THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 6, 1997 TAG: 9702060352
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B01 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JEFFREY S. HAMPTON, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: 96 lines
``Play ball,'' say North Carolina recreation officials, and they are offering up to $250,000 to each of the cities and counties who do it best.
An estimated 150 municipalities, seven in this region, will apply for a matching grant through the state's new Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
Local officers in charge of how and where people play are clamoring for a part of the $5 million available. They want to build more ball fields, gyms and picnic areas for their communities.
``This is the biggest boost to the park system this state has ever had,'' said Jim Overman, Parks and Recreation Director of Elizabeth City.
Overman hopes to get $80,000 to build soccer fields with lights and a volleyball court for phase I of a new 25-acre park on Wellfield Road. The city must match that amount.
A public hearing on the park will be held Feb. 17 at the City Council chambers.
``There is a lot of competition,'' said Overman, who recently attended a meeting of about 200 grant hopefuls. Not all of them will submit a request by the Feb. 28 deadline, he said.
Each of the grant proposals has been carefully prepared to score the most points with state officials and the 11-member Parks and Recreation Authority appointed by the Governor. The authority will ultimately decide who gets money.
``We've been working hard to have all the I's dotted and the T's crossed,'' said Steve Moler, recreation consultant with the Recreation Resource Service. The RRS will administer the grant for the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation through N.C. State University. ``That's still no guarantee they'll fund your project.''
Moler has advised local governments on their grant packages and will grade the applications from eastern North Carolina. The board will make final selections in May. Moler bases the scores on factors such as long-term planning by the local government, need and public participation.
``It's pretty matter-of-fact really. All the projects I know about up there are legitimate,'' Moler said from his office in Washington, N.C. ``If they are all needed projects, then all of them could get funded.''
Dare, Currituck, Pasquotank, Chowan and Gates counties, Elizabeth City and Winfall all plan to enter grant requests.
``I think the chances of Currituck getting a grant are very good,'' said John Mulvey, public information director and economic developer for Currituck County.
Currituck plans to build its first public park near Maple Airport if it can get at least $100,000 in grant money.
``They'll get 17 points up front,'' Moler said of Currituck's park plan,since it will the be first and only park in the county.
Other projects planned: (All amounts must be matched locally)
Pasquotank County: Needs $100,000 for Fun Junktion toward basketball and volleyball courts, a picnic pavilion and canoes, among other things.
Dare County: Needs $250,000 toward a youth center that will include a gymnasium and several multipurpose rooms. The youth center will be built in Kill Devil Hills.
Gates County: Needs $125,000 to improve the Community Center with more ball fields, a nature trail, horseshoe pits, a combination basketball and roller blading court and a sand volleyball court. The local match will have to come from private donations, said Michael Conner, facilities director for the Gates County Board of Education.
Chowan County: Recreation Department there has not received approval on how much to request for soccer fields with lights. Since the land was donated, points will be added to its application score.
Winfall: Information unavailable.
The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund comes from a 1991 law passed by the state legislature that was to set aside some of the land transfer tax collected statewide for recreation purposes including state parks. Initially the money went to the state's general fund.
Last year some of the money became available, and Camden County was one of four places in the state to get recreation grant money. It is currently building a large park beside Grandy Elementary School.
This is the first year that the Trust Fund has received its full share of the land transfer tax collected by local governments. The total amount may reach about $20 million. The state park system will receive 65 percent, 30 percent goes to matching grants for local parks and 5 percent goes to the coastal beach access program.
Elizabeth City resident Troy Boyd was appointed to the Trust Fund Authority in January. ILLUSTRATION: GRANT PROPOSALS
Each of the grant proposals has been carefully prepared to score the
most points with state officials and the 11-member Parks and
Recreation Authority appointed by the governor.
The authority will ultimately decide who gets money.
``We've been working hard to have all the I's dotted and the T's
crossed,'' said Steve Moler, recreation consultant with the
Recreation Resource Service. The RRS will administer the grant for
the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation through N.C. State
University. ``That's still no guarantee they'll fund your project.''