Ground Breaking held for PARTF Grant Funding – Soccer Field, Skate Park and Other Leinwand Park Improvements
 
The official ground breaking ceremony for the phase 1 improvements to the soccer field behind the Elizabethtown Municipal Building was held today.  At 3pm today local leaders and members of the community gathered to witness and take part in the ceremony.   Construction has already begun over the last few weeks but today marked the official ground breaking of the project.
 
Mayor Sylvia Campbell welcomed everyone in attendance as well as thanked Eddie Madden, his staff, and the local community, and local community leaders for their role in securing the PARTF Grant Funding.  Mayor Tem, Rufus Llyod addressed the individuals in attendance and provided the invocation. 
 
A representative from the North Carolina Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, Jenn Beedle spoke about the process of the the improvements and the grant.  Beedle talked about the grant process and working with Madden and his staff.  The grant process was time consuming and required a lot of hard work and gathering of materials.  When all was said and done, Elizabethtown was able to receive the

Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) Grant Funding. Click HERE for more information on PARTF Grants.   Beedle commented that the state of North Carolina is one of the tops states in the country at granting this type of funding.  North Carolina has provided over $175,000,000.00 of funding to municipalities such as Elizabethtown over the years.
 
Mark Gillespie, Chairman of the Elizabethtown Recreation Community spoke briefly but acknowledged that this was a big deal for Elizabethtown and the community.  The phase 1 (soccer field & skate park) and phase 2 (water feature & playground at Lienwand Park) improvements will give children in the community safe places to play and will offer them more to do.
 
Following all comments the ground breaking ceremony took place and light refreshments were provided for those in attendance.  Roughly 20-25 individuals were on hand to witness and participate in the ground breaking ceremony.
 
Through the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (PARTF Trust Fund) the Town of Elizabethtown has been awarded funding for improvements and expansion of Leinwand Park. The project costs include $215,000 from grant funding that will be matched with $215,000 of local government funds.
 
The time frame for completion of the project is expected to be 36 months. 
 
The first phase of the project will see improvements made to the soccer field as well as the addition of a skate park. The improvements of the soccer field and adding the skate park with be on the property behind the Municipal Building. The second phase of the project will include developing horseshoe courts, shuffleboard courts, a water feature as well as upgrades to the current playground at Leinwand Park.