|
 Sandy Creek Park Matching GrantA Message from NHCCAC Co-Chair Bob HealyDear New Hope Folks, At the November NHCCAC meeting, the Committee decided to submit a proposal for a park matching grant from the Durham Open Space and Trails Committee (DOST) for work at Sandy Creek Park. The proposal would be for a $10,000 grant from DOST, to be matched by $10,000 from us, the latter a combination of in-kind donations (e.g. plan preparation and drawings from Coulter, Jewell, Thames), volunteer labor (valued by city policy at $5/hr.) and monetary contributions. It may seem ambitious, but so are our plans for further improvements to Sandy Creek Park. Volunteer labor has been wonderful, but we have needed cash money for wood, the water tank, nails, screws and hardware, the inscribed rock, wood preservative and many other inputs. The next stages will also require materials as well as labor. The proposal, due January 7, is below. Several of you have been very generous in supporting the bridge reconstruction and the "Ken Coulter" rock. I thank you publicly, but know that the real "thanks" is the good feeling you get in seeing such wonderful improvements to the park and how the public is using it, more and more each week. John Goebel, who has brought so many ideas and dreams for the park into reality, and I are sending this to you to ask for your financial support (tax deductible through a contribution or pledge to Keep Durham Beautiful). We are also asking that you spread the word about the park and our plans for it—to friends and colleagues, birders, walkers, and neighbors. One of the most exciting aspects of our plans for the park is that it can become an outdoor, very natural, destination for people with mobility impairments—the disabled elderly, wounded vets from the VA and elsewhere, kids who use wheelchairs, folks whose ability to hike is reduced by heart disease, stroke or obesity. The benches John has built and our half mile of level trail will be joined by the butterfly garden, more accessible picnic facilities, better places for bird observation and a number of other improvements. So...please go to the Keep Durham Beautiful website (include a memo earmarking your donation for Sandy Creek Park)...dig deep and feel good about the New Hope and about Durham. And do spend time in the park and bring your friends. It's a wonderful place, and it's getting better. With best wishes and Season's greetings,
Bob Healy, co-chair
Click to enlarge DOST grant proposal below.
|
