Jeff Fuentes Gleghorn

The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) awarded over $17 million in grants to fund nearly 40 local parks and recreation projects in the state. In a press release, Governor Roy Cooper said that “Our parks and recreation areas are so valuable to our communities and they’ve become more popular than ever,” adding that “These projects we’re funding today will give people even more opportunities in North Carolina to build healthier and happier lives.”

According to the Governor’s office, $17.9 million was allocated to PARTF for the projects, which they said was “at least triple that of most years in the last decade.” This builds on two years of budget increases for the PARTF. In July, Governor Cooper signed the 2022-2023 budget which nearly doubled the amount of money the Fund receives each year.

“These land acquisition and park improvement projects will both expand our state parks system and repair and restore facilities and trails for the benefit of the people of North Carolina as well as visitors to our state,” Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary D. Reid Wilson said. “We are grateful to the General Assembly and Governor Cooper for providing significantly increased investments in the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund over the last two years.”

A full list of the parks that received grants and the name of the project that it will fund can be found in the Governor’s release here.