Commissioners give $5K to join the national historic trail 

COLUMBUS—Polk County has agreed to contribute $5,000 to join with the National Parks Service to complete a section of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail through Polk County.  

The Polk County Board of Commissioners met this week and approved a memorandum of understanding to join creating the national trail. Rutherford County, the Town of Rutherfordton and Spartanburg County have also committed funds to trail.  

The county took the $5,000 out of its contingency fund, which leaves $47,283 in contingency for the remainder of the fiscal year.  

Representatives from the National Parks Service attended a commissioner meeting in December to detail the project. The proposed trail section will run from Rutherfordton to Chesnee, S.C. and include Polk County’s Alexander Ford at the Bradley Nature Preserve.  

The estimated cost of the master plan for the trail is $100,000, with the National Parks Service paying 60 percent.  

The National Parks Service said the trail will take a partnership with local governments as well as private landowners.  

The money for the master plan will be given to a nonprofit, the Overmountain Victory Trail Association, with the plan ready in a year, once funded.  

The National Parks Service said last year each community will be given a shovel ready project, and the communities can decide whether or not they want to invest or not.  

The trail will only go through landowners’ property who agree to participate, according to the National Parks Service. One of the landowners is the Tryon International Equestrian Center, who has been contacted regarding the trail.