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At a Glance: Sale of Chimney Rock Park
Source: wral.com, by The Associated Press
Facts and figures on the state's purchase of privately owned Chimney Rock Park, announced Monday by Gov. Mike Easley.January 29, 2007 THE PRICE TAG: - The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation will spend $24 million to buy the park owned by the Morse family. - $15 million from a state budget appropriation. - $1.51 million from state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. - $1.8 million from state Natural Heritage Trust Fund. - $1.54 million from state Clean Water Management Trust Fund. - $2.35 million from anonymous private donor. - $1.8 million (anticipated) from state Natural Heritage Trust Fund. THE FUTURE PARK: - The state had acquired 2,264 acres of land for Hickory Nut Gorge State Park by the end of 2006. - The purchase of Chimney Rock Park, due to close in May 2007, will add 996 acres to the planned park. CHIMNEY ROCK PARK: - Location: 25 miles southeast of Asheville in Rutherford County. - Visitors: Averages 250,000 annually. - Employees: 28 full-time, about 20 seasonal. - Star attraction: Chimney Rock, a 315-foot-tall formation, 2,280 feet above sea level, accessed via 198-foot tunnel in the mountain and an elevator that climbs 26 stories. - Also worth seeing: 404-foot Hickory Nut Falls, a network of hiking trails and a nature center. - Backdrop: Filming location for "A Breed Apart" (1984), "Firestarter" (1984), and "The Last of the Mohicans (1992). Read the complete article from wral.com » |