Local News - February 2003

Long-awaited lakefront park closer to reality

By JACOB RUDOLPH, Staff Writer

February 12, 2003 - DENVER — An east Lincoln park and recreation area, five years in the planning, has moved one step closer to reality.

State grants have been applied for, and, if all goes well, construction on Beatty’s Ford Park will begin this summer, according to Erma Deen Hoyle, Lincoln County Recreation Department director.

“The paper work is finished, now it’s just a wait-and-see,” Hoyle said.

The recreation department has requested a $175,000 Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant from the state. The county has agreed to match whatever funds the state allocates for the park.

A draft plan envisions completion of the park within ten years, Hoyle said. However, that plan rests solely on public and private funding.

“How much we’re able to develop will depend upon the funding we have,” Hoyle said. “We’re hoping to get help (from local residents) with in-kind participation.”

The 24-acre park will be located at the end of Unity Church Road, incorporating the existing Beatty’s Ford Access Area. The county will lease the land from Duke Power.

If the project is funded, the first phase of development will include a nine-hole disc-golf course, walking trails, a playground, picnic shelters and restroom facilities.

The four existing boat ramps will be integrated into the park and maintained by North Carolina Wildlife Resources.

Design plans for subsequent phases call for horseshoe pits, sand volleyball courts, sunning beaches, a concessions area, a gazebo, fishing piers, outdoor classrooms and a pavilion-like seating area.

Due to boat traffic, swimming will not be allowed along the park’s shoreline.

The arrival of the park is welcomed in east Lincoln, an area devoid of any such facility. However, residents who live directly west of the proposed park have concerns.

Increased traffic, litter and the presence of a definitive park boundary are issues Trillium Trail resident Vickie Good said need to be addressed.

“We’re not opposed to the park,” Good said. “Our concern is protecting our property. I don’t want to have to go up and down the road everyday, and pick up beer cans and potato chip bags.”

An appropriate, and obvious buffer separating the park’s western boundary and Trillium Trail is needed, Good said, to discourage parking on the private road.

Good’s concerns were echoed by resident DeLane Rosenau.

“We want to make sure there’s a definite boundary between the park and our road,” Rosenau said. “I hope they find a way to respect our road.”

Presently, a fence exists along Trillium Trail, and the park’s preliminary master plan calls for a vegetative buffer between the road and the park.

As funding is secured, and the county moves closer to building the park, community meetings will be held to address public concerns, Hoyle said.

The master plan is currently on display at the East Lincoln Community Center on Optimist Club Road.

During these preliminary stages, Hoyle said, all public comments are encouraged.

“We’re trying get our tentative design out to the community and get ideas and feedback,” Hoyle said.

Community support is there, Rosenau said, because of east Lincoln’s need for a park. As it is, she explained, if you live in east Lincoln, you have to go to Mecklenburg County just to have a picnic.

“The east needs a place to fellowship,” Rosenau said. “There needs to be a place where kids can slide and throw a ball around, and families can go and have a picnic.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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