 NCDOT, County, Town, Local Partners Team up for Pedestrian-friendly Project
Story and Photos: COURTESY OF THE YANCEY COMMON TIMES JOURNAL
A $250,000 federal stimulus grant obtained by the county, with the help of NCDOT, the town, and two local non-profits, improved safety at Ray-Cort Park and made the town more walkable. Improvements were also made to the parking lot. A local company did the work, providing jobs and a boost to the economy. County planner Jamie McMahan, County Manager Nathan Bennett, Mayor Danny McIntosh, and Commission Chairman Walter Savage inspected the completed project Friday.
With assistance from the N.C. Department of Transportation, and a $250,000 federal stimulus grant, the citizens of Yancey County and the Town of Burnsville have a safer, healthier, and more walkable community. Last Friday marked the completion of a sidewalk that connects North Main Street with Ray-Cort Park, improving access from town to the heavily used county park.
"The Yancey County Commissioners were pleased to support such a worthwhile project that will benefit so many residents, particularly our children," said Walter Savage, chairman of the commissioners.
The county provided the easement for the sidewalk to be on county-owned property, provided $9,300 for the engineering design (the town provided the other half), and worked with DOT to find the stimulus funds. Ray-Cort Park, donated to the county by the Ray and Cort families, is in the town limits but is operated and maintained by the county.
County Manager Nathan Bennett said the park and swimming pool are heavily used, especially by children, and safety concerns due to lack of sidewalks and parking area issues were at the forefront of the county's efforts to work with the town and DOT to obtain stimulus funding. "It was cost-prohibitive for the county and town to address these serious concerns and make major improvements to the parking lot to address additional safety issues," Bennett said. "This is a win for the entire community -- and a local company, Young & McQueen, won the bid for the project, putting people to work and money back into our economy."
"Connecting the North Main Street sidewalk all the way along Ray-Cort Park will make it much safer for our pedestrians, particularly our children who use this park," said Burnsville Mayor Danny McIntosh. "Continuity in sidewalks is a real benefit for the health and safety of everyone."
The sidewalk project broke ground in mid-March, but establishing a more pedestrian-friendly community has long been a goal of local residents, particularly Healthy Yancey and Graham Children's Health Services of Toe River. The Town of Burnsville adopted a pedestrian plan in 2006, and a committed group of representatives from government and non-profit agencies in Burnsville and Yancey County, as well as concerned citizens, have continued to meet to discuss pedestrian planning issues over the years. NCDOT representatives from offices in Burnsville and Asheville have joined them in their efforts.
The group formed a goal to extend the sidewalk that ended at North Main Street to Ray-Cort Park, in order to improve safety in the area and encourage more walking between the two points. A Fit Community grant received by Graham Children's Health Services of Toe River enabled an initial feasibility assessment for the project. The Town of Burnsville and Yancey County secured further funding in order to pay nearly $20,000 in engineering fees.
However, a significant amount of additional funding was still needed to get the project underway.
NCDOT District Engineer Jeff Moore recognized this need, and made the group aware of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars as a possible funding source. Yancey County government applied for the money based on Moore"s suggestion, and Moore advocated on behalf of the community during the application process.
By working together with NCDOT, the group was able to secure $250,000 in ARRA funds to pay for the remaining costs of the North Main Street sidewalk project, re-striping of the parking lot, replacement of the storm drainage structure and the extension of the actual sidewalk.
"This is a great example of a successful partnership between many organizations," said Amy Sheele, coordinator for Healthy Yancey. "Healthy Yancey and Graham Children's Health Services of Toe River have advocated for connecting sidewalks for many years. It is exciting to see these efforts pay off and make our community more pedestrian friendly. We are very appreciative to Jeff Moore and the other local DOT staff that have helped to make this project happen in our community."
The project included an attractive, block retaining wall along the swimming pool where the new sidewalk connects North Main to the park.
Photos by Jody Higgins |