The Raleigh and Wake County meal and hotel tax, called hospitality or visitors’ tax, funded 12 projects in 9 cities totaling $23.5M. They are a mix of sports, culture and arts projects,including a new skate park and pump track in Wake Forest, improvements to fields and facilities like NC Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, and competed against each other for funding.
Here’s a list of approved projects: Triangle Aquatic Center, Cary, Hospitality Suite Renovations, $59,000; Morrisville, Church Street Park Cricket Field Improvements, $2M; Rolesville, The Farm Athletic Complex Fields Construction, $3,800,000; NCFC Youth, Administrative and Event HQ at WRAL Soccer Park, Raleigh, $2M; Wake Forest, Skate Park and Pump Track Construction, $3,891,000; Wake Forest, JB Flaherty Park Improvements, $750,000; Friends of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Welcome Hall Improvements. $954,000; Holly Springs, North Main Athletic Complex (formerly Ting Park) Improvements (Joint Portion): $546,000 —this project funding is split between Joint and County-only funds. Total committed funds are $1,789,000. Carolina Ballet, Starline at South Hills Conversion, $1,500,000. County-only funded projects were Zebulon, Community Park Fields Phase I Construction, $2,159,000; Fuquay-Varina, Fleming Loop Park Turf Conversion, $4,250,000; Apex, Performance and Event Stage Construction, $348,000; Holly Springs, North Main Athletic Complex (formerly Ting Park) Improvements (County Portion), $1,243,000.
Together, the projects represent investments that are expected to generate “significant tourism activity and economic impact” throughout Wake County.