Agenda - 04-10-2006 - 7a - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 " was briefly addressed at the joint meeting of the Town and County Boards of Commissioners on February 23rd. In general, the master plan identified by the committee focuses facilities into three "pods" of activities. This "pod" approach was necessitated by the existence of large portions of the site that were unsuitable for park use due to former landfilling activities (the committee did make recommendations on what to do with these areas in the interim, as noted below). For the "eastern pod" or the Public Works portion of the site, footprints for expected future buildings consistent with County and Town plans were incorporated. The most usable portion of the site, for a variety of reasons, was the southernmost area or"southern pod". This area also contains a stand of mature hardwoods, the most significant on the site, and the master plan strives to protect a sizable portion of these hardwoods while accommodating facilities (some of which would be "tucked" into the woods). The committee recommendations for the master plan included the following: Most of the park facilities would be in the "southern pod" of the site: • Two lighted basketball courts, • A full-size youth baseball/softball field, • A playground • Picnic shelter with concessions bay and possibly restrooms • Tennis courts, and • Parking areas (larger area at terminus of entry road, smaller community lot along Torain Street) For safety and pedestrian access, walking trails of approximately %2 mile would be designed to connect the pods of activity, in particular the southern pod of park activity above with the "western pod" which includes: ❑ The existing community policing station, • Parking area, • A new playground (to replace the old structure), • A trail connection to the southern pod, and • A possible future Town community center (footprint only) The "eastern pod" includes the ❑ Existing Public Works, ❑ the proposed land swap for the Town Public Works and ❑ Two outlines of possible future County buildings. The main vehicular entry to the park would be via an extension of the Public Works Drive through this part of the campus. This provides access to the signalized intersection at NC 86 and NC 57. In addition, pedestrian access from the Fairview community was a point of great emphasis, and there are several points where the park can be accessed by pedestrians from Rainey Avenue, Torain Street and across from Homemont Avenue. In addition to these recommended facilities (some of which would be deferred to a future phase, due to funding constraints), the committee made the following additional findings: ❑ The former landfill areas on the northern part of the site should be maintained in grass and available for,informal use such as bird-watching, dog-walking and an open meadow.