There has been lots of debate on active recreation facilities in North Raleigh, particularly surrounding the awesome natural Horseshoe Farm Park on the Neuse River. As recounted on MT.Net, even though a City Council-appointed committee worked for many many months to craft a plan for Horseshoe Farm, and even though that committee recommended to keep a gymnasium off the property, the city Park’s committee ignored the master plan committee’s recommendation and stuck in a gym anyway. This is in spite of a large, impressively organized group of concerned citizens opposed to spoiling the natural beauty of the park.
Now arguments are being made for putting said gym in Durant Nature Park, which is a park right next to my neighborhood. Durant Park would be more accomodating than Horseshoe Farm, yet it would be a shame if its two lakes and wooded trails were paved over for parking lots and basketball facilities.
My question is this: there are plenty of citizens opposed to active recreation. Where are the citizens in favor of it? Why does the Horseshoe Farm Master Plan Committee get thrown a gym they didn’t want or request? Who is driving this supposed need?
I don’t know of any citizens who are driving this need. It seems to be driven from the top down, starting perhaps with Jessie Taliaferro and going through the city’s parks and rec committee. Parks don’t have to have big buildings in them to be parks.
With Horseshoe Farm, Durant Nature Park, and the newly-announced park near Falls Lake, does North Raleigh have a lot of natural parks? Absolutely. Is there anything wrong with it? No. Is anyone complaining that these parks are “too natural?” Not to my knowledge, and that’s the rub. Outside of some city leaders, I haven’t heard anyone who is opposed to keeping these parks natural.
There is no need to plow under our wonderful, natural parks – these wildlife sanctuaries – to build pavement and palaces. A huge tract of park land is due to open up when (if?) the North Raleigh landfill finally closes. If anything deserves to be paved over and developed, its the landfill. I would trade a smelly landfill for a park any day. With this supposedly on the way, why the rush to do something else?
The people have made their preference known. It’s time to respect it. Quit trying to give us something we don’t want and don’t need.
Just this past weekend, I attended my cousin’s wedding reception at Campbell Hall in Durant Nature Park. What a pretty place.
Do you know anything about Raleigh Neighborhood College? I am a graduate from a couple years back and my wife is currently a student. If these kind of issues are important to you, I strongly recommend RNC. It is the city’s attempt to reach out to citizens and actively engage them in the city processes.