Wilson’s Mills greenway could grow much longer

SMITHFIELD — A planned greenway near Wilson’s Mills High School could double in length.

Already, the county has landed federal dollars to build a two-mile greenway that will stretch roughly from the water plant at Wilson’s Mills to the high school, which is under construction.

“The design work will begin within the next six months and should not be very technical,” Adrian O’Neal, head of the county’s Parks and Open Space Program, said in an email. “Unless we run into major issues, I hope we can open this section around the same time that the high school comes online.”

At their Aug. 19 meeting, County Commissioners agreed to see grant dollars to buy land to make the greenway longer.

“This will roughly expand that greenway about 2 miles,” said Austin Cross, also of the Parks and Open Space Program.

The $225,000 grant will require an equal match from the county, for a total of $450,000.

Construction won’t come cheap, O’Neal said. “Currently, the estimated cost of greenway per mile is $2-$2.5 million,” he said.

Still, the county is optimistic, O’Neal said. “We are hoping to piggyback on this to work on additional sections towards Selma and Smithfield,” he said.

Also on Aug. 19, commissioners agreed to seek a $75,000 grant that would require a $25,00 county match.

“For this grant,” Cross said, “we would like to purchase trail construction and maintenance equipment,” specifically an excavator and a trailer to haul it around on.

Cross added that he and O’Neal envisioned making the excavator and trailer available to towns and rec groups working on their own projects.

As the county continues to cobble together pieces of trail, Commissioners Chairman Butch Lawter said he’d like to take a big-picture look at where Johnston stands. “I know we’re starting to get segments here and there,” he said. “Could we have, at some point in the not-so-distant future, a presentation on what we have, what we may have with the grants we have applied for, and where the gaps are?”

“I think we’re starting to accumulate stuff to connect dots and be from Clayton to Smithfield and in other directions too, so it’d be nice to see that,” Lawter added.

The post Wilson’s Mills greenway could grow much longer first appeared on Restoration NewsMedia .