Welcome to
Friends of the East Branch Trail
Building Support for the East Branch DuPage River Trail (EBDRT)
May 2022 Progress Report
May 23, 2022
Friends of the East Branch DuPage River Trail were notified by DuPage County officials that a Community Project grant request they had made through Congressman Sean Casten's office was approved for $1.5 million and moved forward as a potential component of the US FY23 appropriations bill. The Friends have been advised, that the funding would be used for Phase I engineering for the section of the proposed EBDRT from the Illinois Prairie Path to Butterfield Road, if it does pass through the appropriations process.
Here is the text of the letter from Congressman Casten's office:
I'm writing to sincerely thank you for applying through the office of Rep. Casten for Fiscal Year 2023 Community Project funding. After carefully reviewing the significant number of applications that we received, I am pleased to inform you that Rep. Casten has chosen to submit DuPage County's project to the House Appropriations Committee for $1.5 million for the East Branch DuPage River Trail.
Please note that while Rep. Casten has requested this funding, projects requested are not guaranteed for Community Project Funding. The House Appropriations Committee has to review and approve the request and decide to include it in the House's FY2023 appropriations bill. Once passed, the House has to negotiate a final bill with the U.S. Senate, and then it is sent to the President to be signed. This is often a lengthy process -- for context, the final FY2022 appropriations bill was not signed until March 2022.
Please be assured that we will keep you updated throughout this process and that Rep. Casten will fight to ensure this critical funding is secured. Congratulations, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Best,
Aaron Groce
Legislative Director
Office of U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)
2440 Rayburn House Office Building
(202) 225-4561 main
Quick Facts about the EBDRT
Trail will run North/South just west of I-355
Between villages of Glen Ellyn & Lombard
Connects Great Western Trail, Illinois Prairie Path Path & Morton Arboretum
See our MAPS & WHY BUILD THE TRAIL? section for more!
Quick Facts about our organization
Founded in 2017, registered 501c4 non-profit organization
Promote the EBDRT through petition signatures, presentations to community organizations and local events
Advocate to government officials to make the EBDRT a reality!
See OUR PROGRESS section for more!
How YOU can help build the East Branch Trail
Sign the Petition
This is our MOST EFFECTIVE advocacy tool! You can download a paper copy to collect signatures. Contact us for where to send full pages. We can even pick them up!
Help promote the trail at community events
Check our Events page. Email us or join our Facebook group for upcoming opportunities. Invite us to speak at your next community meeting!
Connect with us
Join our FACEBOOK GROUP & Sign up for our monthly E-Newsletter for all the latest trail news!
ORDER YOUR YARD SIGN
Help spread the word and show your support to the world with your very own yard sign! Trail friends are asking for $10 donations to help off set the costs of the signs, but your donation is voluntary. If you'd like to help distribute signs to others, let us know!!
TO ORDER CLICK HERE: ORDER FORM
Donate via Zelle (to TheTrailBetween@gmail.com), Check, Cash (upon pick up or delivery)