News

What should Mills River greenway be called?

By Bill Moss, Published: July 16, 2018

MILLS RIVER — The Town of Mills River is soliciting ideas for a name for the future N.C. 280 multi-use path that will connect the French Broad River to the heart of Mills River.

In March, the Mills River Town Council voted unanimously to move forward with the northernmost section of the path. The town applied for a grant from the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization to fund 80 percent of the engineering phase. They were awarded the grant in late May. The total estimated cost of this phase is $300,000.

Conserving Carolina, the Hendersonville-based land conservancy, is leading a fundraising effort to raise the required 20 percent local match for the project. These events and fundraising opportunities will begin in July. Contact Linda Giltz at lindagiltz@gmail.com, if you would like to host an event or make a donation.

The town expects the engineering work on the project to start in mid-2019 and construction to start by mid-2021. The Town hopes to have a proper name for the path by the end of summer.

“We really want to give this path an identity, and we think a survey is the best way to do that," Town Manager Jeff Wells said. "We’d like to reach out to our citizens and give them the opportunity to give their input for a name for this path.”

Names can be submitted online or in hard copy. The online survey can be found at millsriver.org/280survey. Paper copies can be obtained and dropped off at the Mills River Town Hall, 124 Town Center Drive, Mills River, NC 28759. Please submit ideas on the path’s name by Aug. 3.