By Rebecca Rider

rebecca.rider@salisburypost.com

SPENCER — The town has applied for a parks and recreation grant to purchase about 32 acres behind Eighth Street Park.

Town Manager Reid Walters said Tuesday that the application was submitted to the state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund on May 1.

Walters said the parcel’s owners have agreed to sell the property.

An anonymous donor has also agreed to pay a $100,000 match required to receive the PARTF Grant.

The purchase would follow the town’s master plan for parks and recreation, which was approved in 2014. Much of that plan revolves around the small Eighth Street Park.

“It’s a nice small park, but it doesn’t meet what standards say for a small community park,” Walters said.

The park’s current acreage falls a little short, Walters said. A community park should be 30 to 50 acres. Acquiring the land would help Eighth Street Park “move into a traditional community park.”

The grant request is set to go before the PARTF Grant Commission in October.

“So we’ll see what happens when the commission meets this fall,” Walters said.

The Board of Aldermen authorized Walters to apply for the grant at its April 11 meeting.

In other business:

• The board announced that the grand opening for Stanback Forest is June 10.
• The town Historic Preservation Committee approved painting the old Stoudemire building. Town officials said three businesses plan to move into the space.
• Aldermen were informed that about 1,400 water meters will be replaced in late May or early June. The replacements will be “smart meters” that take one meter reading an hour.
• The board voted to provide $1,000 to the Community Appearance Committee add and maintain vegetation and flower beds in town. The money will be appropriated out of the general fund, and the success of the beds will be evaluated in one year.
• Aldermen discussed the possibility of the town contributing to upfit the Spencer side of the Wilcox Bridge. The bridge is owned by Davidson County, which has asked if Spencer would be willing to install a shelter, some bike racks or vegetation to keep up the appearance of the area.

Contact reporter Rebecca Rider at 704-797-4264.