ARP Corner continued from page 17 The Yadkin River Park Trailhead is one of these recreation projects; it connects to the Wil-Cox Bridge pedestrian crossing, providing Rowan County access to Davidson County’s expansive park. This project included the creation of a landscaped plaza, the start of a greenway connection between the center of town and the river, and vehicle parking where parkgoers can enjoy both sides of the river. The town had already secured outside grant funding for this project, but still needed an additional $71,000 to get it over the finish line. They utilized some of the ARPA-enabled funds to fill this gap and move this project to completion. The trailhead opened in September 2023 and won the Centralina Regional Council’s Improving Quality of Life—Small Community award for “utilizing cooperative volunteerism to expand community, recreational and transportation opportunities.” Another recreation project that is focused on bringing the town’s past and future together is the reinstalling of a former park site at the center of town. The park was originally created by residents in the 1920s but was paved over during the building of a shopping center and is now part of the parking lot. The town plans to invest approximately $2 million—most of which has come from grant funding—into the rebuilding of this park, but as with many projects today, the initial estimates for the project proved insufficient once the project was ready to go out to bid. ARPAenabled funds have been important in helping to bridge these sorts of gaps, in addition to applying for additional grant money to supply the rest of the needed funds. “We have been so fortunate through the COVID relief funds that we have gotten, as well as a significant philanthropic donation … We have been able to package together the funding to make this park a reality that otherwise probably would not have been able to happen, especially in today’s construction market when costs have skyrocketed,” Williams said. “So, with minimal investment from our taxpayers, we have been able to take that investment and been able to multiply the funds that are available, particularly because of COVID relief funds.” Beyond recreation, there were a couple of buildings in town that needed repairs, including a fire station where ARPA-enabled dollars allowed the town to do some concept design work in preparation for an upgrade, as well as the town’s historic library. Town officials first set aside the funds to replace the library’s windows but adjusted this plan to have them painted and We want visitors to not come to the Transportation Museum and then look across the road to what was the core of town looking like a sleepy, vacant storefront-filled place. We want them to see that the town is lively, and it offers a lot of fun things to do. » Peter Franzese, Town Manager, Spencer SOUTHERN CITY Quarter 3 2024 18
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