The town of Wadesboro received more than $100,000 in grants to help fund its portion of the Carolina Thread Trail.

The two grants are in the amounts of $85,00 and $20,000.

Ray Allen, interim town manager, said the town was notified about the availability of this grant funding from the Rocky River Rural Transportation Planning Organization.

The rown applied for these grants to begin the process of a greenway system in Wadesboro.

“This proposed system was identified in the Wadesboro Comprehensive Transportation Plan, which was completed in 2014,” Allen said.

There were two applications, one for a corridor planning grant and the other for right of way and property acquisition, and both were submitted to the Carolina Thread Trail on April 23.

These grants are for one segment (1.68 miles) of the greenway system and would connect Uptown Wadesboro to Wadesboro Park and then Morven Road.

According to Allen, the grants will cover the cost of corridor design and land or right of way acquisition.

The town would be eligible for future grants to fund construction after these phases are complete.

“This trail would provide both recreation and pedestrian transportation for local residents along with the commensurate exercise and health benefits,” Allen said. “Greenways are also an attractive amenity for people who are considering where to relocate.”

Allen said that the town received letters of support from the Anson County Parks and Recreation Department, the Anson County Economic Development Partnership, Uptown Wadesboro, the Anson County Partnership for Children and the Anson County Economic Development Commission.

After these two grants are implemented the next step for this segment is construction. As noted these two grants do not include any construction funds. After construction of this segment is completed there are several other segments of the system identified for future development.

The Carolina Thread Trail is a 15-county, two-state initiative designed to create a regional network of trails, blueways and conservation corridors that would link more than 2.3 million residents. With technical resources and funding from the Thread Trail, communities plan and implement their portions of this greenway system.

The Carolina Thread Trail region includes Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties within North Carolina and Cherokee, Chester, Lancaster and York counties in South Carolina. Catawba Lands Conservancy is the lead agaency for the Thread Trail, which is working in partnership with Foundation for the Carolinas and other local partners. Currently, more than 250 miles of Thread Trail are open to the public.

For more information, visit carolinathreadtrail.org.

Reach Natalie Davis at 704-994-5471 or ndavis@ansonrecord.com.

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By Natalie Davis

Staff Writer