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Parks & Recreation: 1.9 million annual visits, greenway expansion and new park projects highlighted
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Summary
Parks staff reported 1.9 million visits to town parks in 2025, growth at Rosedale and Bradford Park, new greenway counts, tree planting partnerships, and several capital projects including a 1st Responders Park and greenway tunnel feasibility work.
Parks staff presented metrics and projects at the Jan. 30 retreat, noting heavy use of town parks and multiple development and maintenance projects underway.
Speaker 8 reported 1.9 million park visits in the 2025 reporting year and said Bradford Park led with approximately 552,000 visits. Rosedale Nature Park attendance doubled since opening, increasing 23% year‑over‑year. Parks staff said program wait lists exceed 1,100 participants across nearly 100 programs.
On greenways, early counts from three sensor sites over a four‑month period recorded roughly 29,000, 32,000 and 24,000 passes respectively; parks staff expect annual counts to grow as more data are collected. The department described partnerships with TreeCharlotte (179 trees planted in one event) and multiple CRTPO and state grant awards supporting greenways, tunnels and non‑motorized projects.
Capital projects in planning or construction include a new First Responders Park (state grant supported), the North Mac Park greenway, splash pads and Holbrook Park expansion concepts (raised canopy walk and passive amenities). Parks staff said many greenway projects are multi‑partner and multi‑year and will require easements and right‑of‑way work.
What’s next: staff will continue design and grant work, provide project sheets to the board, and advance joint‑use agreements with local schools to expand indoor space for recreation programs. No formal votes were recorded in the transcript excerpt.
