February 26, 2009 Issue
Watauga County, Boone Approve Greenway Connector Near New High School
By the beginning of June, a new Greenway Trail connector will be in use near the site of the new Watauga High School.
Last week, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners and the Boone Town Council, in separate meetings, approved a route for the new connector, favoring an option opposed by the Watauga County School Board.
Funding for new connector will most likely come from a Childhood Obesity Grant obtained through the Appalachian District Health Department. The deadline to receive funding from the grant is May 31, so Boone Public Works is beginning construction on the connector as soon as possible.
One of the requirements placed on the conditional zoning awarded by the Town of Boone allowing the construction of the new high school was the granting of an easement for greenway trail construction on the county-owned property. The school board, the commissioners and the town council have debated two options for the trail connector over the last few months, discussing cost, environmental preservation, neighborhood traffic, school safety and public access.
The commissioners and town council members decided on option 1, a plan to build the connector from the Edmisten house on Daniel Boone Drive Extension along a sewer easement on the north side of Hardin Creek. Option 1’s estimated construction cost is $92,000, which is less than the full amount of the obesity grant and does not require a bidding process for the work. The town can use in-kind services for projects less than $125,000.
School board members favored option 2 because they thought the connector proposed in option 1 was too close to the high school and created safety concerns for students. Option 2’s estimated construction cost, though, was $236,000, which is much more than the funding available in the obesity grant. What’s more, the Town of Boone stated it did not have any additional funds to donate to the project should option 2 be selected.
In addition, Watauga County and Town of Boone officials both cited several ancillary reasons why option 2 was not in the best interest of the community, including that the proposed path would cut a 50-foot swath into a wooded area, resulting in the removal of up to four acres of trees; that the proposed path would often be in the shade, contributing to ice; that the banks of the path would have to be stabilized at an additional cost; and that the proposed path included a 14-percent grade, comparable to Grand Boulevard in Boone.
“Wherever we put this trail, I want to see it used, and what bothers me the most [about option 2] is the 14-percent grade. Older citizens, people with strollers and the handicapped could not use that trail [if it featured a 14-percent grade]” said Jim Deal, chair of the Watauga County Board of Commissioners. “I don’t think option 2 is a reasonable option. If we are trying to encourage people to get healthy, get active, then we need to provide them with reasonable opportunities.”
The commissioners requested the council prohibit parking on the Daniel Boone Drive cul de sac while Boone Public Works staff build the connector.
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