Knightdale — Robert and Reba Gillespie, who watch the deer and herring on the wet lands from their home in the Planter’s Walk subdivision, also enjoy biking in Raleigh’s Anderson Point Park nearby.

But now the Asheville transplants have to drive to the park before getting on their bikes.

If Parks and Recreation Director Tina Cheek has her way. All that’s about to change. The town unveiled its greenway plan last Monday and announced its intention to apply for a grant from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.

The matching grant could bring about $350,000 to Knightdale — enough, said Cheek, to build a half-mile pedestrian boardwalk across the wetlands from walking trails in the Princeton Manor subdivision to the Neuse River.

That would put Knightdale’s greenway system in place for a pedestrian bridge to be built across the river and connect with Anderson Point Park and Raleigh’s greenway system.

The Gillespies, environmentalists both, try to germinate Bald Cypress, the species with broad trailing roots that were killed off from the wetlands in this area about 100 years ago, in the wetlands near their back yard.

They like the idea of an extensive trail system in Knightdale.

“It would be nice to be able to walk to the park instead of drive,” said Robert Gillespie. “That would be awesome. We’re very excited about the possibility of trails like those along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Cheek’s excited about it too.

Recently, she and parks and recreation staffers drove along the sewer system rights of way in a four-wheel drive truck to scope the territory where the trails would be located. She said it was a kid’s play paradise.

“We spent the whole day out there,” said Cheek. “It was gorgeous. We were like kids.”

The boardwalk and bridge are the most southern reaching leg of a trail system projected to head northeast from Princeton Manor and end at Harper’s Park downtown.

The town now has a plan to bring about a trail system it envisioned 15 to 20 years ago.

Cheek said if Knightdale receives the PARTF grant, which she must apply for by the month’s end, it will be matched by a town fund with money from developers who contributed in lieu of recreation projects for their subdivisions. The grants will be awarded in August or September, she said.

She is hopeful the trail to Harper Park will be built with N.C. Department of Transportation money. Knightdale’s greenway project is now on the department’s master plan for future building called the Transportation Improvement Plan or TIP. Cost for that project is now being studied by DOT, Cheek said.

As for the pedestrian bridge across the Neuse, both Councilman Tim Poirier and Mayor Russell Killen have mentioned a bond referendum to fund that portion of the project.

There is one kink in the greenway plan from the Planter’s Walk subdivision whose homeowners association asked for its trail system not to be a part of the town’s greenway.

At Monday’s meeting Poirier asked Town Manager Gary McConkey to schedule a meeting with the Planter’s Walk subdivision homeowner’s association and council representatives to appeal for permission for the town to hook into its trail system.

McConkey said the subdivision had opted out of that about 10 years ago and the town agreed. Plans now call for a parallel trail within eyeshot of the existing Planter’s Walk walking trail. And if the homeowner’s association would agree to be a part, it would avoid duplication, and arbitrary paths cut through yards to access it, McConkey said.

All these plans sound good to the Gillespies and other people like them who came out Monday night to talk greenway.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what happens to this,” said Reba Gillespie.