Recreational areas get $1.5 million in federal grant money

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Recreational areas up and down the state will be sharing more than $1.5 million in federal grant money to repair bridges, build trails, purchase property and help pay for other projects.

In a news release, Gov. Bruce Rauner's office says the projects are in eleven communities and include city park districts, county forest preserve districts as well as Southern Illinois University and Prairie State College.

The money will come from the Recreational Trails Program, a federal grant program that in Illinois is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in cooperation with the state's transportation department.

Under the program, the federal government reimburses up to 80 percent of the projects' cost to the local grant recipients, with the recipients paying for the rest.