A Sunflower Foundation grant that will help pay for a new trail northwest of Rock Chalk Park is welcome news for Lawrence.

The grant will pay up to $110,000 of the cost of the project, and the city has agreed to match that amount. The remaining $55,000 of the estimated $275,000 cost of the trail will come from a Kansas Department of Transportation Federal Fund Exchange Program.

The project will build about 4,100 feet of concrete trail that will link the trail that runs along the South Lawrence Trafficway Trail with the Baldwin Creek Trail, which is under construction north of Rock Chalk Park. When the projects are complete, the city will have a 15-mile concrete-paved recreational path.

The longer term goal is to complete the “Lawrence Loop,” a 22-mile recreational path around Lawrence. The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department has led the effort to complete the loop as a way to encourage healthy physical activity among local residents. Thirteen miles of that loop have been completed and another four miles are under construction. The Rock Chalk Park Trail would put the project a little closer to filling about 5.4 miles of remaining gaps in the proposed loop.

Parts of the loop run through or close to residential areas while others are on the outskirts of town — for now — but as the city grows, the loop likely will become more engulfed by residential or commercial development. When that happens, Lawrence residents will be even more appreciative of the planning that has gone into the recreational trail.

From the city’s founding, Lawrence residents have had the foresight to set aside land for parks and recreation where people can gather to participate in various activities or just enjoy sitting under the shade of a tree. The Rock Chalk Park Trail and eventually the Lawrence Loop will be a great addition to the city’s recreational offerings.