City of Bainbridge officials have applied for a grant to help pay for a planned trail that would connect the city’s two riverside parks, Cheney Griffin Park and the Earle May Boat Basin.

At their Tuesday meeting, the Bainbridge City Council approved a resolution to apply for a grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources through its Recreational Trails Program. If approved for a grant award, the city could receive up to $100,000 to go toward the cost of creating the trail.

According to City Manager Chris Hobby, the trail is a part of the city’s Flint River-Downtown Connectivity master plan and has an estimated cost of about $400,000.

The trail could be used by people walking, running or using a non-motorized vehicle such as a bicycle, Hobby said. Benches and light poles would be placed along the trail, he said.

The trail would begin at the old train trestle near Cheney Griffin Park, continue southwest along the river side of Hatcher Road, turn onto Boat Basin Circle and go past the Chamber of Commerce building. A suspension bridge would be built over the narrow river channel in the Boat Basin and the trail would continue past the old locomotive to the fenced-in animal area. There, the trail would turn left and connect with the existing nature trail.

The trail’s creation would have the impact of preventing vehicles from parking on the river banks, which Hobby said is an erosion issue. It would also keep pedestrians off Hatcher Road, increasing safety, he said.