Overmountain Victory friends deliver $160,130 matching check for Canal Bridge pedestrian project

Representatives of the Overmountain Victory North Carolina State Trail presented Burke County commissioners a $160,130 check Tuesday as the approved matching funds for a Canal Bridge pedestrian walkway project along the Overmountain Victory State Trail.

Colonel Bridal Oliver, executive director of the Overmountain Victory North Carolina State Trail friends group, read a letter to the commissioners that accompanied the check and said the funds were approved by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. "Today's check of $160,130 represents the approved matching funds amount for Overmountain Victory North Carolina State Trail in partnership with Fonta Flora State Trail in Burke County," the letter stated.

Why it matters: The Overmountain Victory Trail crosses 11 counties and is part of larger state and national commemorations associated with the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War period. The friends group asked the county to coordinate the pedestrian improvement and identified the Canal Bridge segment as a priority for the state‑funded match.

Dr. Bridal Lindsey, board president of the local friends group, said the Overmountain Victory project has both regional and national implications and that state and legislative partners are engaged in related America250 planning. Commissioners accepted the donation and posed for a photograph with the presenters during the meeting.

Ending: The trail group asked county staff and commissioners to coordinate with state grant contacts as the Canal Bridge pedestrian walkway project moves forward; no county budget appropriation was requested at the presentation.