Residents to give input on future of Wake County’s parks, open spaces :: WRAL.com
Among the tents and rides at HollyFest in Holly Springs was an opportunity for residents to give their input that could dictate the future of Wake County’s parks for the next decade.
County staff are creating a new recreation and park master plan. It’s a road map that will guide park decisions regarding Wake County’s 138,000 acres of open space and the expansion of new areas for the next 10 years.
“We’re really wanting the public to share the priority of those goals because that helps to identify what we’re going to work on in the future and put our effort into,” said Sam Trogdon, the assistant director of Wake County Parks, Recreation and Open Space.
To get that input, officials are holding a series of in-person events where residents can rank their priorities of goals listed in the draft plan.
They include expanding recreation access, protecting natural & cultural resources, protecting people & places, promoting health and investing in the future.
“Everybody likes to exercise. So, having lots of trails, I think that’s really important,” said a park goer.
“It’s definitely important to block off spaces for parks,” said another.
The plan has not been updated in almost 20 years and follows what county officials call “a rapid increase in growth and land use changes.”
“Recreation trends change too,” said Trogdon. “If you think about 10-15 years ago, what people wanted to see and what they wanted to participate in our parks is important—for example, just preserving space.
“Preserving parks was top of mind for some respondents amid the recent closure of mountain biking trails for planned development at Lake Crabtree Park, one of Wake County’s most popular spaces.
“That is disappointing, I think, because that gets rid of a lot of the biking and hiking trails that were around there,” said park goer Justin Walker.
County leaders have greenlit a lease to expand biking trails at Umstead State Park.
The new plan could be a driver of future decisions as leaders weigh what the next decade holds for the county’s open spaces and the millions who visit them each year.
This fall, staff will be at Fall Fun Fest in Rolesville, STEM School BreakOUT in Cary, Wendell Market, BBQ, Blues and Brews in Fuquay-Varina and Western Wake Farmer’s Market in Morrisville.
The county is accepting online input on the next phase of the parks master plan through November 23.
County parks officials and the Board of Commissioners will review the plan once it is finalized. Adoption is set for spring next year.
