Governor Bredesen Announces Enhancement Grants for Clarksville

Enhancement Grant for Fort Defiance Interpretive Center:
 Left to right, TDOT Commissioner Gerald F. Nicely, Rep. Phillip Johnson, Mayor Don Trotter,
 Rep. Kim McMillan and Gov. Phil Bredesen.

Nashville, Tenn. — Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that the state will provide the city of Clarksville in Montgomery County with two enhancement grants totaling $1,981,560 to assist with the Fort Defiance Interpretation and Trails Project and the Fort Defiance Area Pedestrian Trail.

“This project will enhance the park at the fort, allowing the interesting and complicated history of Fort Defiance to be told at the original site,” said Governor Bredesen. “Preserving our state’s history is extremely important to me, which is why I am so proud the State of Tennessee can make investments like this one that enhance local communities for the benefit of our citizens and visitors alike.”

“This project really has statewide significance, which is why I feel it’s so important to support Fort Defiance Park,” stated Representative Kim McMillan. “The funds from this grant will help improve the park’s infrastructure, and link the park with the city-county greenways system.”

“It will be so exciting to watch this project progress. Now visitors will have easier access to the park and to the history contained within, and there will be a direct route to the park from the nearby riverside neighborhoods,” Senator Rosalind Kurita. “I’m so happy to have been able to assist with this grant.”

These grants are made possible through a federally funded program administered by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

“Including this year’s enhancement grants, TDOT has helped fund approximately $189 million worth of transportation related projects such as the restoration of historic facilities, bike and pedestrian trails, landscaping and other non-traditional transportation projects,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “These grants were made possible in the 1990s when Congress established a grant system funding activities designed to strengthen the cultural, aesthetic and environmental aspects of the nation’s transportation system.”

Representative Curtis Johnson is also a member of the Tennessee General Assembly representing Montgomery County.