Commissioners press for Kannapolis's intent as Vietnam Veterans Park lease nears expiration

Parks staff urged the board to seek written clarity from the City of Kannapolis about the future of Vietnam Veterans Park after staff said the site's lease is expiring and the city recently connected its Greenway to the park.

Byron Hagler summarized park amenities (two playgrounds, four shelters, a 1.23-mile perimeter trail, a 9-hole disc golf course and a dog run) and reported heavy usage: staff cited roughly 268,000 participants at the park in fiscal year 2025 and a countywide parks participant total of more than 730,000 from July through January. Hagler said Kannapolis's Greenway now connects to the park (a 24/7 connection), increasing cross-jurisdictional access and reinforcing the need to clarify long-term operations and maintenance responsibilities.

Commissioners asked whether the city intended to take over the facility and what timeline the city envisioned. Parks staff said the county has historically expected Kannapolis to assume operations at some point but that the county requires a formal statement of intent—whether imminent or years away—to plan land-management and budget implications. Staff said they had sent an inquiry to Kannapolis staff and would follow up with the city manager and city council as needed.

One commissioner said that if Kannapolis were willing to take over operations that would likely be the preferred outcome; others asked staff to present potential transition scenarios and lease details at a future meeting. Staff said they will return with Kannapolis' response and recommendations regarding the lease and next steps before the lease deadline.