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Cramerton endorses RAISE grant application and approves trail design contract
Summary
The Town of Cramerton Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution supporting a RAISE grant application for a Cramerton–McAdenville greenway and authorized an exempted contract with Nature Trails, LLC to design the Cramer Mountain Road Trail, enabling further grant and MPO support steps.
On Feb. 17, 2022, the Town of Cramerton Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to endorse an application for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s RAISE discretionary grant to fund a greenway connection between Cramerton and McAdenville and to approve contracting steps for the Cramer Mountain Road Trail design.
Planning and Zoning Director Josh Watkins told the board staff and partners including the Carolina Thread Trail and the Town of McAdenville have worked for years on a greenway along the South Fork River and now seek consultant help to prepare a RAISE application. Watkins said the town must secure a resolution of support so the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) can issue a required letter of support; the RAISE application deadline was noted as April 14. Commissioner Helms moved to approve language for the RAISE grant letter of support; Mayor Pro Tempore Neeley seconded the motion, and the board voted 4–0 in favor.
On a related trails item, the board approved Resolution #2022-04, exempting Nature Trails, LLC from G.S. 143-64.21 (the Mini-Brooks Act) for surveying services tied to the Cramer Mountain Road Trail design. The board then authorized procurement of a professional design/engineering services contract with Nature Trails, LLC and empowered the town attorney and town manager to finalize and execute the necessary documents. Mayor Pro Tempore Neeley moved both actions; the resolution and the contract authorization passed 4–0.
Why it matters: RAISE grants, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, are competitive discretionary federal awards that can finance planning and construction of multi-modal projects. Endorsement by the town and an MPO letter are required steps before application submission. The design contract and the Mini-Brooks exemption allow the town to proceed quickly on engineering work that will be part of any future grant application.
What’s next: Staff will meet with a consultant and is working to include McAdenville as a partner. If the town proceeds with an application, the MPO will issue its letter of support before the April 14 deadline; design work under the Nature Trails, LLC contract will proceed as authorized.
