| 115th Year, 49th Issue | Thursday, July 15, 2004 | Sparta, North Carolina |
The Town of Sparta and Alleghany County received official notification on July 9 that a North Carolina Department of Transportation grant has been awarded to study pedestrian and bicycle planning. The town will use part of its $20,000 portion, which requires a $4,000 local match, to study the possibility of implementing a greenway park along Bledsoe Creek off the Sparta Parkway (U.S. 21 bypass).
Town Manager Bryan Edwards said the grant was applied for on April 1 and would help the town pay to do studies, compile statistical information and pay for consulting services, if needed. The grant is primarily awarded for pedestrian planning through the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant Initiative.
Edwards notes the town is in the very early stages in terms of the
grant. However, Edwards said that the proposed greenway area would be
part of a larger study. That area may or may not be developed,
depending on the results of the study, feasibility and associated
costs. The grant does not include funds to build any park or sidewalk
areas; the grant instead helps offset the costs involved in studying
the feasibility of projects and in assessing needs.
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