03/28/2024
Spread the love

By Charlotte Smith

The construction of the new White Lake multi-use path was completed on Thursday this week. Local residents were seen Friday using the path for their exercises and leisurely walks. 

Project Manager Eddie Madden was very pleased with the completion. He said, “All we have left to do now is to plant grass seed and clean up.” 

The path has a foot bridge and a parking area for the path near the Waterford entrance. The path is designed with a strip of grass between the roadways and those utilizing the path for safety.

“The main thing is having a safe place for people and families to get out and walk, ride their bicycle or run,” said Mayor Womble told BladenOnline staff in a previous interview.  

S & C Construction LLC of Wilmington is the contractor for the project. The project was scheduled to be completed by May 15th, 2019, therefore, the contractor is ahead of schedule.

Madden stated, “We want the path to extend to at least the White Lake Marina. Our goal is to have the path go all the way to the Scotchman, but it may take up to two additional segments.”

The multi-use path and the sidewalks will connect around the entire lake once the town has reached the goal.  

The project is funded with $250,000 grant from USDA and a $350,000 grant from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the remainder of the funds coming from a local match from the town of White Lake.  

The multi-use path was constructed between the Waterford subdivision on NC 53  and the Turtle Cove subdivision on US 701 because a local landowner, Tom Keith, donated a 25 year easement giving the town the necessary right-of-way to construct the path, according to Madden.

Madden is also the Town of Elizabethtown Manager. When asked how he was tasked with being the multi-use path Project Manager in another town he explained. 

Elizabethtown has received multiple grants under Madden’s management and he has experience with recreational grant writing. With his experience the White Lake Town Council saw the value in having Madden lead the multi-use path project. 

“The town [Elizabethtown] council saw the importance of the two towns working together and authorized the work,” Madden added.

The construction for the multi-use path has been several years in the making with planning, engineering and finding funding for the project. Madden also said the town would be applying for more grants to add to the path next year in May of 2020. 

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