Western North Carolina will see a new state park, a rail trail, and miles of backcountry paths after Governor Roy Cooper signed the first state’s budget law on November 18. According to a report, it’s the state’s first comprehensive budget law since 2018.
In the coming two years, the budget is expected to boost state budgets for parks, trails, and conservation grants by hundreds of millions of dollars. The increase is primarily because of the pandemic-related federal assistance. Certain federal dollars are destined for budgets for conservation and recreation, while others will be used to fund other aspects, creating additional revenue for the state.
“I think we’re going to see significantly more parks and trails and greenways both in state parks but also local parks, local communities all across the state,” Reid Wilson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, told local news.
What’s exciting about that is that the budget shows that the state’s leaders recognize the high value that North Carolinians put on having plentiful outdoor recreation opportunities. I think that bodes well for continued expanded funding in the future to continue to provide outdoor recreation to people in North Carolina.
The budget provides $12.2 million in nonrecurring funds supporting Pisgah View State Park, 2.5 square miles of former ranch land that runs through Haywood and Buncombe counties. The legislature voted to make it an official state park in 2019, but it is still to be acquired from private ownership. The legislation enabling it permitted the state to begin seeking funds to pay for the $18.2 million price for the purchase it was negotiating with the current owners.
The majority of that cost has been paid (about $6 million), and the recently-enacted budget will cover the remainder, which will be $9 million for this fiscal year and $3.2 million by 2022-23.
The budget also includes an initial staff for the park to create a master plan together with the community. This process could require “a couple of years,” Wilson explained, and when the plan is completed, there will be some work needed on the property before inviting the public to visit. This will include building upgrades, parking, and trail improvements. However, Reid noted that the trails on the property appear to be “in pretty good shape.”
“When it’s open, it’s going to be 1,500 beautiful acres for hiking, for going to the big meadow and looking at Mount Pisgah in the distance,” he said. “It’s just a spectacular place.”
State parks and trails, as well as locally-managed projects such as the much-anticipated Chestnut Mountain Nature Park located in Canton, will receive an extra boost with the additional $91 million funds the budget will provide towards the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the $100 million that is allocated towards the N.C. Land and Water Fund over the next two years. These appropriations are non-recurring funding that the programs will receive over and beyond what they usually receive from the state every year.
Canton town manager Nick Scheuer said he’s hopeful that some of the funds could be used to fund the request for a grant of $500,000 that the town submitted to build trails and other recreational amenities in the 450-acre Chestnut Mountain Nature Park.
