The Fairfield Parks and Recreation Department has received financial support through the Wellmark Foundation for new trail improvements. 

The department has received a $25,000 matching grant to upgrade five miles of a heavily used section of the 16-mile long Fairfield Loop Trail. The project will restore the 10-foot trail width and freshen up the trail surface with two inches of limestone chips. The project will be split up into two phases with phase one completing half of the work before winter. The department received a $25,000 Wellmark Foundation grant to help fund the project with the total cost of the project coming in at $50,000. Matching the grant was a combination of funds from the Fairfield Parks and Recreation Foundation, Jefferson County Trails Council and the city. Former chairman of Jefferson County Trails Council Ron Blair says that improvements are always being made to the trail but this project required more time and help to put into action, “It’s a $50,000 commitment, so it’s quite a bit of money and it’s more than just the parks and rec can bare or the City of Fairfield itself. So we looked for outside help and we were very grateful to receive that grant from the Wellmark Foundation.”

Partnering with the Department of Public Works, the parks and recreation department will begin phase one construction in late October to early November with phase two beginning in the same time frame in 2022. Blair says that closure of these sections of the trails will only be for a few days and will reopen to the public shortly following the construction.