The state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund is awarding more than $17 million in grants to fund 39 parks and recreation projects across the state, with a dozen on the coast.
The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority approved the grants at its meeting Friday at the Nature Research Center in Raleigh, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced Monday. The funding will go to land acquisition, development and renovation of public park and recreation areas.
Sponsor Spotlight
“Our parks and recreation areas are so valuable to our communities and they’ve become more popular than ever,” Cooper said in a statement. “These projects we’re funding today will give people even more opportunities in North Carolina to build healthier and happier lives.”
Each year, the authority is required to allocate 30% of Parks and Recreation Trust Fund’s total funding to local government projects. This year, $17.9 million was allocated, which officials said is at least triple that of most years in the last decade.
“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 Reid Wilson, secretary of the state 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.”
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.
Projects funded on the coast include the following:
Sponsor Spotlight
- Holden Beach Pier, $500,000.
- Osgood Canal Greenway- West Side Development, Burgaw, $443,408.
- Hampstead Kiwanis Park Phase 4, $500,000.
- Northern (Newland) Park Development, Pasquotank County, $500,000.
- Craven County Nature Park, $500,000.
- Central Pender Park Development, $500,000.
- Hines Farm Park, Onslow County, $393,875.
- Majestic Oaks Land Acquisition, Sunset Beach, $500,000.
- Wrightsville Beach Park Facility Improvements, $397,538.
- Calabash Waterfront Park, $500,000.
- Brunswick Riverwalk Extension, Belville, $500,000.
- Aulander Municipal Park Phase 2, Bertie County, $142,650.
In addition to the local grants program, the authority allocated $5.7 million to the state 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 and will fund capital projects at Hammock’s Beach State Park in Onslow County, Morrow Mountain State Park in Stanly County and William B. Umstead State Park in Wake County.
A full list of grants is available on the governor’s website.
The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund is administered through the state Division of Parks and Recreation, a part of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Local grants are awarded annually by the authority at their quarterly meeting in August.
