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McDowell Trails Association asks county to set aside Universal Park for phased trail development
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Summary
Steve Pierce told commissioners stakeholders and McDowell Trails Association want Universal Park dedicated for outdoor recreation; the board signaled support and approved a motion to capture the vision and partner on future planning.
Steve Pierce, speaking for the McDowell Trails Association, asked the McDowell County Board of Commissioners to designate Universal Park as a permanent outdoor-recreation area and to partner with the association on phased trail development.
Pierce described the park’s assets — roughly 300 acres, two ponds, and varied topography — and sketched a phased plan that would prioritize planning, parking and access, trail connections to McDowell Tech and regional paths, disc-golf upgrades and eventual amenities such as picnic shelters and an amphitheater. He said the MTA has collected stakeholder letters of support and has applied for planning grants, including a Duke Energy Foundation planning grant and a T-Mobile grant for disc-golf improvements.
County Manager Wooten and other commissioners asked whether the park designation would conflict with industrial development; staff said the ponds must remain for fire suppression and that the proposed park area would not conflict with the county’s industrial sites. Pierce said MTA is not requesting county funds at this time and plans to pursue grants and fundraising; the association asked for county endorsement and partnership.
The board took a motion and second to support the concept and to proceed with the planning partnership. Chair thanked Pierce and supporters for the presentation.
Provenance: Presentation began SEG 279; motion and board agreement recorded SEG 568–572.
