Hillsborough Awarded $392K Grant for Riverwalk

The Town of Hillsborough was awarded $392,000 last week for Phase 2 of Riverwalk, which will connect Gold Park to the downtown.
The matching grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, awarded Friday, will fund the purchase of about 19 acres on Faribault Lane, some of which the town already has acquired. The land acquisitions were funded partially as well with $75,000 from the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative, supervised by Raleigh.
 
The Trust Fund grant, awarded by the N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority, will help Hillsborough complete the critical acquisitions needed for its 1.5-mile trail along the Eno River. The grant was one of 21 awarded from an available $8.4 million to local governments for parks and recreational projects. Eighty-five applications were considered. Orange County also received $500,000 for continued development of Fairview Park in Hillsborough. That application was a joint project of the town and county.
 
Riverwalk’s Phase 2 design work may start this year. Because the town will seek another grant to help fund construction, that portion of work will not start for at least a year.
 
Construction of Gold Park, which opened in April, was Riverwalk’s first phase of work. When complete, the greenway will connect Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area to the downtown and will be part of North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
 
For more information about the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the Parks and Recreation Authority, visit:
www.ncparks.gov/About/grants/partf_main.php