Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
�a <br /> Access for non-pedestrians would come via three possibilities. The primary <br /> entrance for persons coming to the park from outside of Fairview would be via an <br /> extension of the existing Public Works Drive. This road would be continued west <br /> and then curve northwest into the main parking area of the park (adjacent to the <br /> ballfield and large "southern pod"). This will discourage park traffic from outside <br /> of the neighborhood from putting more vehicles on community streets to reach <br /> the park. For persons driving from within Fairview, there are two parking <br /> opportunities — the existing lot off Rainey Avenue at the "western pod," and a <br /> new small lot along Torain Street near the ballfield and "southern pod." <br /> The committee remains interested in the future possibilities for the northern <br /> (former landfilled) portion of the site, but understands that addressing the actions <br /> needed to make this area usable might siphon away some or all of the funds to <br /> build the park. The focus of the master plan is thus to create a design that <br /> provides for good pedestrian and vehicular access to the park, using the best <br /> areas for facilities and leaving the uncertain open areas for future consideration. <br /> It is proposed that the former landfill areas (shown as open lands on the master <br /> plan) be planted in grass for now, to provide an open meadow area, with <br /> birdboxes and areas for unstructured activities (such as dog-walking, bird- <br /> viewing and other non-facility use). <br /> In designing the park, the group developed a list of possible facilities and then <br /> selected preferred facilities based on community needs and interests, as well as <br /> cost estimates for the facilities. The cost estimates used in this effort, and the <br /> priority listing, are shown as Appendix 3. The budget for the park is $850,000, <br /> and the Committee attempted to design a park in this range. <br /> CONCLUSION <br /> Citizens in Fairview have looked forward to the creation of the community park at <br /> this site for many years. The Committee has attempted to design a park within <br /> the parameters of the group's charge. <br /> There were a number of limitations that affected the flexibility for park design, <br /> largely due to the former landfilled areas and the challenges of retaining the <br /> needed lands for future County/Town use and protecting the mature hardwood <br /> areas and a buffer along the southern boundary. Given these constraints, and <br /> the stream buffer, the areas that remained for potential park use were limited and <br /> led to the "pod" design approach - to attempt to make the most out of the areas <br /> of the site that were usable. The pod design also helps promote pedestrian <br /> access to different portions of the site, and directs traffic to the park away from <br /> the residential streets in Fairview. <br /> 8 <br />