Monday's Internet Edition, October 06, 2008.
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An open forum for residents to view the park plans and give input was held on June 21, but only four people attended. For Mayor Pro Tem Mike Horn, that figure is disheartening.
“I think any project that has this kind of potential community impact really requires citizens to become interested,” he said. “These types of investments are town legacies, and the more that we engage our residents in the upfront planning, the better the facilities will service the community far into the future.
“The park isn’t a ‘backyard’ issue like sign ordinances or rezonings. Those have very well-defined interest groups, people who are directly effected. This park is a town issue. It may not have the same personal impact, but it is more important in the greater vision of the town.”
Mary Alice Warren donated the 16 acre tract, located on Lewisville-Clemmons Road near Lawrence Ridge Drive, to the town in June 2005. The town last month contracted the firm of Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern Inc. to design the park.
The current plans show walking and biking trails, a disc golf course, a dog run area, a children’s play area, an elevated summit area with picnic tables, a large pavilion and a smaller, more private pavilion.
Input from a citizens’ phone survey conducted by the Parks and Rec Board was incorporated into the park’s design. Approximately 480 citizens responded to that survey, but town officials would like to hear more public opinions.
The town plans to apply for a PARTF (North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund) grant to help fund the park. The final funding decision will be made by the 11-member Parks and Recreation Authority. This board uses the PARTF Scoring System in evaluating grant applicants. Applicants must answer a series of statements about their projects, and they earn points based on their responses.
The greater the public involvement in the planning process, the greater the number of points the project receives.
“PARTF looks favorably on heavy public participation- the more, the better,” Councilman Dr. Ken Sadler stated during council’s July 6 briefing. Dr. Sadler is a member of the Parks and Recreation Authority.
The park plans will be on display at the July 13 council meeting, and public comments are welcome. A second open forum with the professional planners will be held on Wednesday, July 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the fire station. The Parks and Rec Board will also discuss the plans at their regular meetings on July 31, August 14 and August 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.
All citizens are encouraged to attend these meetings.
Horn has also suggested that town staff place copies of the plan and comment boxes in churches, recreation centers and neighborhoods.
“If traditionally we have used television and newspapers as ways to reach out and let residents know their input is important and are still having minimal involvement, then we need to reach out and try different ways [of communicating],” Horn said.
The final draft of the park plan is scheduled to be presented to the council on September 14.
Anyone with questions about or suggestions for Jack Warren Park may contact Town Hall at 945-5558 or email townhall@lewisvillenc.net.