Wake Forest’s long-discussed skate park just moved a big step closer to reality, thanks to a fresh shot of county cash. Wake County commissioners voted yesterday to approve $23.5 million in hospitality-tax grants for sports, arts and cultural projects across the county, and a proposed skate park in the Town of Wake Forest made the cut. After years of talk and planning, residents who have been tracking the project say this round of funding could finally push the park from concept to construction.
County Awards And What Got Funded
According to Wake County Government, the board signed off on $23.5 million to support 12 sports, arts and cultural projects across nine municipalities. The county’s post highlights a new skate park in Wake Forest, a performance stage in Apex and soccer-field upgrades in Zebulon among the winners.
The money comes from a competitive hospitality-tax program launched last year that required applicants to bring matching funds and accept payments on a reimbursement basis, as reported by ABC11. In other words, projects have to prove they can pay their share up front before they get county dollars back.
Wake Forest’s Plan And Local Momentum
Wake Forest officials have already laid significant groundwork for the park. The town purchased roughly 8.3 acres next to E. Carroll Joyner Park and landed a PARTF grant to help cover construction costs, steps that were highlighted in the town’s State of the Town address. Town leaders also hosted public workshops and brought on New Line Skatepark Inc. to handle design and build work, according to coverage of its public skate park workshops. With those pieces in place, county funding is expected to layer on top of local dollars and grants to close the remaining gap.
What Comes Next: Money, Permits And Timing
The hospitality-tax rules are pretty strict about matching commitments and reimbursements. That means Wake Forest still has to finalize its own budget, nail down project agreements and meet program terms before any construction money flows. The request for proposals set the total competitive pool at $23.5 million and told applicants they needed to secure at least half of their total project costs from other sources, according to application materials on GovTribe…