Polk approves budget ordinance for 300 acres for trails

COLUMBUS — Polk County is getting ready to close on 300 acres of property to create a public walking/biking trail system on Little White Oak Mountain.

Polk County Commissioners met Monday night and approved a grant project budget ordinance in the amount of $1,100,000.

No county dollars will be used, as Polk County received a N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Grant in the amount of $375,000 and the required $725,000 match is being provided from the donation of land value from Conserving Carolina.

“We’re getting ready to move forward on closing this project,” said Polk County Recreation Director Jerry Stensland. “This is the step where we budget the money and will get 100 percent reimbursement.”

Stensland said the matching dollars for the grant are coming 100 percent from Conserving Carolina, which gave the county land for well below what it is worth.

“No county dollars are needed to acquire this grant,” he said.

Conserving Carolina acquired the former Foster Creek Preserve, which is over 1,000 acres of a planned housing development that fell through in Columbus. The planning trail system the county’s recreation department plans to develop is located just behind Polk County Middle School in Mill Spring.

The PARTF grant will fund the purchase of the property, with other grants being sought for the development of the trail system.

Conserving Carolina Executive Director Kieran Roe said two independent appraisals were obtained for the 300-acre property, with the average of the appraisals being $1,177,500.

“The PARTF grant contract requires that the county provide matching funds in the amount of $725,000,” Roe said. “PARTF accepts donated land value as a form of matching funds. In order to receive the full reimbursement of $375,000 from PARTF, the county must show that the land it purchased has a fair market value equal to or greater than the total project cost of $1,100,000.”

Other plans for Conserving Carolina’s project on the former Foster Creek Preserve include approximately 30 acres developed by workforce housing, which is a program for working families to help build their own homes to make them more affordable. Some of the property could also be used as state game lands with better access, since the property borders existing game lands.

Once Polk County constructs its trail system, the county’s AmeriCorp trails coordinator will maintain the trails with volunteers.