From the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources:

RALEIGH – State parks officials today announced the award of $1.5 million in grants from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund to eight local governments for parks and recreation projects.

“The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund has reached into hundreds of local communities offering new opportunities for recreation, fitness and conservation,” said Lewis Ledford, director of the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. “These opportunities for new parks, trails, greenways and recreation facilities go hand-in-hand with North Carolina’s commitment to conservation, economic opportunity and the livability of our communities.”

The matching grants, awarded by the Parks and Recreation Authority, will help fund land acquisition, development and renovation of public parks and recreation areas. The authority considered 60 grant applications requesting more than $12.6 million. A maximum of $500,000 can be awarded to a single project. Grants are announced each quarter, and 36 grants totaling $7.1 million have been awarded this year.

The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund is administered through the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation and was established in 1994 when the General Assembly dedicated 75 percent of the state’s share of the excise tax on real estate deed transfers to the fund. The revenue is distributed to three programs: 65 percent to the state parks system for repairs, capital improvements and land acquisition; 30 percent for matching grants to local parks and recreation programs for development and land acquisition; and 5 percent to the coastal beach access program.

Since 1995, the Parks and Recreation Authority has received 1,351 grant applications with requests totaling about $286 million. The board has awarded 722 grants for $162 million.

The local governments receiving grants in the most recent cycle are: Guilford County received $266,525 for Hagan Stone Park; Swain County received $150,000 for the Swain Courthouse Square Riverfront Park; Transylvania County received $181,350 for Rosman Community Park; the town of Haw River received $13,511 for Red Slide Park; Matthews received $184.250 for Rice Road land acquisition; Ahoskie received $177,476 for the Ahoskie Recreation Complex; Jacksonville received $490,000 for Phillips Park; and Nags Head received $75,000 for Whalebone Park.