The Washington County Conservation board is seeking to use as much grant dollars as possible in their upcoming Kewash Nature Trail project.

The board awarded an engineering contract to MSA Services of $55,000 at their recent meeting. About 80% of the amount is hoped to be covered by a Transportation Alternatives Program grant of $342,537 the board received for the project. The contract bid from DeLong Construction, Inc. came in at $300,608.85, allowing the board to use the approximate $40,000 leftover for engineering which they otherwise would have to give back to the federal program. This project involves creating a spur that connects the Kewash Nature Trail to the Kirkwood Regional Center, and pave a portion of the trail extending west from Highway 1. Work is expected to begin by early September.