Federal grant money that went unused during the construction of the "original" Carpenter Natural Area hiking and biking trail will be used to further expand the same project, the Cortez City Council decided Tuesday night.

"We have to either use it or lose it," said Parks and Recreation director Chris Burkett, referring to the surplus of funds allotted to the trail project by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).

Burkett, who has spearheaded the project since its beginning phases, explained that originally the northern portion of the trail was to begin at the corner of Empire Street and Mildred Road, head north to the south entrance of Southwest Memorial Hospital and then west into the Carpenter Natural Area. Now, using the remaining funds, the trail will continue to extend further to the west, ending somewhere near Lebanon Road.

"We will go out as far as we can," Burkett added, "but there is a wetlands area out there that might require a bridge and bridges can get expensive.

"There is a walking area out there that stays dry and would allow people to access Lebanon Road though."

Bob Peterson, Southwest Memorial Hospital administrator, said that the section of trail that has been completed so far appears to be getting a lot of use.

City planners hope that the trail, established approximately 10 years ago as part of a long-range plan to improve the appearance and safety of Cortez, will one day circle the entire community.

"At the beginning of the project (for the Carpenter Natural Area), we had $261,000 in grant money given to us by CDOT and we thought that we would use it all up," said Burkett.

However, Ray Ward Trucking of Dolores, the contracting company hired to work on the project, was able to finish the job using less money than the city had anticipated.

"When CDOT representatives came back, they told us that they see it (the northern portion of trail) as one project," Burkett said. "The money has to be used on the same piece of property — it can’t be used to begin another section of trail — and if we donuse it the money will go back to the federal government."

During the workshop Tuesday night, council members unanimously decided that a change order to the original work contract would be the easiest and most efficient approach to getting the trail extended.