Town of Davidson’s Beaty Street Task Force Seeks Citizen Input (press release)

DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Town of Davidson’s Beaty Street Conceptual Plan Task Force, made up of 14 Davidson citizens, is currently working to develop an overall project timeline to make the park on the 19 acres of town-owned land along Beaty Street a reality. The citizen-led task force was appointed by the Davidson Board of Commissioners in late May and charged with soliciting input from Davidson citizens to identify park and recreation needs along with ancillary public amenities in keeping with the natural, park-like setting of the property.

Early in the year, the Davidson Board of Commissioners voted to preserve nearly 20 acres along Beaty Street for a park. The property is bordered on its west side by Beaty Street (across from the Ingersoll Rand area). On its east side, it is bordered by the railroad that runs behind homes along Main Street.

The property is home to hardwoods and is primarily made up of tree canopy.

A major part of the group’s efforts will be to solicit input from Davidson citizens on what they would like to see included in the park. To gain initial input, the task force is surveying citizens now through August 13 about how they would like to be informed and involved in the project along with the type of amenities they would like to see that are in keeping with the natural setting of the property. Please take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/parkatbeatysurvey1

Citizens can find the survey link and other information at www.townofdavidson.org/parkatbeaty.

As part of the planning process, the task force is evaluating both the natural constraints and opportunities presented by the property. Among the work under way:

-Assessment of the dam on the property in terms of safety, cost of repairs, and other factors pertinent to park planning. (The dam is overseen by the State; the Army Corps of Engineers regulates wetlands and jurisdictional streams.)

-Assessment of natural resources on the property. Mecklenburg County has just completed a summer plant inventory and will discuss findings at an upcoming task force meeting. Two other plant inventories are planned for the fall and the spring.

-Research of existing parks to gather ideas and share with the public.

-Evaluation of the legal elements of the Beaty Street park land, assessment of the suitability of lands adjacent to or near the park for possible expansion of park’s footprint, and evaluation of strategies for permanently conserving the park.

-Development of public input strategies. In addition to surveys, other public input opportunities are in the works. Among them: A hike series on the property (begins in August), an idea wall in the Town Hall Rotunda, a Pinterest page, a Back-to-School event, and public input forums. When public input dates and opportunities are finalized, the task force will share them through the Town of Davidson and other outlets.

Task force members: Ellyn Baeszler, Denise Beall, John Burke, Dave Cable, Leah Chester-Davis, Heidi Dietrich, Gary Fagan, Peter Grisewood, Janet Makee, Bill Maloney, Karen Manfredi, Jason Parker, Gabriel Schoen, and Alice Sudduth. Kathryn Spatz, Davidson Parks and Recreation Director, is the staff member working with the group. Chris Matthews, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, and Gary Fankhouser, ViZ Design, also are providing professional support to the group.

For more information, updates and survey links: www.townofdavidson.org/parkatbeaty.