TITLE
Title
INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH PIEDMONT TRIAD REGIONAL COUNCIL TO ADMINISTER NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES THROUGH THE GREAT TRAILS STATE PROGRAM GRANT AWARD OF $500,000 FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PIEDMONT REGIONAL GREENWAY
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Dwight Godwin, Parks and Recreation Director
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BACKGROUND
Background
The purpose of this agenda item is to approve an Interlocal Agreement with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council to administer a $500,000 award from the Great Trails State Program and to allocate $130,000 in County matching funds. The $130,000 in County matching funds will be fund from the Trail Development capital project, which has a current balance of $265,557. The Piedmont Regional Greenway is a planned 19-mile, multi-jurisdictional paved corridor designed to connect the cities of Greensboro and Winston-Salem, as well as the towns of Kernersville, Oak Ridge, and Summerfield. The greenway will serve as a critical regional linkage, integrating with established trail systems such as the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Salem Lake Trails, A&Y Greenway, Triad Park, and the Greensboro Watershed Trails, thereby enhancing connectivity, recreation, and alternative transportation opportunities across the Piedmont Triad.
The proposed grant will support the engineering and design of a key segment of the greenway within Triad Park and surrounding area, a major regional asset jointly owned and operated by Guilford and Forsyth Counties. This segment, identified as the Triad Park-Reedy Fork Greenway, represents a vital component of the broader initiative to establish a continuous active transportation corridor linking the primary urban centers of Greensboro and Winston-Salem, located within two of North Carolina’s most populous counties.
The project aligns with and advances the goals of the recently adopted Comprehensive Parks, Trails, and Open Space Master Plan. Key partners in this multi-jurisdictional effort include Forsyth County and the Town of Kernersville. On July 11, 2024, the Board approved a partnership authorizing the Piedmont Triad Regional Council to submit and administer the grant application on the County’s behalf, contingent upon award. The Town of Kernersville Council has approved this Interlocal Agreement and Forsyth County is currently in the process of approving this agreement as well.
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BUDGET IMPACT
Budget Impact
County Building Construction Fund
Trails Development (amend)
$130,000 decrease in appropriation to capital project
$130,000 decrease in Other Revenue (Bond Proceeds)
Grant Projects Fund
FY26 Great Trails State Grant (adopt)
$130,000 appropriation to grant project
$130,000 in Other Revenue (Bond Proceeds)
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Authorize the County to enter into an Interlocal Agreement with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council to administer a $500,000 award from the Great Trails State Program for the development of the Piedmont Regional Greenway. Amend the Trails Development capital project ordinance to reduce the appropriation to the project by $130,000 and reduce Other Revenue (Bond Proceeds) by $130,000 and adopt a grant project ordinance in the amount of $130,000 with $130,000 in Other Revenue (Bond Proceeds).
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