Access Umstead

latest statement from NC Parks re: parking and paving

2010-11-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Paul contacted Charles Peek for additional information about the proposed plans for parking and paving at Umstead as informal conversations with a PAC member and a ranger had provided somewhat contradictory information. Please see below for Mr Peek's response via e-mail. We are pleased to see that paving the gravel surface road leading to the Sycamore Day Use area is not withing the scope of this project. What is unclear is whether paving is still under consideration for the future. As we have previously stated, paving would significantly worsen the current significant safety issues involving cars traveling too fast, and runners/bikers/etc. not following basic safety rules. To quote one of the rangers, "paving was a stupid idea."

Mr. Fisher,

Your idea to share information about the project on our website is indeed a good one. It would be to the benefit of the park and the community for everyone to have a clear idea of how traffic patterns at William B. Umstead State Park will be altered by our plans to add parking and access areas. Unfortunately, we are not quite to that point, yet. The effort to improve traffic flow at both the visitor center and the Sycamore Day Use Area is a joint project of DPR and the DOT. Details of the project are still undergoing revision and it’s yet to be decided which portions of the project will be undertaken by DOT and which may be bid to contractors.

To recap, the major components of the project are:
To improve and widen the gravel-surface road to the Sycamore Day Use area (This road would not be paved in the scope of this project.);
To improve the Sycamore parking area with better organization for passenger vehicles and horse trailers and with a new gravel surface;
To construct a section of multi-use trail to link the Sycamore parking area to the multi-use trail network;
And, to create a new parking area on an unused roadbed behind the visitor center. This one-way spur is expected to accommodate up to 58 vehicles.

The state parks system is committed to this project, although it’s obvious that state budget constraints and other current priorities may slow our progress a bit more than we’d like. But, we will make plans to display progress on the project on our website when construction is imminent. As always, thanks for your interest in the park.
chp
Charlie Peek
Public Information Officer
N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation
919.715-8709
Mobile 919.218.4622

No sunshine when it comes to Graylyn

2010-04-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

We continue to have serious questions about the ethics surrounding the Graylyn issue

What we know:
DOT was somehow able to prioritize paving this short, dead-end road with few residents--thus eliminating the roadside parking and greatly restricting access at this point even to neighbors living close to this entrance but not directly on Graylyn.

One of these residents at the Graylyn entrance, Sam Greenway, not only serves on the Umstead Park Advisory Committee but also utilized his position as part of the PAC to effectively persuade the others to eliminate prior plans for parking at Graylyn from the draft of the General Management Plan in a PAC meeting on 11/14/07. Of course, one of the recurrent concerns brought up was security. We attended PAC meetings where Mr Greenway made sure his statement of finding "condoms and needles" at Graylyn repeatedly made its way into the PAC meeting minutes. We also attended a meeting with Rep. Weiss where Billy Totten, former regional superintendent, added to the theatrics by indicating they did not want anything similar to the Eve Carson situation to happen at Umstead. We understand that security can be a valid concern. But based on our own experiences and in talking with others, while we saw people use poor judgment in selecting places to park at times of high demand, we NEVER, EVER observed evidence of illicit,illegal or threatening activity. We once observed beer bottles and remains of fireworks that we assumed were left from neighborhood teenagers. We attempted to learn the truth about the security issue at Graylyn to learn whether these concerns were valid or.... Paul requested the incident data from Carol Tingley, Chief of Natural Resource and Regional Planning, on 12/9/09 and has never heard back from her.

Another PAC member repeatedly made statements about the "uproar" from public meetings eons ago when the issue of having Graylyn as the main entrance was discussed. We note this was a very separate issue that had occurred in the remote past--and does not seem to have any bearing on being able to access the park from Graylyn. The current issue did not involve Graylyn as a main entrance--only continued use of it as an access for more than a select few. Ironically, NC Parks chose to ignore the current "uproar" of the petitioners and conveniently dismissed the majority opinion of their own survey of public opinion when making their decision about Graylyn. As NC Parks opted for their original plans, we believe all they did was allowed all of us to speak--but had no intention of listening. We find their decision both fiscally and environmentally irresponsible. Most parks are trying to reverse the adverse impact of increased vehicular traffic and NC Parks' decision only increases it by having cars come into the park rather than access it from the perimeter.

Also, effectively their decision gave the park superintendent and Mr Greenway private entrances to the park.

Is this how government is supposed to work?

compromise needed for parking at Manorbrook

2010-03-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

The Public Works committee recently had a split vote on the petition by the Manorbrook Rd residents in the Lakes of Umstead Community to eliminate parking in their neighborhood. Russ Stephenson and Bonner Gaylord voted for a compromise to allow parking on one side of the road; John Odom voted to eliminate parking and Mary Baldwin wanted to have a full council vote. Fortunately, Mayor Meeker recommended an opportunity for public comment through 4/6 when the issue will be revisited. As you may know, this type of compromise was previously agreed upon for Trenton Woods Way as a temporary parking solution. As always, we encourage everyone to remain considerate of the neighbors to allow for continued access.

As you can see, the city council needs to hear from you. Phone calls to John Odom (996-3000) and Mary Ann Baldwin is also encouraged (828-5591). We support the compromise allowing for parking on one side of the road as put forth by Mr Stephenson and Mr Gaylord.

To contact the entire city council at once, e-mail them at Citycouncilor@ci.raleigh.nc.us or contact each of them individually at the following e-mail addresses:
charles.meeker@ci.raleigh.nc.us
mary-ann.baldwin@ci.raleigh.nc.us
russ.stephenson@ci.raleigh.nc.us
nancy.mcfarlane@ci.raleigh.nc.us
john.odom@ci.raleigh.nc.us
james.west@ci.raleigh.nc.us
thomas.crowder@ci.raleigh.nc.us
bonner.gaylord@ci.raleigh.nc.us

Bike Lanes on Hillsborough St

2010-01-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

We received an e-mail today from DT, a fellow cyclist, informing us about the Hillsborough Street Bike Lanes being on the agenda for the City of Raleigh Public Works agenda tomorrow. Please see the link below for information and actions you can take to help:

http://www.newraleigh.com/articles/archive/hillsborough-street-bike-lanes-on-public-works-agenda-tuesday/

Request from Sig Hutchinson re: Greenways

2010-01-25T09:02:00.000-08:00

Please read the e-mail from Sig below. Based on our experiences, Access Umstead is all too familiar with rude and vocal groups making the same tired argument...

Action Alert – Action Needed
Your Greenways Are under Threat!!!!
(Please Forward)

Within several years, your greenway system in the Triangle will soon span hundreds of miles from the Falls Lake Dam through Raleigh or down the Neuse River to Umstead Park, Cary (and many more towns and cities) connecting up to the American Tobacco Trail and then to Durham. AMAZING!!!! But now the greenway system is under threat of being severed by a small group of VERY vocal neighbors in Summerfield North subdivision, (North Raleigh off Strickland Rd.) who are literally objecting to signage directing users through their subdivision on public streets and sidewalks for the 2 ½ blocks to where the greenway restarts heading south towards Shelly Lake. Staff has said they have never seen such a rude and vocal group of citizens at a public meetings shouting down our supporters and basically making a spectacle. They proposed two alternate routes that would add unnecessary time, cost and distance to a direct link though the neighborhood. (You might be reading the ongoing battle in the N. Raleigh News) They are making the same old tired arguments about crime, vandals and property values; all of which is totally untrue and in fact, the opposite is true.

Property Values
http://www.railstotrails.org/resources/documents/resource_docs/tgc_economic.pdf

Crime
http://www.railstotrails.org/resources/documents/resource_docs/Safe%20Communities_F_lr.pdf

What can you do?

Contact members of the Raleigh City Council and the Parks and Greenways Advisory Board

Mayor - Charles Meeker - charles.meeker@ci.raleigh.nc.usDistrict A - Nancy McFarlane - nancy.mcfarlane@ci.raleigh.nc.us (This is in her District)At-Large - Russ Stephenson - russ.stephenson@ci.raleigh.nc.us (Chair, Public Works Committee)District B - John Odom - john.odom@ci.raleigh.nc.us (Member, Public Works Committee)District E - Bonner Gaylord - bonner.gaylord@ci.raleigh.nc.us (Member, Public Works Committee) District C - James West - james.west@ci.raleigh.nc.us (Mayor Pro Tempore)At-Large - Mary-Ann Baldwin - mary-ann.baldwin@ci.raleigh.nc.usDistrict D - Thomas Crowder - thomas.crowder@ci.raleigh.nc.us
Entire City Council at once – Citycouncilor@ci.raleigh.nc.us

Then CC. the Members of the Parks & Greenways Advisory Board

Mr. Eugene Weeks (Chair) - eweeks1@bellsouth.net
Mr. Jimmy Thiem (Vice-Chair) – jthiem@hagersmith.com
Ms. Gail Till – gtill@nc.rr.com
Mr. Greg Barley - gbbarley@msn.com
Mr. Kevin Brice – Kmbrice@nc.rr.com
Ms. Doris Burke – johnnieburke@bellsouth.net
Mr. Jay Chaudhuri – jay.j.chaudhuri@gmail.com
Mr. Mark Turner – jmarkturner@gmail.com
Mr. Scott Reston – scott@therestons.com
Ms Rebecca Oxholm – rboxholm@gmail.com
Ms. Jan Pender – jan@ctnc.org
Ms. Elaine Perkinson – eperky@bellsouth.net
Ms. Shoshanna Serxner – sserxner@nc.rr.com
Mr. Christopher Smith – csmith5@nc.rr.com
Mr. Gerald Wright – Gerald.Wright@Duke.edu

Subject: Honeycutt Greenway

“Please complete the Honeycutt Greenway in North Raleigh in the most direct way possible, including a direct link through Summerfield North. Our greenways are of real value to our community and the interconnection of our system is one of its greatest strengths.”

You can add about how much you love and use the greenway, and how much you appreciate the City Council funding the expansion of our greenway system if you would like. Sign it and your good to go.

And/Or

You Can Attend a Meeting

We need some people in the audience to counter the large group of opposition that will be out in force. You don’t need to say anything but simply be there to support the greenways. In talking with City Councilors and Parks Board members, this group is a very intimidating crowd and we need to neutralize their impact so our elected officials will have the support and courage to do the right thing. Most importantly, this sets a precedent for elected officials and Boards in the future to do the right thing when uninformed neighbors show up trying to sever the greenway. These elected and appointed leaders need to know that the public support the greenway system and most importantly, the interconnectivity of our system.

Meetings

Parks, Recreation & Greenways Advisory Board
Thursday, January 21st, 6:00 pm, City Council Chamber of the Raleigh Municipal Building, Avery C. Upchurch Complex, located at 222 W. Hargett Street, Raleigh, North Carolina.
You can sign up for a 2 minute public comment at the beginning but this is not necessary
(But your presence is important)

City Council Meeting
Tuesday, February 2nd at 1:00 in the Council Chambers, 2nd Floor Municipal Building
222 W. Hargett St. Raleigh, NC

The meeting starts at 1:00 pm, This will be part of the PRGAB report that should be around 2:00 but you never really know. They could approve it or refer it to the Public Works Committee, (Most likely) to be worked out there and then to come back to City Council at a later date.

Public Works Committee
Tuesday, February 9th at 5:00, and Tuesday, February 23rd 5:00 (2nd and 4th Tuesday)
Council Chambers 2nd Floor - 222 W. Hargett St. Raleigh, NC

Once in Public Works, Chairperson Stephenson decides when it is to be placed on the agenda, so we won’t know till later when it will be heard by the PW committee. If you are planning to attend these later meetings, e-mail me at Sig@SigHutchinson.com and I can keep you posted to the latest information.

I’ll thank you in advance for your support and attention. Rarely do I ask for help and when it do, I promise it’s important!!!

Sig Hutchinson
Sig@SigHutchinson.com

More on NC Parks' decision re: Graylyn

2009-11-25T09:08:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-09-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

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"

2009-09-10T09:12:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-26T08:34:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-22T13:45:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-22T13:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

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

Results of the Public Comment on Graylyn

2008-12-19T09:08:00.000-08:00

We received the following update from Mr Peek providing results of the public comment on Graylyn. Please note that the final course of action has not been decided.

I'm mailing this CD to you today and I wish I could've gotten it to you sooner. To save you just a bit of work: our count was 249 comments and we received thoughtful comment on all sides of the issue. That's one of the more gratifying results of an exercise such as this. Something over 150 of the comments favored Alternative C or some slight variation, although I stress once again that the solicitation of public comment is not to be considered a referendum. Nonetheless, the division administrative team and planners will consider all the comments carefully in deliberating a possible course of action. My thanks for the role that you and Access Umstead have played in the process thus far.
chp
Charlie Peek

update on Graylyn

2008-12-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

In response to a request for the progress on Graylyn, we received the following response from Charlie Peek, NC Parks and Recreation Public Information Officer:

Mr. Fisher,
I can certainly understand your impatience; and I'm hoping you'll understand that with nearly 40 units open to the public, this is not the only issue with which we're currently dealing.
We have prepared a fairly detailed summary of the comments, and our webmaster is preparing to post that on our Web site hopefully within a few days. I can send that information directly to you if you'd like. We had a total of about 250 written comments. I can also send you the full text of everything on a CD if you'll supply a mailing address.
Our operations and planning staff is currently reviewing the comments.
chp
Charlie Peek
Public Information Officer
N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation
919-715-8709

no substantive info on Graylyn

2008-11-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

Regretfully, there is still no word on the Graylyn issues. According to Don Reuter and from information from Scott Letchworth from the recent Umstead Park Advisory Committee meeting on 11/12/08, the are still compiling the data from the public comment period. It will be announced to the public after review and approval by the head of NC Parks and Recreation, Mr Ledford.

Graylyn tidbits

2008-10-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

We have received many questions for updates on the Graylyn issue. I am sharing the following e-mail reply from Charlie Peek from NC Parks and Recreation regarding questions we submitted to him regarding when/how results of the public comment will be shared and whether modifications in the alternatives would be considered:

Ms. Cooper,
Thank you for understanding. While not all the comments were positive, we view the experience as positive. It's always good to connect in a thorough way with so many people that use our parks. I'll try to answer your questions as best I can at this time.
When we get all these comments compiled, I'll be happy to post them on our Web site. That would likely be linked from Umstead's home page.
The Division of Parks and Recreation's intent is to adopt one of the three alternatives described, though there could be modifications to any one of the alternatives after more careful review. We must retain some flexibility but those alternatives were created from the best information gathered by park operations staff, our professional planners and natural resource managers. The most popular "variation" was, of course, reestablishing some type of small parking area at the park boundary near the end of Graylyn Drive for the convenience of runners and bikers. (It was suggested many times that park gates could simply be relocated to accommodate this.) This is not an option the state parks system is prepared to consider as it would present serious problems of management, security and natural resource protection.
Be assured that when a course of action is decided, I'll be very anxious to share that with the public. I cannot predict when any decisions will be made, but I'll make sure to contact you and the media.
chp

NC Parks' survey of related interest

2008-10-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

NC Parks has provided another on-line survey that should be of interest to the active community for future planning efforts of NC Parks. We gleaned this info from Joe Miller’s blog at blogs.newsobserver.com/joemiller/take-the-state-parks-survey#comments. It does not address local access issues specifically but attempts to elicit public feedback on areas pertinent to NC Parks . To complete the survey, click on www.ncparks.gov/Visit/main.php, go to Items of Interest on the left and click on State Parks Survey. The survey does require answers for all questions (so is difficult if it is not relevant to your interests) and takes some time but well-worth providing information to NC Parks for interests going forward. We applaud NC Parks for attempting to elicit this information and encourage you to provide input.

Additional info re: Graylyn proposals

2008-09-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

We want to provide clarification and to address some questions/concerns about the Graylyn proposals that have been shared with us.

First, in our e-mail, we provided misinformation about who makes the ultimate decision. It is the division director, Lewis Ledford. We apologize for the misinformation we provided earlier.

Secondly, we received a question about the impact of Alternative C on the closing of Sycamore Road and whether it would eliminate a popular route for bikers, runners and hikers. We received the following response from Charlie Peek with NC Parks:

Your question is a good one. It's the division's intention -- under any of the alternatives being considered -- to continue, and perhaps enhance, any access that hikers and bikers now enjoy within the park. Should we proceed with Alternate C, provision will be made for this. However, our planning staff and park staff do want to keep some flexibility concerning some of the details of management. Put another way, we need to keep our options open on how to achieve our objectives. ...please ask further questions if necessary.

We believe that the closing of Sycamore is actually a benefit as it will reduce the cars encountered.

And last but not least, we understand that there is concern by a limited number of neighbors that think that Alternative C would result in Graylyn becoming a main entrance. We believe NC Park's eliminating the vehicular traffic on Sycamore Road addresses this concern so as not to make this access any busier than that at Harrison. NC Parks has clearly established the main entrance with the Visitor's Center off of Hwy 70/Glenwood Avenue.

If you have additional questions, let us know--or if you have relevant information let us know.

In case you're wondering, we support Alternative C

2008-09-15T12:37:00.001-07:00

Access Umstead has worked diligently to address the Umstead access issues by initiating a petition; sharing it with elected state, city and county officials; and communicating with various individuals within various government entities to raise awareness, explore alternatives and to arrive at solutions. While we must say that our preference is for the access to Graylyn to revert back to parking allowed alongside the road either informally or with some type of signage designating where to park, we accept that these are not under consideration and are focused on the alternatives proposed by NC Parks for access at the Bike and Bridle Trailhead/Graylyn area.

Of the alternatives proposed, we support Alternative C as it is the only one that restores access from Graylyln as requested by over 1460 petitioners who wanted safe and convenient access to Umstead State Park. This will allow many time-pressed individuals and families to resume enjoying the park for that quick run, walk or ride. We also appreciate that this alternative will have minimal (if any) environmental impact.

We strongly oppose Alternative B and do not view this as an improvement to the park. The paving of these additional roads inside the park will only create more safety hazards for bikers, hikers, runners, and horseback riders using these roads as it will encourage increased vehicular speed within the park. We think this is an expensive alternative that will also have a greater adverse environmental impact.

We oppose Alternative A as it does not address the public's concerns about the impact the loss of Graylyn access has had on their ability to enjoy their park.

Important: Umstead Proposals

2008-09-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

Umstead staff and NC Parks planners have developed 3 access alternatives under consideration for the Graylyn Drive/Ebenezer Church Rd area. These plans can be found on the following website: www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/wium/access.php and posted at the park. (Note: We mistakenly thought this info would be posted on the press release section of the NC Parks website and apologize for the misinformation.) We appreciate that the staff of Umstead and NC Parks considered the concerns of the 1460+ petitioners concerns about losing access at Graylyn and note that Alternative C provides for restored access to Graylyn.

At this time, it is critical once again for you to share your comments as done on the petition--but this time it will be specific to these 3 options and according the NC Parks' procedures. Your comments can be e-mailed to denr.dpr.media@ncmail.net , mailed to them at William Umstead State Park; 8801 Glenwood Ave; Raleigh NC 27617, or delivered to them at the visitor's center off of Hwy 70. The deadline for comments is 10/10/08. We also appreciate that the comment period was extended for this issue.

Please also share this information with others that might be interested.

Access Umstead

Update from Rep. Weiss

2008-09-10T10:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we contacted Representative Weiss for additional details she might have regarding the access issues to Umstead and received the following reply:

Lewis Ledford informed me that the Division of Parks and Recreation will give a report to the Park Advisory Committee tomorrow and will then be publicizing their proposed options for the Graylyn Dr. area on their website on Thursday and that rather than a 2 week public comment period, they will be having a 1 month comment period before making a final decision about Park access and management issues in this area. They plan to propose options related to Old Reedy Creek Road and Trenton Rd. at a future date. I encourage you and the other members of the Access Umstead coalition to examine the options and participate in the public comment period. Sincerely,Jennifer Weiss, NC House 35

GMP and Graylyn Road update

2008-09-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

As noted in our last post, we were told that NC Parks planned to have have their General Management Plan (GMP) posted for the public comment period sometime this month. According to Don Reuter, the assistant director of NC Parks, NC Parks expects to post the GMP on their website and at Umstead State Park on Thursday, 9/11. NC Parks is allowing 30 days for public comment. We do not have any details yet about what is in the GMP but appreciate that there is a 30 day period for public comment. We had spoken informally with Representative Weiss about this issue and she had requested that it be extended beyond the typical 14 day period. We are planning to attend the Park Advisory Committee meeting tomorrow night and will share any relevant information with you on the blog. We will also post on our blog once the GMP is available as it will likely include information beyond access issues. It is critical for you to read the GMP and utilize the public comment period as this is our hope of effectuating change for the access issue.

Please keep checking our blog at accessumstead.blogspot.com for updates. We assume the GMP will also be posted on NC Parks website for press releases at www.ncparks.gov/News/releases/main.php .

On another note...sadly, it appears that the paving of Graylyn is imminent as noted in Joe Miller's blog posting today (blogs.newsobserver.com/joemiller/hom) Joe also notes that there is a Graylyn update pending according to NC Parks. Hopefully, this update or the GMP will allow us the much needed and requested access to Umstead that you have petitioned for. Sorry for the editorializing but doesn't paving Graylyn seem like Alaska's Bridge to No Where on a smaller scale? In any case, Joe and Bruce Siceloff ( New & Observer Road Worrier) are also closely following this issue.

Please read: Meeting with NC Parks

2008-08-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

We recently met with Don Reuter, Assistant Director of Planning and Administration, and Carol Tingley, Chief of Planning and Natural Resources, on Thurs., 8/7/08 to discuss concerns we had about the actions of the Park Advisory Committee (PAC) as well as to present some additional options to restore access at Graylyn Road. To date, Mr. Reuter has been responsive and receptive to all of our communications. He expressed immediate concern that we were informed that NC Parks was not interested in considering alternatives at Graylyn (see last blog posting) as he closed the last meeting with the City of Raleigh with a final statement that all options are still under consideration. He reiterated the complexity of the situation regarding park access given DOT's actions since it involves different government entities as well as the NC Parks needing to balance staffing needs and protecting natural resources. Carol Tingley will be taking the lead role in preparing Umstead State Park’s General Management Plan (GMP).

In order to focus on finding suitable options to restore access to Graylyn, we did not fully discuss concerns we had about the actions of the PAC as noted in the 11/07 PAC Meeting Minutes-- although based on statements made in subsequent PAC meetings we’ve attended, I fear there continues to be certain beliefs with some of the PAC members that may adversely impact finding a solution that ultimately fits the needs of the park and the public. Mr. Reuter stated that the PAC was an advisory committee with a role of providing recommendations used in making decisions. He stated that his interpretation of the ethics law is such that the potential issue with ethics does not apply since none of these individuals has the role of making the final decision. He did state that ideally the individuals on the committee are representing their targeted group and not a self-serving view. We pointed out the contradiction of the current reported obstacles for access to Graylyn when the PAC obviously seriously considered having a parking lot built at Graylyn. We asked that these original plans be put back "on the table." Neither he nor Ms. Tingley were familiar with the plans for parking at Graylyn that were voted out at the 11/07 meeting but they will check with the PAC to see if there were formal plans. If there were formal plans, these will be put back into consideration since they should have considered the stated concerns of NC Parks. We certainly hope that the PAC will be attentive to the opinions in the petition signed by so many of you at
www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/609803273
when considering access at Graylyn for the GMP that will be circulated internally before the public review and comment period.

We provided the options for parking at Graylyn previously that were presented to the PAC as well as a specific plan for parking that had minimal impact on the environment or surrounding neighborhood—and which was easy for the staff to access. Carol stated she had considered another option to extend Graylyn Road to the bike and bridle trailhead. We really liked this idea. In our opinion, this would certainly have the least impact on the environment, budget and staff-and could be done quickly but we back any option that allows access at this point as so many of us have been unable to enjoy the park due to the combined effects of elimination of parking at Reedy Creek and Graylyn Road. NC Parks promised to further consider these options-and perhaps have more than one for the public to consider on the GMP. We pointed out that the planned “improvements” to pave the parking at the Bike and Bridle trailhead and the road leading to it would only encourage increased vehicular speed within the park and further erode safety for many park users that walk, run, bike or ride horses in these areas.

The GMP is expected to be ready in a few weeks. We were assured that Access Umstead will be notified about the review and public comment period for the GMP and that notification would also be available on the press release link on the NC Park’s website at www.ncparks.gov/News/releases/main.php
and posted at Umstead. As we explained before, the public comment procedure is a critical part of restoring access at Graylyn Road. It is time limited and will likely be electronic to enable most of us to easily voice our opinion. We will let you know as soon as we know that the GMP is ready for public review and comment.

Important Update from Vic -Please read

2008-07-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

On 7/28/08, I spoke with Vic Lebsock, Raleigh’s greenway planner, for additional details on the City of Raleigh’s attempt to work with NC Parks for improved access to Umstead. He stated that he had a second meeting with Don Reuter ofNC Parks and Recreation and several individuals in operations from Umstead. (He did not get the names of all in attendance, but thought one was Scott and another Kevin. I assume this was Scott Letchworth, but do not know.) While he initially thought there were potential solutions for Reedy Creek/Crabtree Creek after the first meeting, at the second meeting he was told that the Umstead Park Advisory Committee and Umstead Coalition were not in support of parking lots at the edge of park property. Their formal position is for the park to have interior parking with activities to radiate outward to allow the limited staff maximal control. They asked the city to look at putting in sidewalks and pedestrian paths along Ebenezer Church Road to allow people to get into the park easier. Mr Lebsock stated that Graylyn appears to be out of the question—partly because of the PAC’s stance and due to its designation as a State Nature and Historic Preserve requiring legislative intervention and that a solution forReedy Creek now involved NCSU. He does plan to see if potential sites can be located that are not immediately adjacent to the park. He seemed frustrated by the NC Parks refusal to look at alternatives and to examine their current policies for a solution--and thought only continued public pressure (on NC Parks) might help.

New district superintendent

2008-07-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

We note in checking the NC Parks news releases that Erik Nygaard has just been named as the new North District Superintendent for State Parks (www.ncparks.gov/News/releases/release.php?id=111). If you see our post from 6/1/08, the new Umstead General Management Plan will be one of the first issues he addresses. While we are still lobbying for the active community, it will be critical to have your active support. We will provide information as we know about it. If you have information that would be helpful or we need to know, please share it.

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE-PLEASE READ !!

2008-07-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was easy neighborhood access via Graylyn to Umstead State Park. And then there was none. The Access Umstead Committee has finally obtained minutes from the PAC meeting held right after the "no parking" signs were posted on Graylyn and believe it is important for the public to know the discussions that took place by the PAC. You'll see that there was a plan for a parking lot off Graylyn and that it is no longer under consideration by PAC.

The most important information is in section 8 of the minutes, but, you should read the whole thing to draw your own conclusions.

Present:

WILLIAM B. UMSTEAD STATE PARK

ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES

November 14, 2007

Committee

Nixon Alexander

Sammy Greenway

John Kramer

Joe Lugiano

JeffMann

Richard Moore

Bob Morris

Kris Smith

Jean Spooner

Scott Letchworth

Others

Billy Totten

I. Call to Order:

7:09 PM

2. Sign-in:

All members present signed in

Approval of the Minutes:

October meeting minutes were approved as written.

4. Communications:

There were no communications.

5. Report of Chairman:

There was no report from the chairman.

6. Special Reports: Watch Dog

Trenton Road /1-40 -Trenton Point

Jean passed around a map of the Beazer Home site plan with 27 homes on 18.5 acres. There will be a 50' conservation easement at the rear of the property. There will be a 25' conservation easement along the sides of the property. Jean informed the PAC that the first draft didn't have the protective measures, but they are in the current plan.

Raleigh 20/30 Comprehensive Plan

Jean has reviewed the plan and there are no direct changes to the park.

Drinking Fountain

Jean reminded the P AC that there would be a water tap fee for the park to install the fountain. A suggestion at the Umstead Coalition meeting was to put the fountain along the greenway and have the city pay for it, but this was turned down since no other fountains are along the greenway.

The Mayor has asked the Umstead Coalition to go to the City Council

and ask them to waive the tap fee and install it in the park so it is accessible to all users.

Mr. Totten commented that there are issues with water fountains and their maintenance which would be the responsibility of the park staff. Superintendent Letchworth stated he would look into the installation and funding and get back to the PAC Stories in Stone.

Jean passed around a sample of the book for the PAC to see. She informed the PAC that the book will not be available for Christmas because a few changes still need to be made. There will be 2 versions of the fInished 300 page book. One version will have a spiral binding and the other will be a coffee table version with a sewn binding.

7. Staff Reports:

Superintendent Letchworth attended the Superintendents conference

Maintenance mechanics went to training

Ranger Kelley went to BLET

Maintenance mechanic position should be moving forward

Maintenance II position will be coming vacant soon

Walk for Hope -staff directed traffic

Arrested hunter in the park near industrial drive

Staff has completed equipment requests and major maintenance requests.

There is a possibility to provide staff extra salary increases to Rangers depending on where

they are in their salary grade.

8. Old Business:

Sammy informed the PAC that two weeks ago DOT placed no parking signs on Graylyn Drive. The following day DOT crews showed up and started to grade the road for paving. Sammy talked with Donald King and he stated that if we get some rain and it stays warm the road will be paved this fall, but more then likely it will be done this spring. The neighborhood is happy about with this turn of events, but the park users that parked along Graylyn are not. People are now parking at the graveyard and at the church and walking down Graylyn to use the park. The church is still towing cars that are parked in their parking lot. Over the weekend cars were illegally parked on Graylyn, and somebody on the street started calling and complaining to the Wake County Sheriff s department. Sammy talked to the officer that reported to the scene and stated that the enforcement will be important during this transition period.

Jean stated that many e-mails were sent addressing this new development and that they will be pushing elected officials to provide parking. She then asked if the PAC was still willing to put in a parking lot and pave Graylyn at the same time. Sammy responded that he was not willing to add the parking lot and stated that "DOT has taken a biting dog and made it lay down and we should keep that dog lying down."

Jean stated that for 17-20 years people have been parking along Graylyn drive and asked the PAC if they have a right to continue parking there as a neighborhood access. Mr. Totten informed the PAC that he defines a neighborhood access as an access site that is used by only the neighbors with housing units near it. Graylyn started that way but then became a vehicular parking access for people outside of the immediate neighborhood. He also informed the PAC that Betty has been receiving calls from people complaining about the parking issue and while talking with them they have told her that they did not know there was another trail head within the park that they could use.

Sammy commented that people are getting mad because they no longer have access to use the park during "off hours." Superintendent Letchworth agreed.

Jean stated that the need for additional parking maybe an opportunity to get a bigger lot for horse riders at the Sycamore day camp, and that the PAC may be able to use this situation to educate people on where they could park. She also commented that the neighborhood people are parking at the Graylyn gate because they cannot walk to the gate from their homes because of the lack of shoulders, heavy trucks, and speeding vehicles on Ebenezer Church Road. She continued by saying that we should encourage these people to actively get safe access along the roads to this neighborhood access. She also pointed out that since Graylyn will be paved they will need to use a LARGE sign at the curve of Ebenezer Church Road to keep cars from driving down the dead end road.

As discussions drifted off topic Jeff regrouped the PAC members and stated that we should think about what we should do for the park. He asked the PAC members to think about what would be in the best interest for the park and not just for the neighborhood. He also stated that if we do not have enforcement of the no parking areas then it will not be sustainable. Sammy agreed with Jeff and stated that enforcement is critical for the fIrst couple of months until the attitudes of the users have been changed. He also stated that a plan must be developed to consolidate enforcement will all parties (Wake County~ highway patrol, city of Raleigh, etc.) Jeff responded that the P AC will need to watch the enforcement of the no parking and then make a decision about the future parking options along Graylyn. Therefore, if the P AC knows that there is enforcement that we will do nothing, but if there is no enforcement the P A C will need to reconsider the parking lot. He also stated that visible presence is not enforcement and that the presence of officers will go away when there is a greater need for that officer .

Mr. Totten stated that the PACs decision to build a parking lot was premature and the idea was only in draft form. He stated that nothing definitive was decided during the past P AC meetings about the parking situation. It was a proposal for the parking issue and it was included in the General Management Plan (GMP). He informed the P AC that the GMP is only in draft form until it has been approved by the Director, the PAC, and the Secretary. Therefore the idea of the parking lot was only a recommendation and can be removed during the drafting process.

Joe stated that the entrances play a role in why people park and use the Graylyn gate: US- 70 entrance is not safe and this inhibits people from using this entrance. The I -40 entrance is easy to access but not very convenient for people on the North side of the park. Superintendent Letchworth responded that he is looking into adding a traffic light at the US- 70 entrance. Jean informed Superintendent Letchworth that Ed Johnson could address the traffic light option, but he is also looking at expanding US- 70, and that they would want a wide road with no lights on it. Therefore they may not be interested in adding a traffic light at our entrance. Jeff again refocused the P AC to the parking issue at hand, and asked if we should keep the parking issue in draft form. He asked the PAC if we should keep the parking option in draft form or if the P AC should pull it off the table for further discussions.

Superintendent Letchworth stated that it is a big issue to have satellite parking lots around the park and it causes staffing issues. As Raleigh grows, access to neighborhood access sites will also grow and additional parking will be demanded for each access point if the p AC sets this precedent. Superintendent Letchworth asked if the p AC thought the parking lot should be gated, and stated that if it was people that wanted to gain access to the park early would then park in the road.

Jeff asked Superintendent Letchworth to meet with the park staff and create a thoughtfully prepared staff report on the parking issues. Superintendent Letchworth responded that he has already met with the staff and they have created a list of concerns ranging from staffing issues, safety , and security. Richard asked if there was a need for additional parking lots or if the current lots were adequate. Superintendent Letchworth stated that the parking lots are not completely filled during the weekends; however the visitor center parking lot may fill up on high use days.

Jean reminded the PAC that in 1991 at the last GMP meeting lOOs of people came out and opposed a parking lot at Graylyn Drive. Joe responded that the neighborhood dynamics and characteristics have changed since then.

Mr. Totten had sent Martha Woods an e-mail asking her opinion on the parking at Graylyn. She responded that there is more than adequate parking in the other areas of the park. She also stated that the p AC thought about providing a parking lot at Graylyn because if the park prohibited all parking there then the public would cause such uproar. Therefore, the only internal solution was to create the parking lot and appease them. However, when the p AC was Jeff responded that the park, with assistance from the PAC members, will need to keep watch on this issue and see how the neighborhood responds. He asked Mr. Totten if there was any harm in keeping the parking lot, in draft form, in the GMP. Sammy immediately responded that there would be harm in leaving it in there. He stated that the sooner we remove the parking lot option from the GMP the safer the park will be. He then suggested that the park creates a map indicating how people would get from Graylyn to the existing parking locations.

Jean stated that since DOT has placed the no parking signs along Graylyn Drive she has changed her opinion and her original thinking and now believes that the PAC should not support the parking lot.

Superintendent Letchworth informed the PAC that the parking lot would fall under the major maintenance budget and there are currently numerous projects on that list. Mr. Totten stated that any project under $100,000 will not qualify as a CI project. If the parking lot was listed as a CI project and it is referenced in the current GMP then it would be scored and ranked among all CI projects. This ranking would then determine how soon it would be addressed. Jean asked Mr. Totten if the improvements at the Sycamore parking lot would compete with the Graylyn project if we proceeded with it, and if so would the PAC need to choose between the two projects. Mr. Totten responded that they may not specifically compete but they would compete for funding against all other major maintenance projects statewide. Jean then commented that the GMP should state proactively one way or the other on the Graylyn parking lot, and it could be dangerous if it was not addressed at all in the GMP. Jean then asked if the PAC should stay with this original recommendation or should it be changed. Jeff stated that the PAC rushed into a judgment several months ago when we made a decision to about the parking lot and we should not rush into a judgment again. He continued by saying that we should wait to make a decision and see if the law enforcement works, if visitation goes down, and see if the road is actua1ly paved.

Superintendent Letchworth responded that due to the volatility of the issue the PAC should make a motion one way or another on this project.

ACTION ITEMS

Jeff immediately made a motion to pull his previous recommendation on proceeding with the Graylyn Drive parking lot and bring it back for reconsideration. Bob Morris seconded the motion; 6 in favor, none opposed.

Jeff then made a motion to table the recommendation until the issue is given further review and all concerns have been examined. Joe Lugiano seconded the motion; 6 in favor, none opposed.

9. New Business

Jean stated that she has been asked questions about the park possibly opening earlier since it is daylight at times when the park is closed. Superintendent Letchworth commented that there have been proposals at meetings to adjust the times to match daylight savings time. However,staffing is still a concern and staff burnout is an issue. Jean immediately responded that Umstead State Park needs additional staff and then they could then be used to open the park during daylight hours. Mr. Totten commented that realistically requesting a new position would take 5 years to happen. He continued that the PAC should see some changes during the next year with operating hours at the park.

10. Questions, Comments, etc.:

Next meeting is on Wednesday, January 9,2008 at 7:00 pm.

II. Adjournment

9:42 pm

Minutes prepared by Kristopher Smith

2008-07-22T13:54:00.001-07:00

We have additional information to share with you about the Graylyn issue. We apologize that we do not have it posted yet but we are a committee of folks in the active community that have time limitations due to work responsibilities or family responsibilities like yourselves. We have the meeting minutes from one of the Umstead Park Advisory Committee meetings in 11/07, after the closing of Graylyn Road. This information makes it clear why we are not being heard.

who to contact

2008-07-22T13:47:00.001-07:00

If you need contact information on who to contact about your opinions on the elimination of safe and convenient access to Graylyn, here is a list of e-mails and phone numbers. Please know that we have already attempted contact to each of the individuals on this list earlier this year. If you will check our other posts, you will see that Represenative Weiss has actively helped by setting up a meeting with NCParks and NC DOT, and that Representative Ross and Weiss both generated discussion with these agencies. Representative Harrell has expressed interest but we have not yet made actual contact with him as yet.

-NC Parks and Recreation:
Don Reuter, Assistant Director Planning and Administration State Parks and Recreation
don.reuter@ncmail.net
715-7582

Scott Letchworth, Superintendent William Umstead State Park
scott.letchworth@ncmail.net
571-4171

-NCDOT
Wally Bowman, Division Engineer
WBowman@ncdot.gov
220-4600

Joey Hopkins, Deputy Division Engineer
jhopkins@ncdot.gov
220-4600

-NC Representatives Wake County Delegates:
Marilyn Avila
Marilyna@ncleg.net
733-5530

Dan Blue
Danb@ncleg.net
733-5530

Linda Coleman
Lindac@ncleg.net
733-5974

Nelson Dollar
Nelsond@ncleg.net
715-0795

Ty Harrell
Tyh@ncleg.net
733-5602

Grier Martin
Grierm@ncleg.net
733-5758

Deborah Ross
Deborahr@ncleg.net
733-5773

Paul Stam
Pauls@ncleg.net
733-2962

Jennifer Weiss
Jenniferw@ncleg.net
715-3010

petition

2008-07-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

We wanted to inform you that while the petition is formally closed, we are still very much active and working on the cause. (We tried to take steps to keep it open but were unsuccessful. We believe we have enough signatures but still need actions.) We want to make it very clear that we are not simply trying to complain about any specific person or any specific agency on this blog. We are trying very hard to constructively resolve this problem and firmly believe that the active community needs to come together to help.

We personally know so very many of you--and we see with our own eyes how the park is teeming with activity on the trails at various times of the day. There is so much more activity on the trails than at the "official entrances." Sadly, because we are not registered on the widget traffic counter at the park's main entrance on Hwy 70 nor necessarily seen at the Harrison Ave parking area, the park staff is not always aware that we are there. They are understaffed and very busy with educational programs and the day users. However, it is critical that they know what we want and make sure we are counted. We have shared the petition with the Umstead Park Advisory Committee, the park superintendant (Scott Letchworth) and the assistant director of NC Parks and Recreation (Don Reuter) but do not believe that we are being heard.

We continue to need your support and assistance. You can help on one level by letting others in the active community know about our efforts. You can help on another level by letting NCDOT; Scott Letchworth and Don Reuter of NC Parks and Recreation; and your local elected officials your opinions about this issue. If you would like to be added to our e-mail, please let us know at access_umstead@yahoo.com and please keep checking the blog!

Graylyn

2008-07-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

We spoke briefly with Vic Lebsock on 7/10/08. He stated that in his meeting with Don Reuter, assistant director of Planning and Administration with NC Parks and Recreation, a possible solution was discussed at the Reedy Creek and Crabtree Creek area but there were issues to work through. A solution for Graylyn is not in the near future. Mr Lebsock stated he would have more details in a week or so.

Good news: City of Raleigh's Support

2008-06-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

We met with Mayor Meeker and Vic Lebsock, the city greenway planner, on June 4. We discussed the decreased number of safe, convenient access points in Raleigh for Umstead State Park users and the significant, detrimental impact it has made on the community of park users being unable to enjoy the park as frequently or not at all.

Mr Meeker was supportive and pledged involvement of the City of Raleigh in finding a solution.

We shared some of our ideas with Mr Lebsock who has a meeting next week with NC Parks and Recreation to discuss Umstead access issues. Mr Lebsock will be keeping us informed.

Meeting with Wake County Delegates

2008-06-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

We met with 13 members of the NC delegates representing Wake County(to include our senators and house representatives) to discuss our concerns and ask for their help. We want to especially thank Rep. Jennifer Weiss who has been very responsive to our concerns to date and notified us of this meeting. After this meeting, Ty Harrell has asked that we recontact him--which we will do. Stay tuned.

Please see below for the essence of the information we presented at the meeting:
After parking was eliminated from the Reedy Creek Road and Graylyn entrances to Umstead State Park, we have had constant conversations with the community of fellow park users (runners, hikers, mountain bikers, neighbor, families and dog walkers) regarding concerns about the loss of safe, convenient parking and access to the park. Access Umstead, a group of 5 concerned individuals, was formed in late 2007 to provide a forum for our numerous supporters to voice their concerns. We created the Access Umstead petition at www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/609803273 with the goal of the organizers representing these voices (that now exceed 1450 people) to leaders who can make a difference.

The problem:

The “official” entrances to the park were established many years ago when Umstead was surrounded by rural area. The demographics of the area and park users has changed dramatically in the past 10 years. Did you know that Umstead was featured in the national Runner’s World magazine as a scenic place to run that someone should not miss? The growing active community represents an affluent, highly educated set.

With the paving of the roads and elimination of parking, Raleigh’s parking and access was reduced from three safe, convenient accesses to just two. One of these areas requires users to park near the NC Art Museum; cross Blue Ridge Road (not pedestrian friendly) and then walk or bike more than two miles to get to the park gate. The only remaining access with parking in Raleigh is approximately 7 miles away, off of an already congested and not pedestrian friendly, Glenwood Ave/Hwy 70, and requiring additional driving once users enter the park to actually get to a parking area. We continue to speak with our supporters of over 1450 runners, mountain bikers, hikers, families, neighbors and dog walkers that have either been unable to enjoy Umstead State Park at all or not as frequently due to the extra time involved.

Fortunately, our voices were heard regarding an access in Cary slated to have road paving. In this case, NCDOT agreed to delay paving until the City of Cary worked out a solution for parking.

The solution:
Our group is working diligently to reclaim these entrances or others offering safe and convenient access to ensure that Umstead State Park remains a safe and easily accessible public resource to all citizens in the future. We need your help to get all of the state agencies involved working together to develop a plan to resolve this problem quickly or at least in a timely manner.

2008-06-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

We wanted to share some recent communications that we have addressed to the Umstead Park superintendant, Scott Letchworth and the Umstead Park Advisory Committee (PAC) via e-mail. Please see the communication italicized below. The PAC is comprised of volunteers with various interests-- to include law enforcement, an adjacent business, mountain biking, equestrian, conservation, Raleigh city parks and recreation, and a neighbor.

We have been attending the PAC meetings regularly and recently presented a powerpoint with different options to restore parking access to Graylyn. Options included: a well-marked, paved parking area alongside Graylyn Road (same area as was used before); moving the current gate on Graylyn further into to park to allow parking alongside the road (to keep it on park property but increases the number of spaces); create a parking area on park property in between the two ranger homes on Graylyn (again, keeping it on parking property but increasing the number of spaces).

We are continuing to meet and communicate with other elected officials to get the various agencies to work together to allow us safe, convenient and increased access.

Dear PAC Members,
Following the last PAC meeting, we sent the following e-mail to Scott and asked him to forward it to each of you. We later found out that he had a family emergency so we were unsure whether he had been able to follow up on our request. We wanted to make sure you received it. Please let us know if you were not at the last meeting and would like to receive a hard copy of our presentation.
We hope you understand that we are not representing solely our personal views but the views of more than 1400 runners, cyclists, families and dog-walkers that are unfortunately unable to access the park as frequently as they once did due to the declining or less convenient access points.
Access Umstead

Scott,

We would like to thank you and the members of the Park Advisory Committee for the opportunity to share our ideas for potential solutions to restoring parking at Graylyn Drive . We would be happy to meet with anyone individually or as a group to further discuss this issue.

The declining number of access points to Umstead State Park certainly created a public outcry and was the sole impetus for the formation of our group. For more information on the strong local community opinion and our efforts, please see the petition at www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/609803273 and our blog at accessumstead.blogspot.com.

Please note, we limited our discussion to Graylyn Drive based on information obtained from prior meetings with DOT, Parks and Recreation and PAC meetings that the Old Reedy Creek Road access would be resolved with the Town of Cary’s efforts to provide parking and that there was potential parking for the Reedy Creek Road access with property currently owned by Beazer Homes. However, we are still committed to all three goals.

Please share this e-mail with the members of the PAC, particularly to those who were unable to attend last night. Thank you.

Access Umstead
Margaret Cooper
Carlton Cooper
Paul Fisher
Ed Hallberg
Dwayne Allen

Further delay on the Umstead General Management Plan

2008-06-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

As stated in the previous posting of 4/13, the NC Parks and Recreation General Management Plan for Umstead Park was delayed for an unknown period. We were recently informed by Don Reuter of NC Parks and Recreation that the delay was due to the retirement of the planner in charge of the process. They hope to have a replacement in a few weeks and expect that the Umstead General Management Plan will be one of the first issues addressed. Mr Reuter will provide us with this individual’s contact info.

Please keep checking our blog (accessumstead.blogspot.com) as we will let you know the specific link for public comment on the General Management Plan. We were told by Mr Reuter that it will also be on the ncparks.gov website and that it can also be found under their “News” page under press releases.

Currently, we continue to rely on “word of mouth” to share updates so please continue to share our e-mails and blog information with others that you think are interested. If you would like to be added to our e-mail list for updates, please e-mail us at access_umstead@yahoo.com.

Good news but our work is not yet done...

2008-04-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

We have just had a productive meeting addressing some of our concerns and questions with Representative Jennifer Weiss and various individuals to include representatives from the NC Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, NC Department of Parks and Recreation (NC Parks and Rec), NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT), and NC General Assembly.

It is important to note that our concerns voiced via the petition are being heard and do make a difference. We have been told that your voices from the petition have facilitated new communication between the various governmental agencies to work together toward solutions. All parties are being responsive and have been working hard behind the scenes. Knowing that public opinion matters, it is critical to know that our work is not done.

The good news is that NCDOT confirmed that paving of Old Reedy Creek Road is deferred pending coordination with the Town of Cary’s efforts to have parking at this location. We applaud Cary’s proactive efforts to preserve this popular vehicular access point to meet the needs of the growing active community. We also learned that NCDOT has responded to safety concerns along Ebenezer Church Road. There will be a reduction in the speed limit along certain stretches, less trucks and possibly a sidewalk—all of these actions making this more friendly to bikers, pedestrians and neighbors. We also understand that good new may be forthcoming with regards to Reedy Creek Road.

Unfortunately, Graylyn Drive is another story and where much work remains to be done… We also learned that NCDOT had contacted the City of Raleigh to see if they would be interested in providing patrol/law enforcement services to the small section of Graylyn if parking remained along the side of the road. To do this would require annexation (unlikely) or a special agreement that the City of Raleigh declined.

As stated in a previous posting, the NC Parks and Recreation General Management Plan for Umstead would be posted for public comment by 4/1/08. This public comment process will allow for your input on providing for some type of parking at the Graylyn Drive access. However, we have learned that this has been delayed for an unknown period. Please keep checking our blog as we will let you know the specific link. We do know that it will be on the ncparks.gov website and that it can also be found under their “News” page under press releases.

We want to thank Rep Weiss for her proactive support of the ever-growing active community of Umstead Park users. We also appreciate the various governmental agencies who have been responsive and are working toward addressing our concerns to include the Umstead Coalition and the Umstead Park Advisory Committee.

In summary, what you can do:
Please keep checking the blog for updates on actions needed.

Voice your opinion to Scott Letchworth, the park superintendent of Umstead State Park at 919-571-4170; William Totten, current district superintendent of NC Parks and Recreation (william.totten@ncmail.net), Donald Reuter, Assistant director of Planning and Administration (don.reuter@ncmail.net)

Voice your opinion to the City of Raleigh requesting that they formally agree to provide patrol/law enforcement to the small stretch of Graylyn Drive by contacting: pisley@boyceisley.com and other city council members as well as Mayor Meeker. Please note that Mr Isley was VERY responsive to our prior requests for assistance.

correction and update

2008-03-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Our last blog posting had an incorrect link for you to checkand make comments for the NC Parks and Recreation General Management Plan for Umstead. We will correct this as soon as we get the most direct link.

As an update, we had several concerns and asked Representative Weiss for clarification on Mon., 3/24/08. Specifically, we were concerned about the very limited time for public comment and asked for detailed information on the public comment time frame. We also asked her to help facilitate an extension for the public comment period as we have not yet seen anything posted about it to date. We noted that the response did not include anything that specifically addressed access or parking on Graylyn and let her know we had suggested solutions. We are awaiting her reply.

Read This- Very Important!!

2008-03-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago the Access Umstead Committee contacted Rep Jennifer Weiss about the parking and access issues surrounding Umstead Park. She replied that a meeting had been held with DENR and DOT to discuss our petition and that these State Depts had been actioned to come up with a plan to address the situation. We did not hear anything more until last week when we contacted Rep Weiss via email and requested an update. Below is her reply:

Set forth below are communications I have received from NCDENR and DOT in response to our meeting. I have asked for a progress report from DENR and DOT. I hope this information is helpful.

The Division of Parks and Recreation is developing a strategy for identifying additional access options, increasing opportunities for public use and addressing transportation and park management issues.

Our first step will be to work cooperatively with the city of Raleigh and the Department of Transportation to develop recommendations regarding oversight and responsibility for Graylyn Drive, safety concerns and potential improvements for Ebenezer Church Road, park access at the park entrance on N.C. 70 and public transportation in the area. Additionally we will seek to find a cooperative resolution to access and parking issues related to the Old Reedy Creek Road area with DOT, and the city of Cary.

Once alternatives and proposals have been identified, we will engage the Umstead Coalition and the William B. Umstead State Park Advisory Committee in a thorough evaluation of the options. Upon completion of that review, we will post the alternatives and proposals on the division Web site and request public comments. A copy of the plan will also be made available in the park office. Information about the process and where to send comments will be posted at park access areas. After completion of the public comment period we will update our general management plan for the park and will continue to work with the city and DOT to implement the selected plan as quickly as possible. Our goal is to complete the GMP revision by the beginning of April.

As follow up to our meeting on Umstead Park access, the Dept. of Transportation will take the following actions.

-- Notify the Umstead Park superintendant before doing work on roads that lead up to the park.

-- Conduct a speed study on Ebenezer Church Rd. to see if there is a need to reduce the speed limit.

-- Look at the cost and feasibility of putting a sidewalk along part of Ebenezer Church Rd. on the other side of the ditch away from the road.

-- Coordinate with the Town of Cary on paving Old Reedy Creek Rd., with the intention of delaying that paving until the town establishes a parking lot on that road.

-- Have the bicycle and pedestrian program review the request to include a wide bike/ped lane or a separated bike/ped path when Old Reedy Creek Rd. is paved, including funding options and right of way needs for the extension of the Black Creek Greenway from I-40 to Umstead Park.

In addition, DOT staff contacted the City of Raleigh to inform them of the request to restrict trucks on Ebenezer Church Road.

The city staff person responded that the road is a "no truck"
route and the city will look into the matter.

DOT will continue to work with state parks on these issues, and I will keep you updated on the results of our activities.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Weiss, NC House 35

PLEASE NOTE THAT DOT IS IN THE PROCESS OF EVALUATING ACCESS OPTIONS AND AFTER THIS WILL POST THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THEIR WEBSITE AND AT THE UMSTEAD PARK OFFICE. IT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY. MOST LIKELY IT WILL BE YOUR BEST AND POSSIBLY LAST CHANCE TO INFLUENCE DOT AND THE PARK.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE COMMENT PERIOD WILL CLOSED BY THE BEGINNING OF APRIL. THIS IS NOT MUCH TIME. HERE IS THE WEB ADDRESS OF DOT: http://www.ncdot.org/. PLEASE VISIT THIS SITE FREQUENTLY. AS SOON AS WE KNOW THAT THE PLAN HAS BEEN POSTED WE WILL POST THAT INFORMATION HERE.

WE HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT THERE ARE SOME INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS WHO VIEW ALLOWING PARKING ON GRAYLYN AND TO A DEGREE OPENING ACCESS TO UMSTEAD PARK QUITE NEGATIVELY. WE MUST RESPOND TO DOT'S RECOMMENDATIONS IN AN OVERWHELMING FASHION!!

Thank you Rep. Weiss for your help.

Thank you petitioners for your continuing support.

Access Umstead Update 3/2/2008

2008-03-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

We've been away for awhile,but, we want you to know that we are working hard on this campaign. Our core group has had several meetings since the beginning of January. We have made contact with some influential people and feel that we are making slow, but, steady progress. We are beginning to understand that this is not something that will be resolved over night. There are a large number of people who have an interest in this effort and we have to deal with each of them individually. Please bear with us. We will keep you informed as much as possible.

We are keeping a list of people who have expressed an interest in helping us. If you want to actively assist us please drop a note to "access_umstead@yahoo.com". Most immediately, if any of you personally know some of our local state reps or Cary officials please contact us.

Thanks for your continuing support.

Your Access Umstead Committee

Still Waiting On Replies/Use Of Petition Comments

2008-02-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

We are sad to report that there are still a number of representatives that have not replied to us regarding the petition. Here are their names and contact information.

Dan Blue danb@ncleg.net
Linda Coleman lindac@ncleg.net
Nelson Dollar nelsond@ncleg.net
Paul Stam pauls@ncleg.net
Vernon Malone vernonm@ncleg.net
Marilyn Avila marilyna@ncleg.net

You should also know that we sent the petition to the Wake County Commissions a week ago and have received not one reply from them. It might be that they feel, like the City Councilmen that they cannot influence the State and therefore it is not necessary to acknowledge receipt of the petition. This might be true, but, if I were a politician, I’d take advantage of any opportunity to communicate with my constituents. If you want to discuss Access to Umstead with the Commissioners, here is their contact information. You can reach Commissioners Paul Coble, Harold Webb, Betty Lou Ward, Lindy Brown, Joe Bryan, Tom Gurley and Ken Gardner at:

www.wakegov.com/commissioners/default.htm

This week one of the petition signers used our petition as a means to publicize his/her petition. This was done without contacting us and may or may not have anything to do with the Access Umstead petition. We discussed deleting this comment, but, for the sake of open communication have decided to leave it. In the future, unless we are first contacted, all comments that are placed on the petition with the intention of publicizing another cause will be removed.

A supporter sent us the following link to Joe Miller's News & Observer blog which contains some interesting information about access to Umstead. Here is the link:

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/joemiller/
index.php?title=update_crabtree_creek_greenway_umstead_p&more
=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

We are making progress. Thanks for your support!

2008-01-29T18:55:00.000-08:00

The Access Umstead Committee had several communications with Rep. Ty Harrell and his assistant Lara Swanson today. This included phone conversations with both.

They wanted us to know that they were completely surprised when told that Rep. Harrell's name was listed on this blog as having not responded to the petition. They had, in fact, replied to an email sent to them on January 9th by one of our more enthusiastic supporters. Since that time have been researching our issue.

We had a good conversation with Rep. Harrell. He seems down to earth and wants to do what is right for all concerned parties. He suggested that we get together to talk and offered several different alternatives for this conversation. He calls one of these a "Community Conversation". This is an informal meeting that takes place on a Saturday and can last for several hours. We are going to accept his invitation and will let all of you know when it is going to take place.

We thank Rep. Harrell for his response and anticipate his active participation in helping us satisfy the goals stated in our petition.

Correction To Yesterday's Post

2008-01-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

We made a mistake yesterday when we reported that Rep. Grier Martin had not replied to our original mailing of the petition. In fact he replied last Saturday and informs us that he supports this effort and is a runner who uses the park frequently.

It is our hope that Rep Martin and his colleagues will act soon to address our issues.

Waiting For Reps' Replies

2008-01-27T09:18:00.000-08:00

It has been ten days since the signed petition was sent to the state Representatives from this area. We have received several replies, most indicating they've made contact with DOT and DENR. We thanked them for their replies and are anxiously waiting for additional feedback. As indicated in a prior blog some positive feedback has been received.

Unfortunately not all representatives have replied/acknowledged receipt of the petition and yesterday we resent the petition to them. Here is a list of those reps that have failed to reply. Their email address is included just in case you want to voice your opinion to them.

Dan Blue danb@ncleg.net
Linda Coleman lindac@ncleg.net
Nelson Dollar nelsond@ncleg.net
Paul Stam pauls@ncleg.net
Vernon Malone vernonm@ncleg.net
Marilyn Avila marilyna@ncleg.net

We, also, sent the petition to several Raleigh City Council Members. A couple replied. We weren't sure they could do anything for us, but, decided to copy them anyway. Here is Philip R. Isley's reply:

I’ve been told by the city that we’ve exhausted our remedies for this situation. We have tried to get the state to modify their plans for parking (or lack thereof) to no avail. I’ll try to get up with some of our local delegation in the NC Legislature to discuss this with them. Unfortunately, the city is not able to do anything about this. Like many things in Raleigh, the State just does not care how actions affect this city.

We think Mr. Isley deserves our thanks for his effort.

This coming week the Committee will follow up with the Representatives who have contacted DOT and DENR for a progress report.

There are more than 1300 signatures on the petition. Thanks for your support.

Positive Feedback From Your Reps

2008-01-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

Today we received some good news from several of the Congress people who were sent the petition. Representative Jennifer Weiss, Representative Deborah K. Ross and Senator Janet Cowell held a meeting and presented your concerns to the DOT and DENR. Here is what Representative Weiss wrote to us:

Thank you again for expressing your concern about access to Umstead Park. Sen. Cowell, Rep. Ross and I met with DENR and DOT today to share your concerns and to talk about ways to increase access to the Park. We have asked DENR to have a public process in connection with a General Management Review of the Park Masterplan and to engage the Park Citizen Advisory Committee and the community in looking at ways to address the desire of park users to preserve the park and increase access to it. We will provide you with additional information in the future.

Regards,

Jennifer Weiss, NC House 35

So we are beginning to be heard.

We'll get information on the General Management Review of the Park Masterplan and the Park Advisory Committee and post it on this blog. If anyone reading this blog has information on the above please email us at access_umstead@yahoo.com or post your comments here.

We also heard from Representative Neal Hunt today who writes that he has contacted DOT and the State Parks and is waiting for their response.

Senator Richard Stevens wrote us today to say that he hopes a parking solution can be found and he will be in contact with the state departments responsible for providing that solution.

On the downside, there are still several Congress people who have not acknowledged receipt of the petition. We'll be writing to them again to ask for their feedback and keep you posted on our progress.

Please continue to publicize our cause. To be successful we must exert thoughtful, considerate and constant pressure. Thanks for your support!

Petitions Delivered...Little Feedback So Far

2008-01-22T04:32:00.000-08:00

The petitions were delivered to various Representatives and others last Thursday and now we wait. So far the number of replies received is disappointing. Although some of you have received individual replies we have heard from only two Reps; Deborah K. Ross and Jennifer Weiss. Others heard from include Mayor Harold Weinbrecht of Cary and Raleigh Council members Rodger Koopman and Philip Isley.

We hope that this lack of feedback is due to the Martin Luther King holiday. If this is the case, feedback should increase significantly today.

On a more upbeat note 1298 people have signed our petition and Joe Miller of the New & Observer discussed our cause and petition in a short column in Sunday's newspaper.

More news to follow.

Thanks for your continued support!

Signed Petition Sent To Your Representatives

2008-01-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

The following letter accompanied the signatures and comments from our petition:

The Access Umstead Committee was formed in response to strong concerns voiced by many Umstead State Park users about the continued loss of safe, convenient access to the park after the elimination of parking at the Reedy Creek Road and Graylyn Drive entrances. With plans to pave Old Reedy Creek Road, its future as an access is deemed uncertain at best. Many Triangle residents feel that their viewpoints went unrepresented as these decisions were being made and that their needs were not considered as these plans moved forward.

We provided an on-line petition as a forum for the public to voice their concerns about the impact that this restricted access to Umstead has had on the local community. In less than a week, the petition, which can be found at www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/609803273, has enabled more than 1100 individuals to voice their concerns about the impact that the restricted access has had on their lives. Most have expressed the need for a reasonable solution for safe, convenient access to the park with restored parking at the Reedy Creek Road and Graylyn Drive entrances and preserved parking at the Old Reedy Creek Road entrance.

Please take the time to review the comments in this petition to learn how residents feel about this issue. They feel ignored and unrepresented and are looking to their elected officials to enable a solution allowing greater access to Umstead in the near future. We look forward to your efforts toward a common sense resolution to this issue and know that the people will remember those representatives who have made a difference.

Access Umstead Committee

Margaret Cooper

Carlton B Cooper Jr

Gary Baum

Paul Fisher

We believe that this signed petition makes a strong case to our elected representatives that something must be done to provide safe and convenient access to Umstead State Park.

We expect to hear something soon from the representatives who received the petition. We will provide you with their feedback as we receive it.

Thank you all for your support!

Contact Your Representative

2008-01-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Access Umstead Committee believes the best way to achieve our goal is by exerting pressure on our public representatives. They rely on you to put and keep them in their current position. If everyone who signed our petition were to write their representative they could not ignore us. As one of you pointed out in a letter, most of them were elected by margins of less than 1000. By numbers alone, we should have quite a lot of leverage. Below is a link to a website with all the representatives information. Please use it and let them know that you insist on the restoration of safe and easy access to Umstead State Park.

copy and paste this link into your browser
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/GIS/Representation/
Who_Represents_Me/Who_Represents_Me.html

House Members Marilyn Avila (District 40) Dan Blue (District 33) Linda Coleman (District 39) Nelson Dollar (District 36) Ty Harrell (District 41) Grier Martin (District 34) Deborah K. Ross (District 38) Paul Stam (District 37) Jennifer Weiss (District 35)
Senate Members Janet Cowell (District 16) Neal Hunt (District 15) Vernon Malone (District 14) Richard Stevens (District 17) Thanks for your continuing support.

Thanks For Your Support

2008-01-13T17:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all those who signed the petition. We reached our minimum goal of 1000 signatures this Sunday afternoon!!

Please continue to tell your friends and acquaintances about the petition because we believe that the more signatures we have the more influence we will have in getting the decision makers to support our goals of safe and easy access to Umstead State Park.

Please Consider The Neighbors

2008-01-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

This morning I met one of my fellow committee members at the main gate of Umstead just before 7 am. Of course it wasn't open , since it wasn't yet 7. We wanted to do an early run, not as early as we might have if the park was still accessible from Graylyn Road, but, early enough. Well, at around 7:10 we got tired of waiting for the ranger to open the gate and headed back to Ebenezer Church Road, with the intention of parking on one of the neighborhood streets. We found spots and no sooner had gotten out of our cars than a resident left her house and met us on the street. She wasn't very happy about us parking on the street and informed us that if we did not leave she was going to call the State Police to have our cars ticketed. She had done this before. Apparently, since the Graylyn entrance had been closed to parking many cars were parking on her street and around the neighborhood. She was clearly upset about this and actually suggested we park in the lot of the church at Ebenezer Church and Graylyn. So it wasn't okay to park on the public road in her neighborhood, but, it was alright for us to park on private property! I started to discuss the situation with her but quickly realized there was no point. So we got back into our cars, found another place to park, and finally went on our run.

Lessons Learned:
1. Other people besides the users of the park are being impacted by the closing of the Graylyn entrance.
2. You can be ticketed on public streets even if there are no "no parking" signs.
3. Don't expect to enter the park through the main Glenwood Road entrance at 7 am.

Welcome To The Access Umstead Blog

2008-01-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

This blog was designed to communicate information from the Access Umstead Committee to all interested parties. Information will be posted whenever something relevant to meeting our goal of restoring safe and easy access to Umstead State Park is achieved.

This blog is available for your comments.

Thank-you for supporting our cause.