The Town of Tryon and the Harmon Field Board of Supervisors were notified this week that the Unrestricted Fund of the Polk County Community Foundation has awarded three grants for Harmon Field.

&ull; A grant of $8,000 was awarded to help renovate the Harmon Field tennis courts with flex court surfacing.

&ull; A grant of $3,500 was awarded to provide trees along the paved walking trail.

&ull; A grant of $1,700 was awarded to help construct a family activities area with a volleyball/badminton court, a tetherball court, and equipment for playing croquet and horseshoes.

Interim town manager Robert Shepherd said, &dquo;These local grants will provide matching funds for projects included in the 2008 Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) grant application which was submitted in January.&dquo;

Shepherd reported that, although Tryon&squo;s 2008 PARTF grant application was not selected for funding in May, the town hopes it will be approved in July at a second meeting of the PARTF trustees. The PARTF grant would provide a one-to-one funding match for all local grants and contributions for projects included in the PARTF application.

Harmon Field board chairman Benny Smith said, &dquo;We are pleased that the Polk County Community Foundation has decided to assist in these park improvements. We are very proud of Harmon Field and the facilities it provides. These facilities are in constant use by citizens, non-profit organizations, youth and adult sports programs and other local groups for fitness, sports, family reunions, picnics, the Annual Blue Ridge BBQ Festival, Tour de Leaves Bicycle Ride, PAC Walk, Crop Walk, Relay for Life and many other events.&dquo; Smith added, &dquo;The foundation&squo;s assistance will help us improve our facilities and better serve our citizens.&dquo;

Harmon Field Park & Recreation Supervisor George Alley said he is &dquo;excited about the grants and the projects and appreciative of the wonderful generosity of the foundation and the great service to the community their grants provide.&dquo;

Friends of Harmon Field President Lorna Dever said &dquo;the friends really appreciate the generous assistance of the foundation&squo;s Unrestricted Fund and look forward to assisting the Harmon Field Board of Supervisors and Park & Recreation Supervisor George Alley in raising the remainder of the funding for these and other projects and helping to make these improvements a success.&dquo;

The Thermal Belt Community Tennis Association has pledged $2,000 toward the Harmon Field tennis courts flex court renovation project should the PARTF grant be awarded. One of the directors, Wally Killough, stated, &dquo;The Community Tennis Association thanks the Polk County Community Foundation&squo;s Unrestricted Fund for their generous grant.&dquo;

Mr. Killough also stated, &dquo;The remaining $20,000 of local matching funds must be raised for the project to match the $30,000 requested from PARTF. The flex court renovation will cost a total of $60,000 to complete and will have a 15-year warranty. Private donations for the project are welcome and appreciated.&dquo;

Tax-deductible gifts may be made out to the Town of Tryon/Harmon Field with the notation on the check face that the donation is for tennis court renovations. Donations should be sent to Town of Tryon/Harmon Field, 301 N. Trade St., Tryon, N.C. 28782.

‐ article submitted