Last week, Gov. Roy Cooper announced $17.9 million in grants to fund 46 local parks and recreation projects across the state, including Rowan County, Granite Quarry and Kannapolis, through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF).

The Dan Nicholas Park campground bathhouse and campsites was tapped to receive $450,000 as part of the accessibility grants. Granite Quarry’s Civic Park Improvement Project and Kannapolis’ Eastside Park will each receive $500,000.

The Parks and Recreation Authority approved the grants at an Aug. 23 meeting.

“These awards through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the Accessible Parks Grant will bring tremendous impact to communities across North Carolina by providing more parks, more trails and more accessible recreation,” Cooper said.

Local governments applied to PARTF to fund land acquisition, and development and renovation of public park and recreation areas. Every year, the Parks and Recreation Authority allocates to municipalities and counties 30 percent of PARTF’s total funding. A maximum of $500,000 can be awarded to a single project, and the awardees must match funds at least dollar-for-dollar for the grant amount. This year, the authority considered 40 grant applications requesting a total of more than $15.1 million. Of those, 22 projects were funded at the full request and one project was awarded partial funding, all totaling over $9.5 million.

A separate source of funding, the Accessible Parks Grant program, was appropriated $12.5 million in the 2023 budget to provide matching grants for local parks and recreation projects to benefit people living with disabilities. The program allows for either the construction of special facilities or the adaptation of existing facilities to meet the unique needs of persons living with disabilities, enabling them to participate in recreational and sporting activities, regardless of their abilities. The grant is administered through PARTF and recipients are selected by the Parks and Recreation Authority. Twenty-three applications were submitted, and all were selected for the first round of funding, for a total of over $8.3 million.

“North Carolinians love their parks and recreation areas,” said N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary D. Reid Wilson. “These projects will enhance quality of life, improve health, and strengthen local economies.”

PARTF celebrated its 30^th anniversary earlier this summer on July 16 with a proclamation from Cooper. The fund is administered through the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. Local grants are awarded annually by the Authority at its quarterly meeting in August.

“Over the last 30 years, PARTF has provided more than $800 million in improved state parks, local parks and coastal access,” State Parks Director Brian Strong said. “These awards continue a wonderful year celebrating the impact of PARTF on North Carolina residents. We look forward to new and updated parks, facilities and trails in the coming years from this year’s grantees.”

A second round of funding for the Accessible Parks Grant will open in September. Over $4 million in funding will be available.