Kingfisher Trails Inc. was notified by State House Majority Leader Mike Sanders on Friday that it’s been awarded funding for its longest trail segment to date.

The Francis Nature Trail in Kingfisher was one of eight projects in the state selected for funding through the Recreational Trails Program.

The $417,348 grant will fund the construction of the Francis Nature Trail, a 4,300-linear-feet-by-10-foot wide reinforced concrete trail that will establish the terminus of the Kingfisher Trails system.

The trail will connect the Sam Walton Plaza on the south side of the Kingfisher Walmart parking lot with Briscoe Sports Complex via a meandering trail that passes first through a green belt, to be constructed as part of the project.

The trail then connects with a short segment of Virginia Avenue south of Cimarron Nursing and Rehab Center before continuing to the Briscoe Sports Complex on the west side of South 13th Street.

“The project was made possible by the cooperative spirit of John Francis and John Kinney, who hold Kingfisher in high esteem,” Kingfisher Trails President John Gooden said.

“We are very appreciative of the Francis and Kinney families for providing the easement to make this quality of life enhancement in the community possible,” City Manager Dave Slezickey said.

The Trails’ successful grant application was illustrated with artwork drawn by Megan Lunsford’s class at Kingfisher Public Schools.

“We are most appreciative of her art students,” Gooden said. “Their efforts really set the project apart from our competition.”

“This is exciting news for Kingfisher residents who will now have additional room to walk, bike or run,” Sanders said. “I appreciate the Tourism Department selecting our community for this funding.”

Kingfisher Trails is administered through a local nonprofit group of citizens that works with the City of Kingfisher and the Chamber of Commerce.

Over the past 18 years, the group has won multiple grants for construction of miles of trails and sidewalks throughout Kingfisher.

The paths link between various amenities such as creeks, schools, neighborhoods and parks, which connects the citizens of Kingfisher to their environment and provides health and economic benefits to the citizens.

The state-administered, federal grant program is managed by the state Department of Tourism and Recreation and the Federal Highway Administration in consultation with the Department of the Interior. The RTP is a reimbursable 80/20 matching grant.

Funding for the Kingfisher Trails project includes $240,000 from the program and $177,348 from a sponsor match. Kingfisher Trails is one of only eight recipients statewide of this RTP.

Gooden said Kingfisher Trails will have two years to complete the new project, under the terms of the grant.