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PUP grant OK'd for access road
At the Smith River Sports Complex
Patrick Francisco with the Smith River Sports Complex drives his tractor Friday down the dirt road to the river access point. The Harvest Foundation has awarded a grant to improve the road. (Bulletin photo by Mike Wray)
Sunday, March 10, 2013
By SAM JACKSON - Bulletin Staff Writer
The Harvest Foundation has awarded a Pick Up the Pace! (PUP) grant to Henry Country Parks and Recreation to improve the access road to the lower field at the Smith River Sports Complex river access point.
Harvest announced the $10,000 grant in a release on Friday. It stated that the grant will cover 53 percent of the cost for grading to be done to the ramp and reworking the entrance to allow for a more smooth traffic flow.
“This access road is used by people using the river access point and is the entrance to the festival grounds for Smith River Fest,” Roger Adams, Henry County Parks and Recreation director, said in the release. “The current access road is very steep and is a safety issue for vehicles and pedestrians. Last year, during Smith River Fest, there were several instances where vehicles almost crashed into each other because they could not stop on the rocks coming down the hill.”
Adams said Friday the remainder of the funding for the work will come from the Parks and Recreation department’s budget. Work will begin on the project this spring and should be complete by Aug. 1, he said.
“It is a pleasure to partner with Henry County Parks and Recreation on a project that will allow for increased use of the river access at the Smith River Sports Complex, as well as providing a place to host additional festivals and special events,” Gladys Hairston, Harvest Foundation program associate, said in the release. “Growing current events and adding new ones increases the quality of life for local residents and brings tourism dollars into our community.”
Harvest’s PUP grants must relate to one or more of Harvest’s focus areas: health, education and community vitality, the release said. Recipients must be recognized nonprofits, religious institutions, government entities or “fiscal agents” acting for others, so long as the purpose is charitable, Harvest said.
The grant was the seventh of 10 Harvest will award, Harvest Program Officer Angela Logan said.
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