Last Updated on August 27, 2018 6:43 pm
A project in Watauga County and another in Avery County are among twenty seven statewide awarded grant money last week.
Governor Roy Cooper announced on Friday that the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund has awarded over $6.7 million in grants to fund 27 local parks and recreation projects across the state. The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Authority approved the grants at its meeting held today in Raleigh.
“Parks and Recreation Trust Fund projects support conservation, strengthen communities, and help local economies thrive,” Gov. Cooper said. “These grants improve quality of life and encourage residents and visitors to get outdoors.”
Locally, the Middle Fork Greenway Section 4 will receive $430,000 while Crossnore Town Park Improvements in Avery County will receive $5,000. Wilkes County will receive $153,920 for Accessible Recreation Facilities and Cajah's Mountain Town Park in Caldwell County will receive $43,575.
Local communities applied for the grants to fund land acquisition, development and renovation of public park and recreation areas. The N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority considered 50 grant applications requesting $12.6 million. The maximum grant awarded for a single project under the program was $500,000. Awardees must match funds dollar-for-dollar for the awarded amount.
Susi Hamilton, who worked in community planning before her tenure as secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, has seen firsthand how these grants impact communities. “From our most rural areas to our largest towns and cities, PARTF grants instill new life into our communities and continue to benefit these areas for generations.”
“Robust recreational opportunities in our communities are more important than ever before,” said Dwayne Patterson, director of the Division of State Parks and Recreation. “We look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition to improve our physical and mental health and the vitality of our communities.”
The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund is administered through the state Division of Parks and Recreation and was established in 1994 by the N.C. General Assembly.
The full grant recipients and amounts are as follows:
| Local Government | County | Project | Grant Amount |
| Aulander | Bertie | Aulander Municipal Park | 129,300 |
| Benson | Johnston | Community Park Improvements | 366,850 |
| Black Mountain | Buncombe | Veterans Park | 211,024 |
| Bladenboro | Bladen | McLean Park Phase 2 | 200,595 |
| Boiling Spring Lakes | Brunswick | Robert Muse Memorial Park Redevelopment | 208,000 |
| Brevard | Transylvania | Estatoe Greenway Property Acquisition | 90,000 |
| Bunn | Franklin | Bunn Community Park | 31,000 |
| Cajah's Mountain | Caldwell | Cajah's Mountain Town Park | 43,575 |
| Calabash | Brunswick | Calabash Waterfront Park | 147,332 |
| Concord | Cabarrus | Hector H. Henry II Greenway, Riverwalk Phase | 350,000 |
| Creedmoor | Granville | Creedmoor Community Center | 500,000 |
| Crossnore | Avery | Crossnore Town Park Improvements | 5,000 |
| Davidson | Davidson | Hughes Park Expansion | 168,222 |
| Elizabeth City | Pasquotank | Coast Guard Park Improvements | 146,000 |
| Elizabethtown | Bladen | Green's Lake & Conservation Park | 500,000 |
| Granville | Granville | Growth, Access and Play: Phase III at the GAP | 300,000 |
| Lake Lure | Rutherford | Rocky Broad River Park Acquisition | 223,125 |
| Morganton | Burke | Catawba River Soccer Complex, Phase 3 | 385,000 |
| New Bern | Craven | Martin Marietta Park – Phase 1 | 475,000 |
| Ocean Isle Beach | Brunswick | Ocean Isle Beach Town Park | 498,900 |
| Pleasant Garden | Guilford | Pleasant Garden Community Center | 352,000 |
| Roanoke Rapids | Halifax | Chaloner Park Improvements | 200,000 |
| Salisbury | Rowan | Bell Tower Green | 350,000 |
| Tobaccoville | Forsyth | Village Park Land Acquisition | 41,998 |
| Watauga | Watauga | Middle Fork Greenway, Section 4 | 430,000 |
| Wilkesboro | Wilkes | Accessible Recreation Facilities | 153,920 |
| Yancey | Yancey | Ray-Cort Park Improvement | 250,000 |
| Totals: 27 Projects | $6,756,841 |
