Friends of Ecusta Providing Key Funding to Complete Impact Study
Ecusta Trail President Mike Oliphant presented a check to Hendersonville Mayor Barbara Volk to complete the funding for the Economic Impact Study for the Ecusta Trail project. In a tight budget year, enough funds were not going to be available through the City to pay for both the impact study and a planning study. The Friends of the Ecusta Trail raised enough funds through donations to allow the City to complete both studies. Gifts ranged from $10 to $5000, including one individual's challenge grant. City Manager Beau Ferguson remarked on how this is the first time in his career in municipal government where he has seen such willingness of citizens to partner with local government to help fund such an initiative. Funds for the study came primarily from residents of Henderson and Transylvania counties, however, some gifts were received from as far away as California and Illinois. Both the planning study and economic impact study are underway and should be completed in early 2012.
Friends of the Ecusta Trail is organized as a nonprofit organization to bring together people to build the Ecusta Trail, an 18 mile rail-to-trail project connecting Hendersonville and Brevard, and to promote the development of a network of multi-use trails in Henderson and Transylvania Counties to connect these communities for recreation, active transportation and economic development. For more information on the Ecusta Trail project, please visit the EcustaTrail site and an April '11 News article.
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