Although Powell officials had hoped the state government would pay for a new walking and biking path north of town, it appears the city is going to have to pay for the project itself.

Last month, the city requested an $80,000 grant from the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation & Tourism Trust Fund to install a paved pathway on the gravel trail that runs along Lane 8, east of the Park County Annex. However, City Administrator Zack Thorington said he was recently notified that his application was denied; Thorington said the state was “overwhelmed” by the amount of requests.

“They had 80 applicants for $10 million, so they had to really weed through ‘em,” he said Monday, “and we didn’t make the cut.”

Mayor John Wetzel expressed disappointment.

“Did you tell them a lot of that money came from Park County?” he asked rhetorically; the mayor was referring to the county’s outsized role in generating the lodging taxes that fill up the trust fund.

Thorington said the city will apply for the funding again in the future.

While the rejection from the state wasn’t the news city officials were hoping for, their draft budget for 2026-27 includes $85,000 to pave the pathway, so the work is still set to move forward in the coming year. The planned pavement on Lane 8 will connect with another newly paved section just east of Gilbert Street that runs south to Seventh Street along the Rainwater Addition.