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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for your consideration and support of this matter.

Margaret Cooper
Access Umstead

Info from PAC meeting

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

change in March meeting for Umstead PAC

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

still waiting for information

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

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

Run Bike Umstead

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

Raleigh's comprehensive bike plan

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

Parking ban at Reedy Creek and Trenton

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

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

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