The Town of Spencer has been awarded a $460,000 Great Trails State Program grant from the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for the Rocky Branch Loop Trail within Stanback Educational Forest. The grant agreement, covering June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2029, funds site improvements such as bridges, signage, benches, stormwater features, grading and erosion control, trail construction, and selective vegetation removal, with a total project budget of $690,000 including $230,000 in private match. The Board is being asked on June 9, 2026 to authorize the Mayor to execute the state grant agreement, which will enable quarterly drawdowns as work proceeds. This is a multi‑year trail capital project that will require design, construction, materials, and potentially ongoing maintenance and programming support, making it relevant for engineering, trail-building, outdoor equipment, signage, landscaping, and recreation programming vendors to engage as the Town moves from grant execution into implementation and procurement phases.

Project elements include grading, stormwater, bridges, signage, benches, erosion control, demo and g...