Bandera Farms Park

...continued from p. 2

The single-story brick building would be located on 13.4 acres owned by the town at U.S. 220 and N.C. 150. The site is at the intersection of N.C. 150 and U.S. 220, on the same side of N.C. 150 as the existing town hall..

Perryman reiterated her view that spending for a new town hall is unnecessary because the current town hall and Summerfield Community Center provide satisfactory space for town staff and meetings.

DeVaney said she envisions the new town hall serving as a gathering place for community groups such as Scouts and senior citizens, in addition to providing new offices for town staff and a meeting place for the council and committees.

“We need places like this in Summerfield where we can gather,” she said. “This building is going to be it.’’

Summerfield seeks more funds for development of Bandera Farms Park

by CHRIS BURRITT

SUMMERFIELD – Summerfield Town Council plans to pursue more funding for the development of Bandera Farms Park after deciding to sign a contract for a $500,000 matching state grant.

The council voted unanimously during its meeting Nov. 9 for the town to enter into a contract with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to accept the $500,000 Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) grant, which it was awarded in late September.

Summerfield also received a $50,000 grant from the North Carolina Horse Council for development of the park, and it is seeking $100,000 from the state Recreational Trails Program. The Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC) is helping Summerfield seek additional funds, including a federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant.

If all of that funding comes through, the town will still need about $650,000 to develop the park, which is estimated to cost $1.79 million, according to Palmer McIntyre, the PLC’s conservation planner.

“We still have to keep our nose to the grindstone with grants,” Town Manager Scott Whitaker told the council. In a memo, he told the council the PARTF grant will reimburse Summerfield for its expenses over the three years of the contract.

Summerfield also plans to seek additional financial contributions from the town of Oak Ridge and Guilford County to develop the 115-acre horseback riding and hiking preserve on Bunch Road at Interstate 73.

PLC bought the rolling, wooded property for $575,000 in February 2020, using a state grant and contributions from Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Guilford County and the city of Greensboro. Summerfield paid $82,500 while Oak Ridge chipped in $41,250.

The county may be willing to contribute to the park’s development as part of its commitment to the Piedmont Greenway, McIntyre said. The proposed 19-mile trail from Greensboro to WinstonSalem is slated to run along the Reedy Fork floodplain of the Bandera Farms Park tract.

In an interview last month, Oak Ridge Mayor Ann Schneider said the town has said it will contribute to the maintenance of the park, but that it has received no detailed information about costs.

Councilman John O’Day said he expects to raise “a few dollars” from the equestrian community.

A memorandum of understanding will formalize the commitments of various municipalities to development and maintenance of the park, according to Whitaker. He added he expects for Summerfield to be more involved in operations than other municipalities.

“This is in our town limits,” he said. “We would expect to be the heavy.”

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