Recreation

State Grants Help Bring Harnett County Parks into 21st Century

Harnett County residents will benefit from recently approved parks investments.

Just two hours from the Atlantic coast‚ Harnett County offers great recreation opportunities for every taste. And now‚ thanks to the North Carolina State Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the willingness of citizens to invest in recreation improvements‚ a great thing is about to get even better.

In Angier‚ 20 miles outside Raleigh‚ a $1.5 million park improvement project is already under way. PARTF provided $500‚000 in matching funds. The town of Angier went beyond the required match‚ adding a total of $1 million in local funding.

The project centers on Angier’s Jack Marley Park and is scheduled for completion in early 2008. Angier Town Manager Coley Price is most excited about a new walking trail that will wind through the park and into town.

“The walking trail will be the center focus of a master plan to create a walkable community‚” Price says.

The new trail will link to Angier’s Centennial Trail‚ which provides a way for people to walk or bike safely between the town’s major sections. The walking trail will also help make the park more family-friendly.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re 5 years old or 75 years old‚ you can enjoy that‚” Price says.

Two new playgrounds‚ one for ages 2 to 6 and the other for ages 6 to 12‚ will also add to the park’s family appeal. A Frisbee golf course‚ batting cages‚ picnic areas‚ a skateboard park and better infrastructure round out the list of improvements.

Price believes the project highlights Angier’s focus on the future.

“Angier is a progressive town looking to improve its character and charm and capitalize on improving the quality of life for its citizens‚” he says.

About 15 minutes away‚ the town of Erwin broke ground in the fall to begin updating its 1970s-era Municipal Park. PARTF has matched $395‚000 of city funding for a total project budget of $790‚000.

The highlight of the project is a new skateboard park‚ the only one in the area‚ according to Calvin Dickenson‚ Erwin’s director of parks and recreation.

“We have a whole lot of kids who are out here on their skateboards‚” Dickenson says. “This will provide them with an opportunity to stop riding in the streets.”

Dickenson also is excited about the addition of a multipurpose athletic field that will accommodate baseball‚ soccer‚ football and softball. New scoreboards and resurfacing for the park’s tennis courts are also on the agenda. He says the park project speaks well of Erwin.

“When we’re done with this project‚ it will say a lot not only to this community but neighboring communities about the class of the town‚” Dickenson says. “The park is one of the first impressions that people get of the town – the better the park‚ the better the first impression.”

Story by Kathryn Royster
Photo by staff

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