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Davie County parks director reprises master plan and pushes for land acquisition, batting‑cage grant match
Summary
Parks staff urged commissioners to pursue land acquisition for a Northern District destination park, advance a batting‑cage project with two modest grant matches, and consider accessibility and parking tradeoffs at Lake Louise Park.
Parks and recreation staff gave commissioners a multipart update built on the county's comprehensive master plan (adopted April 1, 2024).
The department is prioritizing land acquisition in the Northern District for a specialty, destination park and said it is targeting parcels of roughly 40+ acres. Staff described a batting‑cage capital project currently ranked second by the advisory board and noted applications for two matching grants: a $10,000 North Carolina Amateur Sports Grant and a $15,000 request to the Davie Community Foundation to cover matching funds for batting‑cage equipment. Staff said the advisory board’s ranking and available local matching funds would help the project move forward.
Director also proposed a feasibility study for an aquatic ‘water adventure’ to confirm community needs and options, a study the director estimated could cost about $20,000. Commissioners questioned community access at the Davie Youth Complex and complained a local entity sometimes monopolizes fields; staff agreed to meet with the entity to discuss access policies and suggested a written policy might be needed.
Lake Louise Park: staff reported three RFQ respondents for the Lake Louise site, plan to present a resolution authorizing manager to negotiate a contract at the February board meeting, and described an option to remove a proposed 10‑space parking entry in exchange for recreation elements of roughly equal value in the approved site plan. Commissioners raised safety concerns about siting interactive sensory art near NC‑64 and asked staff to reconsider location further from the roadway.
Why it matters: Park acquisitions and capital projects have long lead times, affect quality of life and tourism, and rely on grant match and capital planning. Commissioners pressed staff to weigh community access and equity when projects use taxpayer‑funded facilities.
Next steps: staff will meet with the entity that administrates community field access to explore policy options, return with additional feasibility study cost detail, and bring an RFQ/contract negotiation resolution for Lake Louise Park to the February business meeting.
