The cities of Graham and Burlington were each recently awarded funds as part of $17.9 million in grants to fund 46 local parks and recreation projects across the state through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF).
Graham will receive $119,437 for ADA upgrades at the Graham Recreation Center. Burlington will receive $100,000 for an ADA train car in City Park.
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.
PARTF celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this summer with a proclamation from Gov. 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.
A second round of funding for the Accessible Parks Grant will open in September. Over $4 million in funding will be available.
