Park gets OK for $125,000 grant
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on May 8, 2011 1:50 AM
The developments taking place at Stoney Creek Park received a shot in the arm Friday when the North Carolina Recreation & Parks Authority notified Interim Parks and Recreation Director Sherry Archibald that her department's application for a $125,000 grant was accepted.
Twenty-six projects were selected for funding out of 80 total applications for the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, according to a press release. Goldsboro's grant will go toward family picnic shelters, an amphitheater and a beach volleyball area, although Mrs. Archibald noted that the addition of handicapped parking spaces and restrooms would have the biggest impact on park visitors.
"The amenities are going to be a huge asset," she said. "The park is starting to be used for events and having a bathroom will be a great benefit."
The park has undergone a lot of changes in past years, with the addition of a disc golf course and plans for a dog park. Mrs. Archibald said the fence for the dog park should be up in the next couple of weeks and an event would mark the dog park's opening. A portion of the grant will also go toward adding on the disc golf course.
Mrs. Archibald said this year was the department's second effort at securing the grant, and said former director Ruben Wall and his staff were owed a lot of gratitude for their work at getting the application together.
"They've worked really hard getting it together," she said, adding that the field of 80 applicants was daunting. "We weren't sure if it was going to happen or not."
The grant is a dollar-for-dollar matching grant and will be used over the next three years for the park's renovation.