Bowdon City Council voted Monday to apply for a $100,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources to build a walking trail across from Bowdon High School.

If the city is approved for the grant, City Manager Jimmy Meigs said plans could move forward to add an asphalt, handicapped accessible walking trail in Watts Park.

Meigs said the city is still awaiting survey results from the approximate 2-acre tract donated by Mayor Jim Watts’ family last year to increase recreational opportunities for Bowdon residents. He said the city had lost a portion of one walking trail in downtown after Copeland Hall was built.

At the council meeting Monday evening, the mayor announced that starting in the first week of September the city will offer free limb and brush removal.

Watts said many years ago the city had offered the service and he was excited to bring the monthly program back.

The city will use labor from the county’s boot camp program. Once the limbs and brush are picked up at the curb, Watts said, the refuse will be chopped into mulch, which residents can then recycle if they wish at their homes.

City officials are still working on what will be the maximum size limits for lawn refuse, but Watts said debris such as leaves or appliances will not be accepted. Once started, officials said residents can expect a pickup sometime during the first week of each month.

The council also approved a contact with Compliance EnvironoSystems for under $19,000 to conduct more work to identify and repair any collapsed pipes in a 4,000-foot line that starts downtown and runs toward Industrial Park.

Following a federal mandate, the council approved the “Red Flag” ordinance, which will require all residents to show identification when signing up for public utilities or other city services. Meigs said the city had started the measure several months ago to protect its citizens and help cut back on the potential for identity theft.