Council Discusses Park Plan

The Southern Community Park is planned for a large section of woodland located in Southern Village, a mixed-use development located at the intersection of U.S. 15-501 and Dogwood Acre Drive.

The goal of the park is to preserve natural areas and provide local residents and schools with recreational facilities. Through the two sharing the facilities, the town can limit the amount of space given to the projects.

The Town Council heard a presentation from the Southern Community Park Conceptual Plan Committee, a 16-member group of town and county officials. After the presentation, the council questioned the committee on points of concern.

The council assigned the task of reviewing the proposal to several town departments, including the Planning Board, the Board of Transportation and the Parks and Recreation Department.

Issues such as safety, parking and neighborhood effects will be explored by the groups, which are expected to present their findings as early as March, pending possible discussion with the Carrboro Board of Aldermen and the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

Some of the facilities slated for construction on the park site are a disc golf course, a youth baseball field, a boccie ball court, an aquatics center and hiking trails, according to the committee's Web site. The Web site also states that funding for the park's construction will come from taxpayer revenue and a $20 million park bond referendum. So far, the commissioners have allocated $2 million to the first phase of construction.

Council member Jim Ward said the commissioners will play a role in managing the new park. "(The commissioners) want to have input and some degree of control over use agreements," he said. These agreements include sharing the existing soccer field with the parks committee and Mary Scroggs Elementary School, Ward said.

Although some residents were concerned about destroying the natural environment of the park, Bill Webster, project administrator for the committee, said efforts will be taken to preserve these areas of the park.

"It's the goal of the committee to leave about 50 (percent) to 60 percent of land not developed," he said. "For a community park, that's actually a lot of land that's undisturbed."

Webster also added that the committee is trying to appease two different groups of people in Chapel Hill. Some believe there is too much development, and others think there is not enough.

"I think the committee has done a great job of trying to balance all they have heard," he said. Webster said the actual construction of the facilities at the park is at least a year away.

"I would think that if the conceptual plan were approved this spring or early summer we could actually get construction going in late 2003 -- that would probably be the earliest."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.