Commissioners agree to pursue state lease for Indoor Iron Furnace park; advocates push to finish process

Supporters of a proposed Indoor Iron Furnace River Park rallied at Monday’s Lee County Board of Commissioners meeting and the board voted to continue work on a state lease so the county and project partners can pursue funding and move toward a site master plan.

Public advocacy and project status

Dozens of speakers — including every organized parks and conservation group represented at the meeting — urged the board to approve county participation in a lease for the roughly 426‑acre Indoor Iron Furnace property on the Deep River. Speakers said the site would add hiking and biking trails, blue‑way river access, historical interpretation and recreational opportunities that could attract out‑of‑county visitors and advance a connected Deep River State Trail.

Chad Spivey, who led an extended public presentation for supporters, asked commissioners to allow the parks group to continue working with state agencies and the county so a lease can be negotiated. Other presenters — including trail advocates, paddling business owners and historic‑preservation volunteers — emphasized the time‑sensitive nature of available grants and said much of the pre‑acquisition work is complete.

County process and board action

County staff said the property requires a state lease because of its historic designation; N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources will provide a template once government operations and Council of State approvals advance at the state level. The county’s attorney and Trustwell‑style negotiating counsel will then review and negotiate a site‑specific lease. Staff and advocates said the lease discussion is the step needed to access grant programs such as “Year of the Trail” funds and other sources.

The board voted to move forward with the lease process and asked county legal to participate in review and negotiation. Commissioners and staff said a final lease would be returned to the board for approval; only after a lease is in hand would county staff pursue a site‑specific master plan and detailed cost estimates for park improvements.

Numbers and next steps

Speakers and volunteer groups said the project is roughly 95% of the way through earlier steps and that roughly $65,000 in private and grant funds has been invested in planning, archaeological studies and site stabilization to date. County staff and advocates said the next steps include obtaining the state lease template, negotiating a draft lease with state counsel, then commissioning a master plan that would provide construction and maintenance cost estimates and form the basis for grant applications.

Commissioners framed the vote as authorization to continue negotiations and to bring the lease back to the full board for final approval; they did not authorize any county appropriations at Monday’s meeting.