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Residents and business leaders push for safer trail access and outdoor-economy support
Summary
During public comment at the June 3 Hickory City Council meeting, a neighborhood group and a business development chair urged city leaders to improve trail access and continue building an outdoor-recreation economy tied to the Hickory Trail and business recruitment efforts.
At the start of the June 3 meeting, Jacob Beaver, speaking for a community group called Hickory PATHS (Pedestrian Access, Transportation, and Health and Solutions), urged the council to improve access to the Hickory Trail and make streets safer for walking and cycling.
"We are a community group made up of Hickory residents who care deeply about safety, connection, and mobility for everyone," Beaver said. He told the council that more than 130 residents have completed a street-safety survey conducted by PATHS and that "nearly 80% said they feel unsafe walking or cycling on their streets," while "nearly 90% of surveyed residents said they would use the Hickory Trail more often if there were safer and easier ways to access it." Beaver asked the council to consider PATHS as a partner in linking residents’ experiences to city planning.
Doug Auer, nearing the end of his term as chair of the Hickory Business Development Committee, thanked the council and staff and highlighted local efforts to grow an outdoor-recreation economy. Auer said Hickory was designated a "core community" by the North Carolina Department of Commerce three years ago for creating outdoor recreation economies and said the committee has worked with the city and the Asheville-based Outdoor Business Alliance to recruit and support outdoor businesses.
Neither comment involved a formal council action. City leaders did not take votes on the specific requests during the meeting; Beaver and Auer were given time during the public-comment portion of the agenda.
