Carolina Thread Trail awards over $246,000 to trail projects
This is Phase 1 of the trail. It begins at the dam and does across several bridge toward downtown Mt Holly.
In mid-December, the Carolina Thread Trail Governing Board awarded $246,666 in trail implementation grants for projects along the Thread Trail to the City of Gastonia, Town of McAdenville, Lindsay Pettus Greenway, Inc., Town of Great Falls, and Cleveland County Water.
The Carolina Thread Trail’s Implementation Grant Program provides funding to communities and nonprofit organizations to support projects in trail construction, design, land acquisition and corridor planning. Over the past ten years, the Thread Trail has awarded over $6.7 million in catalytic grants to communities throughout the 15-county region in North and South Carolina. Currently, over 280 miles of greenways and trails, as well as 170 miles of blueways, are open to the public within the Thread Trail system.
The grant award amount, community information and the use of the grants follow:
CITY OF GASTONIA, N.C. (GASTON COUNTY) – $140,000
With support from Wells Fargo, this grant will fund the construction of the Avon-Catawba Creek Greenway extension, which will connect Lineberger Park to 2nd Avenue and increase neighborhood connectivity.
TOWN OF MCADENVILLE, N.C. (GASTON COUNTY) – $46,666
This funding from the Community Foundation of Gaston County will be used for the design and engineering of a trail segment that will connect McAdenville to Cramerton along the South Fork River. It would also connect to an existing trail that links McAdenville with Lowell, and is part of a larger plan to create a continuous 19-mile trail that would link the Seven Oaks Trail through five municipalities all the way to Spencer Mountain.
LINDSAY PETTUS GREENWAY, INC. (LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C.) – $30,000
This grant will help fund costs for the design of Phase II of the greenway extension, which will add 4 miles of trail to the 2 miles already under construction. The completed greenway will provide an alternative transportation corridor that connects residents in Lancaster to key destinations, including schools, the MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center, the cultural arts district, local businesses and more.
TOWN OF GREAT FALLS, S.C. (CHESTER COUNTY) – $25,000
This funding will be used to assist with future trail development in the Town of Great Falls along the Catawba River. This trail initiative is part of an effort by the town to revitalize the community through outdoor recreation.
CLEVELAND COUNTY WATER (CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C.) – $5,000
This grant will fund a planning study along the First Broad River in Cleveland County near Lawndale, where there are currently no recreational trails or canoe/kayak accesses. The study will help determine potential for greenways and blueway access points, which are highly desired by residents.