More on NC Parks' decision re: Graylyn

Paul with Access Umstead requested information from NC Parks regarding the environmental assessments used in the recent decision about Graylyn (see the press release posted on our blog on 11/4/09 below). He received the following summary and recommendation prepared by Erik Nygard, the district superintendent. Again, we encourage you to read the entire document and do so carefully. It is rather long but we consider it revealing as it not fully consistent with the reasoning presented in the press release.

In our opinion, neither justification appears to be completely based on objective facts but on fear and speculation. NC Parks conveniently dismissed the results of their own web survey and totally ignored the desires of petitioners for restoration of safe parking access. Their current and future plans only leads to increased pedestrian/bike conflict with motor vehicles on existing roads within the park. We believe the park's recommendations to pave the existing road to the Sycamore day use area whether it is done now or any time in the future shows very little regard for the safety of the park users as it will only result in an increase in vehicular speed. We believe NC Parks should return to the table to consider other options with the intent of restoring safe and convenient parking access at Graylyn--as was under consideration until the Umstead PAC meeting of 11/14/07.


DIVISION OF PARKS AND RECREATION

January 17, 2009



MEMORANDUM



TO: Lewis Ledford, Director

THROUGH: Don Reuter, Assistant Director

FROM: Erik Nygard, Acting Chief of Operations

SUBJECT: Recommendation on Alternatives for Graylyn Drive Access at William B. Umstead State Park(WIUM)

The following is the recommendation made by Erik Nygard, North District(NODI) Superintendent and Acting Chief of Operations (CHOP). This recommendation is based upon the recommendations from WIUM Superintendent Scott Letchworth, and information collected from a division-sponsored survey conducted on-line and at the park level, General Management Plan recommendations and park management needs. This document is organized under the following sections: Background Information, General Management Plan, Survey, Superintendent’s Recommendations, and NODI/CHOP’s Recommendation, Proposed Division Recommendations and Attachments.

Background Information

Mission of North Carolina State Parks

The North Carolina State Parks System exists for the enjoyment, education, health and inspiration of all our citizens and visitors. The mission of the state parks system is to conserve and protect representative examples of the natural beauty, ecological features and recreational resources of statewide significance; to provide outdoor recreational opportunities in a safe and healthy environment; and to provide environmental education opportunities that promote stewardship of the state's natural heritage.

All decisions affecting management in WIUM are to be based on the principles of the mission of the state parks system. Decisions made on this issue will not please all stakeholders and must be made with a prime focus on how best to manage the park’s resources yet still serve the visitor.

WIUM was created as a federal project through the Works Progress Administration to reclaim sub-marginal and eroded farmland to form a public land holding. This recreation demonstration area was eventually to be transferred to the State of North Carolina to be managed as a state park. The process started in the 1930s when the park area was well outside the city limits of Raleigh. Over the period of more than 70 years, the city of Raleigh has expanded and surrounded the now, 5,579-acre park. The park is surrounded on all sides by high impact land use that affects the park daily. These include an international airport, two major highways, a rock quarry and multiple neighborhood developments.

Graylyn Drive enters the park area off of congested Ebenezer Church Road on the northeast side of the park. Access at this location has always been permitted to hikers and horseback riders and then in the 1980s to bicycle riders. Long before a gate was installed, a residence, well into now what is the park, was serviced by Graylyn Drive which at the time was a county vehicular road. When that home site was incorporated into the park, Graylyn Drive was closed to vehicular traffic, making the road an addition to the park trail system. Adjacent landowners in the community would often ride horses on Ebenezer Church Road and Graylyn Drive into the park for recreation. Ebenezer Church Road was an un-improved, gravel road until the mid-1980s.

By the late 1980s, the old road system within the park became a multi-use trail system, heavily used by horseback riders, hikers and bicycle riders. After a gate was installed, an informal parking area developed outside of the park along Graylyn Drive. This parking area was not managed by park staff as it was not on park property. Initially, parking at this location was not discouraged by Wake County or by WIUM. Eventually, vehicles parking at what was intended to be a neighborhood pedestrian entrance resulted in problems with traffic flow, litter and unauthorized, after-hours entry to the park. By 2007, decisions were made by NC DOT to prevent the public from parking along Graylyn Drive, giving the appearance the park did not want the public to access the park from this location. Access into the park by pedestrians and bicyclists has not been restricted by the division at this location. There has been a misconception that the park and division have restricted public use of this access.

In 2008 additional traffic counters were installed to collect information on numbers of park users entering the non-vehicular area entrances found at Graylyn Drive, Trenton Reedy and Creek Roads and West Gate on Reedy Creek Trail. Attendance in the park has shown an increase of 15 percent from 2007. As more development occurs around the park and greenways entering the park are enhanced these numbers should continue to increase. Parking in the Crabtree Section of the park has increased since closure of Graylyn Drive to parking. Often the visitor center parking area becomes congested during busy weekends, resulting in visitors having to by-pass stopping at the visitor center.

Stakeholders impacted by the following recommendations are: hikers and runners, bicycle riders, horseback riders, Graylyn Drive and Ebenezer Road neighborhood residents, and park staff.

Sensitive or potentially impacted areas within the study area included: a section of the Bike and Bridle Trail near Graylyn Gate, King Family Graveyard, King home site and white oak trees along the trail, Sycamore Group Camp, adjacent neighborhoods to the study area, Ebenezer Church and parking area.



General Management Plan

The 2007 WIUM General Management Plan (GMP) “working documents” identifies
a capital improvement project combining the day-use conversion at Sycamore, Bridle/Bicycle Trail Head. This project was identified by combining two projects identified in an earlier GMP. In January 1999, an evaluation team comprised of
Chief of Natural Resources & Regional Planning Carol Tingley, Facility Planner Fred Hagenberger, NODI Superintendent Susan Tillotson, WIUM Superintendent Martha Woods, Land Protection Program Manager Sue Regier and Community Planner Alan Eakes met to review and update the capital improvement project list. The objectives were to assess project need, status and scope: change project scopes where necessary; split and/or combine projects where feasible; consider additional projects; score projects; and review land acquisition needs. The plan indicates combining the following improvements into one project:

Bridle/Bicycle Trail Head: add six picnic sites, drinking water, access road and parking. Increase parking from 20 to 50 cars and trailer parking, replace trailhead latrine.

Convert Sycamore Mess Hall and West End Lodge into Community Buildings: convert Sycamore Mess Hall and the West End Lodge into Community buildings for group day use by reservation only, provide parking for 350 cars.

The GMP “working documents” recognize visitor and recreation management, trail access management, as a medium priority. It states management of unofficial parking and social trails at neighborhood access areas at Graylyn Drive and others need to be addressed. The GMP states that trail connections to existing greenway systems shall be encouraged.

Also noted in the 2007 documents were Project Evaluation Program (PEP) scores for Graylyn Drive Access improvements. The Park Advisory Committee (PAC) expressed that paving and parallel parking of the existing road with no additional parking or expansion in the area is desirable. In a meeting with the Department of Transportation (DOT), Assistant Traffic Engineer Frank Carpenter suggested, to Superintendent Woods that the road not be paved since it wasn’t an entrance, and the Division shouldn’t do anything to attract more people to the area.



Survey

A web survey was conducted in fall of 2008 to gather information on the public suggested recommendations for providing access and parking in the Graylyn Gate Area. Three Alternatives were presented to the public on ways to enhance or change the present use of Graylyn Drive Access. The survey and complete alternative descriptions are included as Attachment I. Simplifications of the three alternatives presented are as follows:

1. Alternative A - Essentially leave the existing access and facilities in place as is.

2. Alternative B – Improve access through the park to Bike and Bridle Trailhead from Highway 70 entrance.

3. Alternative C – Provide vehicular access through Graylyn Gate to the Bike and Bridle trailhead.

Results of the survey have been compiled on a disc labeled – WIUM Graylyn Drive Survey, 11-9-08. A copy of this disc and excel document, Attachment II, is provided with this memorandum for reference. A summary of the survey responses are available in a excel document on the disc. The spreadsheet indicates 249 responses were received. Alternative A received 37 favorable responses. Alternative B received 8 favorable responses. Alternative C was favored by 154 responses, the vast majority of responders.
However, in addition to the three alternatives, 50 responders, approximately 20%, choose some combination of the three alternatives or recommended something different altogether.

It is not surprising that Alternative C received the most responses, since the newly formed organization, Access Umstead, was formed after Graylyn Drive was paved and parking prohibited. It was the most vocal of the stakeholders involved. They included hikers, runners and bikers who have found the present Graylyn Drive to be the most convenient access to the trails regardless of the lack of managed parking conditions. The word convenience was noted in 45, approximately 29%, of the Alternative C responses.

Park Superintendent’s Recommendations

Superintendent Scott Letchworth’s seven recommendations are included as Attachment III document and as follows:

1. Request a stoplight at the entrance to the park on Highway 70. In the event a stoplight will not be possible, consider the alternative of a frontage road at the Highway 70 entrance connecting to the existing stop light at Umstead Corporation Drive and Highway 70.

2. Request a sidewalk down Ebenezer Church Road from Highway 70 to the park Graylyn Gate for people living in the area to be able to walk safely to the park.

3. Connect the multi-use trail surface to the Sycamore parking area.


4. Look at improvements to the Sycamore parking Area.

5. Grade and maintain the existing gravel road leading to the Sycamore parking area. Keep available the alternative of paving this road, but hold off now due to costs involved.

6. Use this opportunity to approach the City of Raleigh about their proposed greenway connection to the park on Ebenezer Church Road. Indicate the need for Raleigh to provide for parking in this location to prevent similar access issues from occurring there. This would also provide a location for parking without a management burden on the park.



NODI/Acting CHOP’s Recommendations

As Stated in the Survey Alternative B is the approach outlined in the existing General Management Plan. It is recommended the division follow the intent of this alternative with the following additions:

1. As written in the survey - widen and pave the existing road (from US 70 entrance) from its intersection near the Maple Hill Lodge to the parking area at the Sycamore day use area and improve the parking area. This would require one mile of new pavement, and the last 0.3 miles would be widened for two-way traffic. A section of road will be removed from the existing loop. Equestrian vehicle parking would be separated from other day use vehicle parking. A new, multi-use trail segment would connect the parking area to the existing trail system. The park will maintain the control of all parking within the park helping to reduce management issues such as late park users not following established hours, no additional entrances to operate and maintain and no new additional vehicular roads. This also prevents horse back riders and bicyclists from being required to use an alternate entrance which does not provide them access to the visitor center. Improvement of the trail and signage from the parking area to the Bike and Bridle Trail will reduce confusion of multiple trails and roads in the area. Construct the parking area large enough to handle the amount of traffic required. In addition to the Bike and Bridle Trail head this parking area should be large enough to accommodate the proposed Sycamore Camp Day Use improvements. The two projects could be phased in or separated again to reduce the need to fund both projects at the same time as has been identified in the last GMP.

2. Per Superintendent Letchworth’s recommendation – Move the Highway 70 entrance of the park via the incorporation of a frontage road to the existing stop light at Umstead Corporation Drive. This will improve the flow of traffic in and out of the park using the existing traffic signal therefore also reducing the potential for accidents on the existing entrance at Highway 70. Design the frontage road to accept horse trailers. Remove the existing entrance and crossing at Highway 70.

3 Work closely with the city of Raleigh, Wake County and NC DOT to ensure safe access is provided to neighborhoods along Graylyn Drive and Ebenezer Church Road by extending the bike trails and sidewalks out into the community. Encourage use of pedestrian and bicycle access to similar neighborhood entrances. Discourage placement of parking areas along borders of the park as a precedent will encourage other parking areas to be constructed due to political demand as opposed to management needs.

4. Since parking has been removed at Graylyn Drive, the 30-space Visitor Center Parking Area has been filling to capacity on a regular basis on weekends and other parking areas near the picnic areas have seen increased use. Open and resurface the old road bed below the office as a one way road with traffic flowing in a southern direction toward the parks interior, place diagonal parking spaces facing the visitor center. Place trail crosswalk to access the Sal’s Branch Trail and add speed bumps to slow traffic in the area. Angle the exit at 90 degrees to the main park road to assist in the site alignment for safety. Vehicles would turn left to pass the office to exit the park toward highway 70. This area could handle up to one hundred spaces depending on the size of the lot constructed in this already disturbed location. Many bicyclists would use this area as they now use the visitor center parking area.

5. Raise the priority of Visitor and Recreation Management, Access Trail Management to high from medium priority in the general management plan. This has been overlooked for a number of years until parking was removed at several locations out of the park. Park staff needs to recognize more quickly the potential impacts other land use managers’ decisions made adjacent to the park affect the management and operation of the park.

6. Review the need for capital improvement of Graylyn Drive Parking Improvements project in park GMP.

Proposed Division Recommendations

Due to the high demands on the state’s budget, this is a difficult time to request funding for a parking improvement project located within a state park. However, there are improvements the Division of Parks and Recreation can complete at a relative minor cost to enrich the park visitor’s experience of these facilities.

These include in the short term the following:

1) Improve signage leading visitors to the Bike and Bridle Trail/Sycamore parking area – Improving the signs will encourage and reduce apprehension of the use of the bike and bridle trail facilities. Signs will be improved from the Highway 70 entrance to the parking area.
2) Improve signage within the parking area – Separate parking for bicycles and horse trailers. This will reduce conflicts between the two user groups and provide details specific to each user group.
3) Improve trail access and signs from the parking area to the Bike and Bridle Trail – Construct a new section of trail to access the popular trail detached from the existing vehicular road. This will provide the trail user a positive experience by immediately getting the user onto a dedicated trail surface as opposed to sharing the present road with vehicles.
4) Continue early operational hours at the Crabtree Creek entrance – Park Staff will continue providing access to the Crabtree Creek, Highway 70 entrance, starting at 7:00 a.m. every morning.
5) Increase staff communications with the trail users by increasing ranger presence on foot and bike patrol in the area. This will offer the public a vehicle to express concerns and provide the park an opportunity to educate users on planning and operational decisions.
6) Encourage existing access through Graylyn Drive gate during park operational hours for bicycles and pedestrians.

Contingent on future funding, the Division of Parks and Recreation may do the following:

1) As written per NODI/Acting CHOP’s recommendation, number 1, page 5, widen and pave the existing road (from US 70 entrance) from its intersection near the Maple Hill Lodge to the parking area at the Sycamore day use area and improve the parking area.
2) As written in NODI/Acting CHOP’s recommendation, number 4, page 6, improve parking at the park visitor center. This will provide bicyclists an alternative to parking at the Bike and Bridle Trail/Sycamore parking area. It is quickly accessed from the Highway 70 entrance and will provide convenience to those wanting to park and ride bicycles.

As recognized multiple agencies and stakeholders have an interest in providing access to trails at WIUM. The Division will ask the following agencies to assist in the planning process for access issues generated from outside the park:

1) Work closely with the city of Raleigh, city of Cary and Wake County on future trail access connections to insure the appropriate municipality or entities provide adequate parking and access to park trail connections.
2) Work closely with NCDOT to acquire funding for bicycle/pedestrian access where the division identifies access needs through the appropriate planning process.

Following these recommendations prevents an additional vehicular entrance to the park off a smaller secondary road, does not require additional staff to operate, reduces new road construction on reclaimed property, protects existing, historical and cultural interests and reduces impact on park neighbors. It does provide safe pedestrian and bicycle access for the local community and additional organized parking for vehicles entering the park. Identified improvements to the road will bring those entering from Highway 70 a safe, relatively quick means of accessing the park to one of many interior parking lots that can be appropriately managed by staff. All of these recommendations will need to be incorporated into the WIUM GMP process. An additional Attachment IV is The Umstead Coalition public comments.

As time continues to pass William B. Umstead State Park will continue to face external pressures unforeseen. The park was formed from worn and eroded farmland the majority of which had little state wide significance at the time. The park would likely not meet our stated mission had it been formed today. However, the park has become increasingly significant and important as a recreational resource of statewide significance; providing outdoor recreational opportunities in a safe and healthy environment within a metropolitan area; and providing environmental education opportunities that promote stewardship of the state's natural heritage. Let us not forget the responsibility the Division of Parks and Recreation has to manage these increasingly significant resources in a manner that promotes stewardship for this and future generations.

Please advise if there are questions or if further information is needed. Thank you for your assistance in this.

KEN/VDW

Attachment I: Survey without planning area maps
Attachment II: Copy of Survey Results
Attachment III: Superintendent Scott Letchworth’s Recommendation
Attachment IV: The Umstead Coalition Public Comments

NC Parks' Decision on Graylyn

We received notice from Charlie Peek, NC Parks' Public Information Officer, and Jean Spooner, Umstead Coalition, regarding NC Parks' decision on Graylyn. It can be found at http://ncparks.gov/News/releases/release.php?id=162 or you can read it below.

William B. Umstead State Park to Improve Sycamore Creek Trail Access
EDITORS: (View / download Map of proposed improvements.)
RALEIGH -- William B. Umstead State Park will expand and improve access to the Sycamore Bike and Bridle Trailhead and multi-use trails in accordance with its general management plan and will explore ways to improve access to the park’s U.S. 70 entrance, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
The state parks system dropped consideration of a third vehicle park entrance and parking area in the Graylyn Drive/Ebenezer Church Road area. That alternative had been proposed in response to concerns from park users about restrictions on parking near the Graylyn Drive pedestrian entrance.
The park maintains vehicle entrances and primary parking areas off U.S. 70 and at Harrison Avenue near Interstate 40.
“Our overriding philosophy must be to minimize the development footprint at Umstead as one way to protect the wild and natural landscape of this state park,” said Lewis Ledford, director of the division.
State parks system planners determined that a third park entrance for vehicles would raise security issues, increase traffic in adjacent neighborhoods, invite unauthorized, after-hours entry into the park and threaten natural areas with pressure to enlarge the entrance in the future.
In recent years, demand for access to multi-use trails on the park’s eastern side has increased dramatically. The park will widen and improve an existing road to the Sycamore Bike and Bridle Trailhead from the U.S. 70 entrance. Equestrian and day-use parking at the trailhead will be separated and enlarged, and a new multi-use trail segment will connect the parking areas to the existing trails system.
The park’s general management plan calls for the Sycamore Bike and Bridle Trailhead to eventually become an expanded day-use area.
Late in 2008, the park began opening the U.S. 70 entrance one hour earlier at 7 a.m. to provide better trail access and has begun design of an expanded parking area at the visitor center. To address general access issues, park administrators will explore the possibility of a stoplight at the U.S. 70 entrance or a new access road from an existing stoplight, and will request a sidewalk be installed on Ebenezer Church Road for safer pedestrian access. The park will also work closely with the city of Raleigh to improve greenway connections to the park.
Public comment on three proposed access alternatives was invited in 2008, and 249 responses were useful in determining park visitor priorities. An alternative proposing a parking area on or near Graylyn Drive proved to be the most controversial, receiving both the greatest number of positive comments and the greatest number of objections. The other alternatives were to follow the recommendations of the general management plan and to leave existing access and facilities in place.

Request for action for Old Reedy Creek Rd

We received the following e-mail from Sig Hutchison regarding actions needed on Old Reedy Creek Rd. requesting that we distribute. Please read it carefully. We encourage supporters (not just Cary residents) to contact candidates and current elected officials to let them know how you feel about the need for continued peripheral parking access. (If you aren't familiar with Sig's work and would like to read his bio, please see www.sighutchinson.com) :


*******Action Alert for Cary Citizens********

Please distribute

Issue: Parking at Old Reedy Creek Rd.

There are a lot of people currently parking on Old Reedy Creek Rd. to access Rocky Rd. , Umstead Park , the Black Creek Greenway and Lake Crabtree . The NCDOT plans to pave that road at some point in the future of which the plans are to prohibit parking along the side of the road once it is paved like they have done at Reedy Creek Rd. on the other side of Umstead State Park heading towards the NC Museum of Art. There is a solution. There is some land next to lake Crabtree that is owned by the Town of Cary that would be perfect for a parking lot. Wake County and the manager of Lake Crabtree have expressed an interest in partnering and helping manage the facility once open and NCDOT has agreed to use their equipment to grade and pave the parking area when they are paving Old Reedy Creek Rd. The issue before us is getting all the agreements in place for the area to be turned into a parking lot during the paving process and it will take some capital from the Town of Cary even though it’s not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things.

The problem is that money is tight and there are a lot of competing interests for funds and if we don’t speak up and let elected officials of Cary know that this parking lot is important, we could find ourselves with no place to park once Old Reedy Creek Rd. is paved. For this reason, it is important if you live in Cary to contact your candidates and elected officials by conversation or by mail and let them know that you use the area and would like them to consider paving the lot next to Lake Crabtree when NCDOT paves Old Reedy Creek Rd. That’s it. Attending a “meet and greet” event or donating a small amount to campaigns are always good and between now and the election, they are all very interested in getting to know their citizens and learning what they want. In fact, there is a Cary Candidate Forum next Wednesday, Sept. 23rd sponsored by WakeUp Wake County for the Cary races at 7:00 at the Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church, 200 High meadow Dr. Cary, NC. http://wakeupwakecounty.com/cms Be courteous, respectful and always appreciate them for their service or for running for office, but the secret to politics is being in the right place at the right time saying the right thing to the right person. Miss one of those, and you can be out of luck and now is the time as candidates are listening. Here is a list of the Cary Candidates and any google can find their websites. http://msweb03.co.wake.nc.us/bordelec/downloads/0MainPage/20091006Candidates.pdf

More information about voting in general can be found at the Board of Elections website: http://www.wakegov.com/elections/default.htm

Also, as a personal note, Lois Nixon who is running for School Board in Cary is and awesome candidate! http://loisnixon.com I have known Lois for years, personally endorse her as a candidate and know she will be an excellent Wake County School Board member.

Now’s the time for action. Let’s step up and make it happen for better access to Umstead as well as the surrounding recreational facilities now that the time is right.

Respectfully Submitted:

Sig Hutchinson

on-Umstead Parking-on,
Just Greg

Graylyn "update"

Paul attended the Umstead PAC meeting on 9/9/09 and provided the following information shared at the meeting:

Don Reuter, assistant director of NC Parks, had asked Scott Letchworth, superintendent of Umstead, to pass along the following info on the Graylyn access alternatives: Continued patience has been appreciated and the issue has not been forgotten. They expect to have some news at the next PAC meeting in November.

Heads up

FYI: We received information yesterday about new No Parking signs posted at the Harrison Ave entrance to Umstead. A runner returning to his car was informed by a Wake County law enforcement officer that warnings would be given initially but that tickets would be issued at some point. The runner indicated that the signs were closer to I40 than the gate at Umstead.

Clarification on No Parking signs at Harrison, 9/15/09: Upon checking further, we are not sure whether the No Parking signs are new but the enforcement may be new. Truck drivers utilizing the quarry expressed concerns about the number of cars parked during their operating hours creating safety hazards.

As promised

As promised, Rep. Weiss met with individuals from NC Parks 7/20/09 and provided the following update with us regarding the Graylyn alternatives:

Dear Margaret:
Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with Lewis Ledford, Elizabeth Biser, Carol Tingley and employees from Umstead State Park and I was informed that DENR/ NC Parks is very close to announcing their decision about what course to take with respect to increased access to Umstead State Park. They should be publicizing their decision and their timetable for future steps very soon. I encouraged them to continue collaborating with NC DOT and the City of Raleigh and Town of Cary regarding access issues.
In addition, they did mention that they are continuing to pursue discussions about potential parking in the area near Reedy Creek/Trenton Roads.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Weiss, NC House 35

Opportunity to talk with city council members

We received the information below from Rodger Koopman regarding an upcoming opportunity to talk with him and Russ Stephenson. Both gentlemen are current city council members who serve on the Public Works Committee and up for re-election in the fall. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to meet them and find out their views--and share yours. We believe resolution of the parking access issue at Reedy Creek/Trenton and at Graylyn will require the city and state working together to remove unnecessary obstacles and take action. Thus far, we have had several conversations with Mr Stephenson and have been impressed with his proactive efforts to find a solution at Reedy Creek/Trenton.


Raleigh City Council Elections are non-partisan, so voters from ALL parties are invited!Please join us for a little "R&R" (Russ Stephenson and Rodger Koopman) at Durant Nature Park. Come and meet two Raleigh City Councilors who are up for re-election this Fall. Learn about the issues facing Raleigh and the importance of your involvement in this election on OCTOBER 6th!! And enjoy a fun day in the park with other activities. Summer beverages and snacks will be served. When you pull in the parking lot look for the red, white and blue balloons. Children are not only allowed, but encouraged!More information is available at this link: Link to Event for Russ and Rodger

Time: Saturday, July 11 from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Host: Vickie Takei
Location:Durant Nature Park (Raleigh, NC)8305 Camp Durant Rd.Raleigh, NC 27615 Respectfully,
Rodger KoopmanCouncilor District B

Graylyn

We do not have anything of substance to report on Graylyn but wanted you to be aware of actions taken.

On 5/13/09, Paul received word from Don Reuter, asst director of NC Parks, that pressing budget issues have further delayed the Graylyn alternatives. We subsequently e-mailed Rep. Weiss to see if she could help as she had been very helpful thus far. We expressed concerns about the lack of progresson this issue. We noted we were cognizant of the budget issues but were questioning whether everything possible was being done toward resolution and asked for consideration of the less costly options that were previously suggested to NC Parks. Rep Weiss stated she would check with DENR and recontact us when she had additional information. We recontacted her 6/23 for status and were told she had contacted DENR for followup. She recontacted us 6/26 to let us know she hoped to meet with DENR soon.

We will post as soon as we hear. Again, we encourage everyone to feel free to contact Rep. Weiss, other city and state representatives and the folks at NC Parks to let them know this issue is still of great importance.

Meeting minutes 3/26/09 re: Reedy Creek & Trenton area

To view the meeting minutes of the 032609 Public Works Committee meeting dealing with the Trenton Place residents' petition to ban parking in their neighborhood, please click on:

www.raleighnc.gov/publications/Boards,_Commissions_and_Council/Public_Works/2009_Minutes/PW-Minutes-20090326.doc

We encourage you to read the entire document carefully. Also, we do not plan to debate the issue here since the blog is intended for informational purposes for supporters (not for venting or debate.) We agree with the Umstead Coalition about banning parking setting a precedent. We support the positions of the Umstead Coalition, Mr Colvard and Mr Garrard and believe they provided adequate solutions to solve the problem at Reedy Creek/Trenton.

We're unsure why but there was a presentation by a resident at Lakes of Umstead not included in the minutes. This gentleman stated that he used to serve on city council in Greenville. He also stated that he would like the parking ban on Reedy Creek extended to Shenck Forest and essentially viewed Reedy Creek/Trenton as a neighborhood access. He provided a power point presentation of people parking on one side of the road at Lakes of Umstead during the orientation event. Again, we are very concerned about this mindset. We firmly believe any action at Trenton Place will have a domino effect for the other new developments along Reedy Creek and Ebenezer Church Road.

Clearly, part of the problem lies with the elimation of parking access for Umstead park users at Reedy Creek/Trenton. While Reedy Creek/Trenton may not have been a "formal access" to the park, it certainly preceeded any of the new subdivisions currently crying "foul" and we can argue as to why access is needed.

We appreciate Raleigh City Council member Russ Stephenson's efforts to communicate with the various parties involved in an effort to solve this problem.

3/26/09 Public Works Mtg/Parking ban Trenton Place

Access Umstead representatives attended the 3/26/09 Public Works Committee meeting in which the petition to ban parking at Trenton Place, and the Trenton Road Bicycle/Pedestrian path were discussed. We came away with different perspectives than those posting comments anonymously to the blog on 3/27 and 3/29. While we do not share the belief that we were not given an opportunity to speak, we can understand why Anonymous 1 (3/27) may have that impression given the way the petition supporters spoke out and based on a comment made about the need to wrap things up. We chose not to speak at the meeting due the length of the meeting and due to our belief that the individuals sharing our views in opposition to the parking ban had excellent presentations and offered viable solutions. We find Anonymous 1 has posted several valid key points on the blog that deserve consideration by city council. We do agree with Anonymous 2 (3/29) that the council members asked thoughtful questions but are not convinced that the fire department appeared on their own initiative.

On these issue, Access Umstead supporters would like parking restored at the Reedy Creek/Trenton area and are opposed to any additional parking restrictions in the Reedy Creek/Trenton area. We request that the city not take action to ban parking at Trenton Place or any other subdivision in the Reedy Creek/Trenton area until provisions are made for designated parking. If the city must take action for safety purposes in the Trenton Place or any subdivision in the Reedy Creek/Trenton area, we request that any parking restrictions be limited to one side of the road. Additionally, we share the increased concerns about safety that have been exacerbated by the paving of these roads leading to increased vehicular traffic and increased car speeds. We agree with any efforts to make these roads more pedestrian/cyclist friendly while keeping the park accessible to all.

We also hope NCDOT and NCParks are being attentive to the safety issues created by the paving of Reedy Creek and Trenton before proceeding with paving Old Reedy Creek and any existing road within Umstead State Park.

recent contact from Cary re: Old Reedy Creek

We received the following reply from Mary Henderson, Director of Cary Parks and Recreation in response to our e-mail of 3/8/09:

Hi,
I received the email that you sent to the Cary Town Council related to the parking issue at Old Reedy Creek Road accessing Umstead State Park, Wake County's Crabtree Park, and Cary's Black Creek Greenway. Only two weeks ago staff representatives from state parks, Wake County, and the Town met to continue discussions of this issue. The problem is not simply a Cary problem. It is a joint issue involving all three agencies that requires a joint solution. Prior to any construction funding issues , the initial problem is actually identifying property that can be used and could reasonably accommodate a trail head. I have no knowledge that DOT will be moving ahead without further discussions for solutions, but I will follow up on the rumor and let you know what I learn.

Please feel free to contact me with any future questions or concerns.

Sincerely, Mary Mary Henderson, DirectorParks, Recreation, and Cultural ResourcesCary, NC 919-469-4066 (phone)
mary.henderson@townofcary.org

IMPORTANT: meeting re: Parking ban this week

We received the following information from Lucy Simpson 3/22/09 regarding Raleigh City Council's Public Works Committee meeting Thurs. 3/26. As you can see they will be discussing the parking ban at Trenton Woods. Please attend if at all possible. If not, it would likely help to e-mail city council before that date. See posting of 2/5/09 for more information to include a sample letter and e-mail addresses. Your action is needed to make a difference.

PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE AGENDA

The Public Works Committee will meet on Thursday, March 26, 2009 at 9:00 A.M.Location: Room 201, City Council Chamber, Raleigh Municipal Building, 222 West Hargett Street, Avery C. Upchurch Municipal Complex, Raleigh, NC. For information call 996-3040 (City Clerk’s Office) or 996-3030 (Public Works Department).

All the following items are pending in Committee; however, only those items that are shown in bold print will be discussed during this meeting:
07-08 Traffic Calming – Birnamwood Road (1/8/08)07-27 Traffic Concerns – Five Points Area (7/15/08)I.A 07-29 Trenton Road – Bicycle/Pedestrian Path (8/5/08)07-32 Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (9/2/08)07-34 Roanoke Park – Concerns (9/2/08)07-36 Residential Permit Parking – Visitor Passes (9/2/08)07-38 TC-8-08 – Increased Stormwater Management Requirement (9/16/08)07-46 Street Closing – Davie Street/Empire Properties (11/4/08)07-49 Pedestrian Improvements – Lineberry Drive (1/6/09)07-50 Park Master Plan Study (1/22/09)I.B 07-51 No Parking Zone – Trenton Woods Way and Tree Side Court (2/3/09)07-52 Easement Concerns – 4709 Scollay Court (2/3/09)07-54 Traffic Concerns – Reaves Drive (3/3/09)The following items were referred from the March 17, 2009 City Council meeting:II. 07-55 Solid Waste Services – "Need Assistance" Program (3/17/09)

replies to questions to Cary Town Council re: Old Reedy Creek

We received the following replies earlier this week in response to an e-mail I sent to all members of Cary Town Council on 3/8/09 regarding Old Reedy Creek to clear up rumors and to learn of progress on this front:

Thank you for contacting me about the parking situation along Old Reedy Creek Road. I am copying Ben Shivar, the interim town manager, so that his staff can update us on the current status of this situation both from the state and town standpoint. Regarding next years' budget, it will indeed be tight. The town will have to prioritize and make hard decisions that may end up delaying plans for many things. We hope to avoid this. But at this point no decisions have been made. Currently, we are in the very early stages of the budget process which will be approved on July 1st. Thanks again for contacting me.
Harold Weinbrecht
Mayor
Town of Cary


I have forwarded your email to our town staff so they may address your questions in detail. Thanks for contacting us regarding this important matter.
Don Frantz
Cary
Town Council

We appreciate the prompt responses from Mayor Weinbrecht and Council Member Don Frantz. Given the budgetary constraints faced by all, we encourage you to contact Cary Town Council members to let them know you would appreciate anything they can do to make the parking area at Old Reedy Creek a reality or to help assure no actions are taken by DOT until provisions can be made for parking at this area.

If interested in the e-mail sent, please see below:
To: Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and Cary Town Council Members Gale Adcock, Julie Robison, Don Frantz, Erv Portman, Jennifer Robinson, Jack Smith

I am contacting you in regards to the Old Reedy Creek Road access point to Umstead State Park. As I’m sure you are aware, an on-line petition was started last year ((www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/609803273) regarding diminished parking access to Umstead and with several stated goals to include preserving parking access at the Old Reedy Creek Road. Please take some time to review the petion and petitioners statements.

In April 2008, we attended a meeting with State Representative Jennifer Weiss and various representatives from North Carolina Department of Transportation, North Carolina General Assembly and North Carolina Department of Parks and Recreation. At that time, Johanna Reese with NCDOT stated that NCDOT agreed to delay their plans of paving the Old Reedy Creek access point in order to give the Town of Cary time to explore the option of building a parking lot on town-owned land near the entrance. This was in response to strong public outcry regarding the actions that had been taken which effectively eliminated parking at two other access points to the park. At this point, the issue at Old Reedy Creek appears to remain unresolved.

Many rumors are currently swirling about regarding this situation. One is that because of current budgetary constraints, Cary will not be able to build a parking lot for Umstead patrons now or at any point in the near future. Another is that the DOT is unwilling to delay paving the road until a lot can be built. As you know, action of that sort would eliminate parking for the many who depend on this access point at Old Reedy Creek to enter the park.

My hope is that neither of these scenarios is accurate. Myself and the many others in our community who love Umstead Park appreciate anything the Town of Cary can do to make the parking lot a reality or to help delay action by the state until such time that the Town is in a financial position to build the lot.

Thank you for your consideration and support of this matter.

Margaret Cooper
Access Umstead

Info from PAC meeting

Paul from Access Umstead attended the March Umstead Park Advisory Committee meeting and reports that it was generally uneventful regarding the access issue. The next PAC meeting is scheduled for 5/13. It is expected that DENR will have announced their decision about Graylyn by that time. Also, while not conveyed during the meeting, in a discussion with Jean Spooner (chairperson of Umstead Coalition; Umstead PAC member), he learned that a study by NCDOT has shown the Reedy Creek entrance is being used at a rate of approximately 150,000 people per year.

change in March meeting for Umstead PAC

Scott Letchworth has notified us that the Umstead PAC meeting has been changed due to scheduling issues and will be held Wed., 3/4/09 at 7:00 pm at the visitor's center.

still waiting for information

We communicated with Mr Reuter Of NC Parks last week for an updated status on the Graylyn issue. He stated that they had several meetings over the past week and expect to share something soon.

We also noted that the compilation of the public comments on Graylyn can be downloaded from the Umstead website at www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/wium/access.php

Run Bike Umstead

Another issue that may be of interest is the Earth Day Celebration 2009 Walk/Run/Bike Umstead on 4/18/09. Our friends at TORC are leading the mountain bike rides. For more information, check it out at www.visitraleigh.com/event.details.php?id=13352

Raleigh's comprehensive bike plan

An issue that is likely to be of interest to many of you is Raleigh's Comprehensive Bike Plan. The draft can be downloaded from www.greenways.com/raleighbike_download.html. A public hearing is scheduled for Tues., March 3 at the Raleigh Municipal Building.

Parking ban at Reedy Creek and Trenton

Raleigh City Council was recently asked to issue a parking ban in the Trenton Woods neighborhood. They opted to undertake a study before taking action. We oppose the additional ban on parking and appreciate the decision to delay action without further study. To recap actions to date, all city council members were contacted 1/17/08 with a link to the petition. Rodger Koopman and Philip Isley were responsive but indicated that it was more of a state government issue. Mayor Meeker was very supportive in our meeting of 6/4/08 (ee 6/7/08 post). Actions needed: Contact city council members with your opinions. While this may not be your preferred point of access, the issue impacts all of us so please take action. Please see below for a sample position statement with the e-mail addresses.

To:
Mayor Charles Meeker (charles.meeker@ci.raleigh.nc.us)
Mary-Ann Baldwin (mary-ann.baldwin@ci.raleigh.nc.us)
Russ Stephenson (russ.stephenson@ci.raleigh.nc.us)
Nancy McFarlane (nancy.mcfarlane@ci.raleigh.nc.us)
Rodger Koopman (rodger.koopman@ci.raleigh.nc.us)
James West (james.west@ci.raleigh.nc.us)
Thomas Crowder (thomas.crowder@ci.raleigh.nc.us)
Philip Isley (philip.isley@ci.raleigh.nc.us)

In reference to the issue of a parking ban on the streets of Trenton Woods and other neighborhoods surrounding Umstead State Park, I respectively ask you to please consider the numerous petitioners who signed a petition to restore parking at the Reedy Creek Road entrance to Umstead State Park (www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/609803273). I appreciate the action to study the issue rather than approving it without discussion. I request that the city take action to remove the all current signs prohibiting parking on Reedy Creek Road and Trenton and that the city delay any further action prohibiting parking at this area until the city and/or state can restore parking access for park users. I would also appreciate any action the city makes in providing parking at the Reedy Creek Road and Graylyn Drive areas for the numerous park users.

Richland Initiative

An Access Umstead supporter, Adam Meyer, has been working to preserve the natural environment and recreational opportunities of the Richland Natural Area to include Umstead State Park and has shared information that should be of interest to you.

The City of Raleigh is accepting comments on is Comprehensive Plan 2030 through 1/31/09 to be included as part of the revised draft and an extended deadline of 2/28/09 for comments to remain under consideration. To see the city's Comprehensive Plan, please check planningraleigh2030.com. This is another opportunity allowing your input on Raleigh's future to include land use, transportation, environmental development, etc.

For information on Adam and his efforts, check: www.saverichland.org