Jeep group receives grant to study land
The Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association received a state grant to study a piece of land it owns in Butler and Lawrence counties.
Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, announced Tuesday that the association was one of six groups to share the $339,060 grant.
The association was awarded a $40,760 matching grant, which will be used to hire a consultant to perform a feasibility study on 235 acres near Portersville spanning Muddy Creek Township in Butler County and Slippery Rock Township in neighboring Lawrence County.
Of the acreage, which was purchased by the association on June 30, about 72 acres are in Butler County.
“We are really excited that we will have the expertise of consultants to help us determine the best future uses of the property,” said Patti Jo Lambert of the Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association.
She said the consultants will determine whether the land will be used as an ATV venue, campground, mountain biking course, snowmobiling recreation area or other use.
“There are so many different possibilities, and that's why we will hire the consultant,” Lambert said.
The land was used in October for the Bantam 9.5 TrailFest and will be used in June during the 2021 Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival for trail riding by the Jeep owners who attend the festival, she said.
Lambert does not yet know the cost for the study, but said the association must contribute a percentage as a match.
Lambert said the next step is to solicit proposals from consultants.
She hopes the study will be complete this year, so the association can select a use for the land, which she described as having both trees and open space with changes in terrain.
“It's a very scenic piece of property,” Lambert said.
