The Saline City Council is hoping to secure a $58,800 grant from the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission to make the city more walkable.

The Connecting Communities grant request would be used to fund a portion of a pathway that will connect Maple Road to North Harris Street through the library woods and Brecon Park. It is located “mostly near the railroad right-of-way,” according to a memo from Lee Bourgoin, the city’s finance director.

The planned link will go over library property, as well as the southern end of Brecon Park and is part of the city’s 2009 non-motorized transportation plan. The segment is also included on several other county-wide pathway plans.

Library Director Leslee Niethammer said in a memo that the path will be accessible for walkers, runners, wheelchairs, baby strollers and other non-motorized means of transportation, and will conform to all federal and state requirements.

The Saline District Library and the city are collaborating for about $80,000 of the $246,000 total cost.

An $80,000 grant match by the city is currently included in the Tax Increment Financing Authority roadside improvement budget, Bourgoin said in his memo. And an additional $27,200 in grant funds is coming from the city.

Lisa Allmendinger is a reporter with AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Saline stories, visit our Saline page.