County hopes to give $10K toward trail completion
Published 8:44 am Thursday, July 16, 2015
After the County Commission meets Monday, the plan to complete the remainder of the Tweetsie Trail by Labor Day may be one step closer to reality.
The Tweetsie Trail Task Force announced in early July that $50,000 in funds would need to be raised in order to insure the trail’s completion by the deadline. The Carter County Parks and Recreation Committee is looking to be involved in the process by donating $10,000 toward the cause.
Earlier this week, the Budget Committee unanimously approved the request by the Parks and Recreation committee to make the donation. If the donation is approved Monday by the full Commission, the Tweetsie Trail Task Force would be $10,000 closer to its funding goal.
Prior to the vote by the budget committee, Parks and Recreation Committee members Randall Jenkins and Ken Gough spoke to the group.
“About 90 percent of the trail runs through Carter County and, my understanding is, that the county hasn’t done a whole lot to fund the trail,” Jenkins said.
Both Jenkins and Gough noted the Parks and Rec Committee has about $30,000 available in its fund balance through the monies budgeted by the county as well as community donations.
“That money does no one any good just sitting int he bank,” said Gough, who also serves on the Tweetsie Trail Task Force. “We want to put it to use.”
“We are not asking the county for any more money,” he added. “This is money already in our bank.”
After a brief discussion, Nancy Brown made a motion to approve the donation which was seconded by Ronnie Trivett. The motion passed unanimously with Brown, Trivett, Buford Peters, L.C. Tester, Sonja Culler, Robert Carroll and Ross Garland all voting in favor. Committee member John Lewis was absent from the meeting.
The next and final section will stretch from Holly Lane to Hatcher Lane near Snap-On Tools.