SPRUCE PINE — The Town of Spruce Pine has big improvement plans in mind for Brad Ragan Park and it hopes grant money through the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) could be a key factor in funding the project.
The Spruce Pine Town Council at its regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 22 discussed the improvement plan for the park and the subsequent grant application for the project. The town will seek $100,000 of PARTF funding toward a $200,000 construction and improvement project at Brad Ragan.
If approved for the PARTF funds, the funding would come in the form of a matching grant, with the town handling half of the $200,000 project out of its budget for the next fiscal year. Town Finance Manager Crystal Young said she believes the town could handle the $100,000 cost without dipping into its fund balance once the fiscal year changes.
Town Manager Darlene Butler discussed the specifics of the plan with the council, adding that the improvements will allow the town to showcase other elements of Brad Ragan outside of the pool.
“The pool is a big responsibility and opportunity, but we’re looking outside of the pool for a change,” Butler said. “It’s a beautiful park that’s not adequately utilized.”
The improvement plan for the park includes the construction of a mountain bike/walking trail, renovation of the double tennis court, repurposing of a single tennis court to a pickleball court, repurposing of a double tennis court to a dog park, updates to the existing double basketball court including drainage repairs, cosmetic court repairs, fence installation for ball retention and spectator seating, picnic shelter renovations including new siding and paint and a playground revamp including new surface material and some new equipment.
The project justification for the improvement plan notes that Brad Ragan was constructed in 1983 and is not as heavily utilized as Riverside Park, which has seen its own recent improvements courtesy of funding from the Rotary Club and past PARTF grants.
“Never has the need for opportunities for local outdoor recreation been greater than during the trying times of COVID-19,” the justification reads.
The budget for the improvements lists the rehab of the tennis courts and introduction of the pickleball court as the most expensive line item at $70,000. The mountain bike trail is listed at $40,000, the dog park at $30,000 and the new playground equipment is budgeted at $25,000.
Shelter renovations are expected to cost about $20,000 and playground resurfacing and the work on the basketball area are budgeted at $10,000 each. The budget calls for $10,000 in contingency funds.
The town’s recent discussions with the Northwest NC Bike Alliance served as a jumping off point for planning overall improvements to Brad Ragan. The group recently presented a plan for a mountain bike trail, appropriate for beginners, that would be a first for the area.
The council previously approved the installment of a mountain bike pump track at Brad Ragan and committed to 30 percent of the funding ($5,000). The pump track is not part of the grant request, but would complement the requested mountain bike trail.
“We felt like the mountain bike trail was a kickoff point for asking for some things that need to happen down there,” Butler said.
Butler added the town still expects the Northwest NC Mountain Bike Alliance to continue with its own fundraising and contribute another $15,000 for the trail.
The council gave its consensus to allow Butler, Young and Recreation Director Michael Wood to move forward with the grant application, which is due April 1. The decision to apply requires a public hearing, which the council plans to hold on Monday, March 22 at 5:45 p.m.
The grant approval process is based on a point system in which applicants are assigned points for categories like new recreation offerings and planned renovations.
“We feel like we’ve got a pretty good shot,” Butler said.
The town hopes to hear news of the grant recipients by late summer or early fall. If the town doesn’t get the funding, Butler said they can begin to look at other ways to improve the park strictly within the town budget.
Mayor Darla Harding fully endorsed the plan before the discussion closed.
“I think it’s a great plan,” Harding said. “To get $100,000 if you’re spending $100,000 is not a bad deal. We’re going to have to spend some money over there.”