Monday, August 29, 2022

Governor Cooper Announces $17 Million in Grants for Parks and Recreation Projects Statewide 39 Local Communities to Receive Funding for Park Expansion and Restoration

Governor Roy Cooper announced today the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) will award over $17 million in grants to fund 39 local parks and recreation projects across the state.
Raleigh
Aug 29, 2022

Governor Roy Cooper announced today the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) will award over $17 million in grants to fund 39 local parks and recreation projects across the state. The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority (Authority) approved the grants at its meeting held on Aug. 26 at the Nature Research Center in Raleigh.

“Our parks and recreation areas are so valuable to our communities and they’ve become more popular than ever,” Governor Cooper said. “These projects we’re funding today will give people even more opportunities in North Carolina to build healthier and happier lives.”

Local communities applied for the grants to fund land acquisition, development and renovation of public park and recreation areas. Each year, the Authority is required to allocate 30% of PARTF’s total funding to local government projects.

The Authority considered 49 local grant applications requesting $20.9 million in total. The maximum grant awarded for a single project was $500,000. Awardees must match funds dollar-for-dollar for the awarded amount.

This year, $17.9 million was allocated to PARTF for local projects—an amount at least triple that of most years in the last decade. With these awards, PARTF has now made more than 1,000 grants to build parks in communities across the state.

“Congratulations to the local governments that received Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grants to invest in the health and quality of life of their communities,” said D. Reid Wilson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “The historic increases in funding by the legislature and Governor Cooper will result in more North Carolina families having ready access to outdoor recreation.”

In addition to the local grants program, the Authority allocated $5.7 million to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation for land acquisitions at Chimney Rock State Park in Rutherford County and Lake James State Park in Burke and McDowell Counties. It will also fund several capital projects at Hammock’s Beach State Park (Onslow County), Morrow Mountain State Park (Stanly County) and William B. Umstead State Park (Wake County).

The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund is administered through the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, which is part of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Local grants are awarded annually by the Authority at their quarterly meeting in August.

Grant recipients and award amounts are as follows: 

Applicant County Project Name Funds Awarded
Holden Beach Brunswick Holden Beach Pier $500,000
Franklin Franklin Epsom Park $434,625
Burgaw Pender Osgood Canal Greenway- West Side Development $443,408
Fuquay Varina Wake Community Center North $500,000
Cabarrus County Cabarrus Mt. Pleasant Park Athletic Complex $500,000
Morganton Burke Bethel Park, Phase 1 $500,000
Pender County Pender Hampstead Kiwanis Park Phase 4 $500,000
Spindale Rutherford Spindale Skatepark and Pump Track $425,000
Watauga County Watauga Boone Gorge Park, Middle Fork Greenway $500,000
Rutherfordton Rutherford Norris Recreation Complex $450,000
Lenoir Caldwell Lenoir Aquatic and Fitness Center / Soccer Complex Renovations $500,000
Garner Wake Yeargan Park Phase 1 $400,000
Pasquotank County Pasquotank Northern (Newland) Park Development $500,000
Davidson Davidson Yadkin River Playground $500,000
Ashe County Ashe Ashe County Park Expansion $500,000
Haywood Haywood Francis Farm Bike Park $500,000
Marshville Union Stegall Lake- Phase 1 $500,000
Jamestown Guilford Jamestown Park Rejuvenation and Refresh $215,205
Nash Nash Miracle Park and Coopers- Phase 2 $425,000
Tobaccoville Forsyth Village Park Expansion $480,000
Craven County Craven Craven County Nature Park $500,000
Pender County Pender Central Pender Park Development $500,000
Jackson Jackson Whittier / Qualla Community Park $500,000
Lewisville Forsyth Jack Warren Park Improvements $230,940
Mitchell Mitchell Mitchell County Recreation Complex $500,000
Henderson Henderson Redefining Etowah Park $286,125
Onslow Onslow Hines Farm Park $393,875
Badin Stanly Badin Waterfront Park $500,000
Sunset Beach Brunswick Majestic Oaks Land Acquisition $500,000
Wrightsville Beach New Hanover Wrightsville Beach Park Facility Improvements $397,538
Calabash Brunswick Calabash Waterfront Park $500,000
Gastonia Gaston Linwood Springs Redevelopment $500,000
Kinston Lenoir Emma Webb Park $500,000
Belville Brunswick Brunswick Riverwalk Extension $500,000
Swain Swain Swain County Recreation Park Aquatics Center Improvements $500,000
Yancey County Yancey Ray Cort Park Renovation $350,000
Aulander Bertie Aulander Municipal Park Phase 2 $142,650
Dunn Harnett Clarence Lee Tart Park – Phase 2 $200,000
Snow Hill Greene Splash Pad Recreation Facility $300,000
       
39 Awards Total    $17,074,366 Funds Awarded  

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