Shane Ellison, administrative assistant to the mayor, said at Tuesday’s city council meeting that the city had received notice of the funding but no official confirmation from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

The announcement was made earlier Tuesday in a Facebook post from Rep. Mack Butler.

“We’ve received notice that we’ll be receiving a $100,000 grant from ADECA through their Recreational Trails Program for construction of an additional six to seven miles of multi-use trail,” Ellison said.

The expansion will give Gadsden more than 12 miles of multiuse trails around Noccalula Falls Park.

Ellison said the new trails will be great for mountain biking, and the total length will make the site a contender for mountain bike competitions, which he said would bring people to the campground.

The grant will also require a $25,000 match from the city, but Ellison said that won’t be a problem.

“The $25,000 match can come from Christmas at the Falls money,” he said. “It’s been doing really well so far this year. The weather has been good.”

Ellison commended the engineering department for their work on the application and the state for supplying the funds.

He also thanked volunteers, including local mountain bikers, the Gadsden Runners Club and individuals like Ed Whatley for their “sweat equity” in the construction and upkeep of the trails.