By HEATHER RUPPE
The City of Walterboro has received a grant to help upgrade the Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary with the goal of bringing more visitors to the city.
The grant is called The Undiscovered South Carolina Grant Program. It was awarded to the City of Walterboro by the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism (SCPRT) as a way to boost tourism to the city’s wildlife sanctuary.
The City of Walterboro received the $200,000 grant to go toward a large project that is projected to cost the city approximately $1.7 million.
According to information released by the SCPRT, Walterboro leaders plan to rebuild and rehabilitate paths and boardwalks that are incorporated into the sanctuary: the sanctuary itself consists of more than 800-acres and it sits near the heart of the city. Visitors and residents can enjoy the natural area by walking or biking on boardwalks and walking trails that are integrated into the sanctuary. There are also educational markers throughout the sanctuary to identify native plants and trees.
“The City of Walterboro is very appreciative of the generous grant award from the Undiscovered SC grant program,” said William T. Young, Jr., Mayor of the City of Walterboro. “The improvements to the boardwalks in the Wildlife Sanctuary are a top priority for the city and will attract thousands of visitors to Walterboro each year.”
Walterboro is one of four municipalities in the state to receive this award. Other grant recipients include the Town of Bluffton, the Town of Kingstree, and the City of Florence.
“Tourism has a $24 billion economic impact in South Carolina,” said SCPRT Director Duane Parrish. “Local economies benefit enormously from successful tourism attractions, but developing, implementing, and maintaining those tourism products is often a long-term, complex, and expensive process. The Undiscovered South Carolina grant program helps communities put their big ideas and hidden gems on the map, bringing tourism dollars to new – and more – places around the state.”
The Town of Bluffton was awarded a $25,895 SCPRT grant for its Garvin-Garvey House Exhibits.
The Town of Kingstree was awarded $200,000 in SCPRT grant funds to help with enhancing access to the Black River, and the City of Florence was awarded a $119,105 SCPRT grant to help construct a new soccer complex for its athletics and sports tourism industry.
According to information provided by the SCPRT, each of the four recipients were selected based on the program’s four evaluation criteria: Leveraging and Collaboration; Feasibility; Capacity; and Strategic Impact.
