Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
River Park reports more than 40,000 visitors in 2024 and describes flood damage and improvements
Summary
River Park representative Theresa Bivins told the Cooleemee board the park logged more than 40,000 visitor gate fees last year, used grant funding for trails and facility upgrades, and faces recurring flood-related cleanup and repair costs; seasonal hours run Friday–Sunday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. through March.
Theresa Bivins told the Cooleemee Board of Commissioners that River Park recorded more than 40,000 visitor gate fees in the past year, a tally that helped fund new trails, picnic tables, shelters and restroom renovations.
"The park saw 40K plus visitor’s gate fees the past year," Bivins said, noting grant funding made several improvements possible. She told commissioners that repeated floods during the year created ongoing cleanup needs — sand, fallen trees and litter — and that those cleanup efforts and repairs come with a cost to the park.
Bivins said seasonal hours are Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through March and that additional staffing and maintenance resources have helped the park keep up with wear and flood impacts. She emphasized that while most sand is removed or relocated and debris cleared, those efforts require staff time and funding.
The report was delivered during the public-report portion of the meeting; commissioners did not take separate formal action on the report itself during the session.
