Hiwassee Dam – A planned community park for western Cherokee County is struggling to acquire the necessary grant funding and may be downsized if the necessary funds aren’t secured.
Grant writer Silas Shields warned county commissioners at the board’s June 24 meeting that one grant he sought came with a big string attached – it requires $600,000 in local funds.
“Coming up with $600,000 is a big ask,” Commissioner Dan Eichenbaum said. He suggested that the project be downsized to match available grants, then expand in the future as more funding becomes available.
“We don’t have $600,000 for any project,” Commissioner Cal Stiles said.
Commissioner Jan Griggs has been the biggest booster for the community park project, which is in her district. She pointed out that nearby residents do not have any recreational facilities.
“I don’t want to see it put on a shelf,” she said. “… It cannot be abandoned.”
The board of commissioners approved the first phase of the project in April 2023. The full cost is estimated at $4.2 million on buildout.
The park would be located off of N.C. 294 on a county-owned, 38.4-acre parcel neighboring Hiwassee Dam School and the Hiwassee Dam Community Center, surrounding the Hiwassee Dam Volunteer Fire Department.
Phase 1 includes a paved parking lot and improved access road, almost 1,900 feet of 10-foot-wide asphalt sidewalk, a concrete sidewalk, 3,490 feet of 8-foot-wide natural surface trail, a bridge crossing, picnic shelter, playground and outdoor furnishings. Earthwork is expected to cost $350,000, with the full Phase 1 cost put at $2.1 million.
Phase 2 is off in the future and has not been funded, but includes a paved roundabout, softball field, walking trail and fitness stations, basketball court renovations, renovation and conversion of tennis courts to pickleball courts, an observation deck and educational signage, as well as stormwater and erosion control measures.
Phase 2 would cost an estimated $1.15 million.
The site was filled and graded during a previous highway project and contains a baseball field, dugouts and batting cage, but there is room for expansion. At around 38 acres, it would be classified as a medium-size community park by National Recreation & Park Association standards.
Amenities proposed to promote health and wellness include a softball field to meet the increasing demands of the community and nearly 2 miles of a trail network that includes paved walkways, wide natural surface paths and a nature trail. Fitness stations along portions of the paved walkways will provide another way that visitors can meet their needs.
It is also proposed that the existing basketball court be renovated, and the existing tennis courts be renovated and repurposed to provide pickleball courts.