The City of Graham received a Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant totaling $307,725 to support the expansion of Bill Cooke Park. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein announced that more than $8.7 million in PARTF grants were awarded to 22 North Carolina parks and recreation projects.
Bill Cooke Park has a variety of amenities already, including three baseball fields, six tennis courts and one basketball court. The park also has one nature trail. Recreation and Parks Director for the City of Graham Brian Faucette said they plan to use the grant money to expand the nature trail.
“We’ll take a larger look at what the property could hold, and again, a deeper look at what the community may want,” Faucette said. “But hiking trails are going to be the immediate thing.”
The nature trail expansion should be finished this winter, according to Faucette.
The grant will also reimburse the city for its December 2024 purchase of the Teer property, according to a Graham city council meeting agenda from Nov. 12, 2024. The purchase cost $595,000 for three houses adjacent to Bill Cooke Park totaling 12.056 acres.
According to the agenda, the purchase of the Teer property was made before the city was awarded the PARTF grant. The City of Graham was hoping to receive $307,500 but was awarded more than expected.
Faucette said he is happy the city received this grant, especially after the long application process. He said it is important to offer Graham residents what they want to see in their community park.
“Alamance County and Graham in general has experienced a lot of residential growth over the past few years,” Faucette said. “To be able to preserve the 12 acres that is directly adjacent to one of our oldest parks and most active parks is very important for us.”
Tel Fehlhafer, parks and athletics facilities supervisor for the City of Graham Recreation and Parks, said receiving this grant opens up a wide variety of opportunities for Bill Cooke Park. Fehlhafer said recently there has been a higher demand for softball tournaments at the park.
“I would love to see us, somehow or another, potentially put a fourth baseball, softball field over here at Bill Cook Park,” Fehlhafer said. “This would allow us to have a better tournament flow.”
Fehlhafer said that with this expansion, the three houses on the property will be taken down. Fehlhafer said the City of Graham Fire Department plans to set these houses on fire for training purposes.