Greenway extension spurs dissent among Gastonia leaders

GASTONIA, N.C.,None — Mike Tate enjoys a nice, relaxing walk as much as the next guy, and says he isn’t against the idea of greenways in principle.

But in a time of nationwide economic strife, the Gastonia resident doesn’t see the logic in the city pumping tens of thousands of dollars into a paved footpath, no matter how picturesque it is.

“I just feel like at this point in time, recreation should take a back seat,” said Tate, who lives on Fifth Avenue in the York Chester district. “In this day of layoffs and unemployment, greenways are just something that need to be put on the back burner.”

In spite of that, the city is moving ahead with a plan to extend its popular Avon/Catawba Creek Greenway. The existing walking and biking trail begins at Lineberger Park and winds along the creek beds to two different points — southeast to Robinwood Road and southwest to Ferguson Park.

The city now plans to spend $71,000 to extend the trail 1,300 feet, or about a quarter of a mile, north along the Avon Creek from Lineberger Park to Third Avenue. The money would be needed to provide local matches for  two recreation grants totaling $85,000 that the city has applied for.

With favorable bids, the city hopes to be able to extend the trail as far as Second Avenue for the total cost of $156,000. It would be in line with Gastonia’s long-range recreation plan, which envisions eventually having a 12-mile greenway and sidewalk system that runs all the way from Martha Rivers Park to Rankin Lake Park and points in-between.

During their most recent January meeting, City Council members voted 4-3 to allow staff to apply for the two critical grants. Planning director Michelle Nance said a decision was needed in time for them to beat the Feb. 1 application deadline.

But Tate, the former campaign manager for recently elected Councilman Jim Gallagher, plans to ask the council to change course during its next meeting Tuesday.

“If we’ve got sidewalks that are already crumbling and torn up, I’d rather see the ($71,000) used to improve those than to build a greenway,” said Tate. “I just think they have their priorities mixed up.”

Sidewalk or greenway?

In May 2010, Gaston County voters rejected a $4.6 million bond referendum for parks and recreation enhancements. But they approved a $27.4 million bond referendum for street and sidewalk upgrades.

To give voters an idea of how it planned to divvy up and spend that street and sidewalk money, the city listed the projects in its long-term plan on the website may4bonds.com. One of the items on that list references spending $71,000 for a “proposed sidewalk project” to help connect Lineberger Park to downtown Gastonia, although it was clear to city staff that wouldn’t pay for the whole connection. Legally, city officials have said that would allow the money to be used for a greenway spur.

During last month’s meeting, Nance and assistant city manager Flip Bombardier told City Council members that the $71,000 was a part of the general obligation bond package that voters approved.

“Because this was a part of the transportation GO bonds that were specific for pedestrian use, it was highlighted as a particular item in the GO bonds,” Nance said.

Council members Brenda Craig, Dave Kirlin and Todd Pierceall voted to apply for the two recreation grants, while Jim Gallagher, Walter Kimble and Porter McAteer voted against it. Mayor John Bridgeman broke the tie in favor of the application because he was under the impression — based on staff explanations — that the city had to follow voters’ wishes in using the $71,000 in bond money for that purpose.

“Time wise, it’s not good,” Bridgeman said of the greenway extension. “The other side of the coin is that it was voted on by the people, which I didn’t realize until tonight. I will vote in the affirmative and my reason is the GO bond.”

City not locked in

But when asked about how closely the city’s hands are tied, City Attorney Ash Smith clarified Wednesday they aren’t.

“City Council would still be able to put that money toward another project,” he said of the $71,000.

The city is legally bound to spend the $27.4 million based only on the wording that appeared on the 2010 ballot, which didn’t spell out specific projects.

“City Council had planned what they were going to spend it on and they’re adhering to that for the most part,” said Smith. “But with any plan, you’ve got to have some flexibility and an ability to reallocate money.”

Pierceall voted to apply for the two greenway recreation grants in part because they will give the city more bang for its buck, allowing extra mileage on the $71,000.

Kirlin agreed it makes sense to do that. The city already owns the unoccupied land in the floodplain along the Catawba Creek where the greenway extension will run, meaning no right of way is required to build. Increasing connectivity by foot would also relieve parking issues at Lineberger Park, he said.

“If you take that $71,000 and put it in another sidewalk project somewhere, you may have some use,” he said. “But you wouldn’t have near the number of footsteps on that sidewalk as on this particular greenway.”

City officials say their conservative estimates are that 7,000 to 9,000 people walk or bike along the existing greenway each week, mainly in the warmer months.

Bombardier said if the city receives the two grants it has now applied for and then turns them down, it could harm future attempts to be considered for such money.

But Tate and other critics point to the expense of building greenways. Nance said building a walking and biking path wide enough for two-way travel can cost $80 to $130 per foot of trail. Greenways often run through sensitive wetlands, making them more complex and expensive than a standard sidewalk.

“Greenways are typically running in and out of the floodplain, but typically $100 per foot is a good estimate for the cost,” Nance said.

Tate said that doesn’t make sense to him. The 2010 bond package was designated for “street and sidewalk” improvements — not for greenways, he said.

“The reason I’m upset about this is I don’t think this is what people voted for,” he said.

WSOC