The Town of Tryon has received a Polk County Community Foundation (PCCF) Board Initiative grant.

The $12,000 award is part of the town’s ongoing fundraising effort to appoint the public portion of St. Luke’s Plaza and specifically covers costs associated with the plaza’s fountain.

Both the St. Luke’s Plaza and the fountain represent key elements in the continuing implementation of the Tryon Downtown Development Association (TDDA) Streetscape Master Plan.

The broader encompassing Maple Street design concept is included in the original 2001 Streetscape Master Plan, designed by Milone and Mac- Broom, as is the now completed St. Luke’s Plaza, latterly finish-designed by Brady/Trakas Architects.

Partnerships and leveraging of private/public investment has been an integral part of the plaza’s creation process.

The Polk County Community Foundation’s Board Initiative grant provides our community with a beautiful, engaging and iconic landmark in downtown Tryon’s visual landscape.

Their gift to Tryon’s newest public gathering space will be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.

Our downtown and our local community clearly have already benefitted, and will continue to benefit for many years, because of the foundation’s partnering participation.

Initial funding for the St. Luke’s Plaza project came from a $50,000 North Carolina Main Street Solutions Fund (MSSF) grant.

Supplemental funding, as with the PCCF grant, allowed other amenities and enhancements.

Further donations include a Polk County Appearance Commission landscape grant, and to date, private citizens have funded the purchase of seven tables, 23 (of 35) chairs and two (of four) backless benches.

For further donor opportunities, please contact Tryon Town Hall at 828-859-6655 or visit www.exploretryon.com.

At project’s end, donors will be acknowledged on a single plaque in the fountain landscape bed.

– article submitted 

by Crys Armbrust