal Highway Administration as part of its National Scenic Byways Program.
“Tennessee’s Scenic Byways Program is an important resource in highlighting the beautiful and historical features of our state,” state Transportation Commissioner John Schroer stated in a news release. “Not only do these awards advance and support local and regional scenic highway organizations, they stimulate ongoing economic development opportunities in our local communities.”
The Tennessee State Scenic Byways Program is designed to recognize and showcase outstanding cultural, historical, archaeological, recreational, natural and scenic resources along Tennessee’s public highways.
In addition to the Reelfoot Lake project, a bicycle and pedestrian master plan project for the Tennessee River Trail Scenic Byway will get $500,000 to implement safety improvements and to identify and prioritize future enhancement of the byway. Also, nearly $20,000 has been awarded to the Cherohala Skyway National Scenic Byway for the installation of interpretive displays at the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center. The planned displays will tell the story of the Cherokee Indian culture, logging history and hummingbirds. Published in The Messenger 8.16.12 |
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