Chris Graham of Davidson Day School talked to the group about the access path next to the school's football field, as Town Manager Leamon Brice listened. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

A new nature preserve off Griffith Street behind Davidson Day School could provide the town’s first public canoe and kayak access to Lake Davidson, as well as a wooded walking trail. Under an agreement hammered out recently between the Town of Davidson and the private school, the new park will occupy about 8 acres off Jetton Street, and be managed by the town.

Also participating in the park project will be the Davidson Lands Conservancy, which has received a $14,000 grant from the REI Foundation for the canoe launch, a short access trail and signs.

The canoe launch and trail would be developed first, using the REI grant and volunteers. REI requires the grant to be spent this year, so the conservancy is planning an October work day to get the project started. (See below.)

To get the project moving, the town first needs a site plan for park. So residents, school and town officials and conservancy members were invited to a planning workshop at the school and the site Tuesday evening. About 35 people showed up at Davidson Day School for the brief meeting and site walk.

Town planning manager Lauren Blackburn told the crowd that the town wants a better idea of how residents might use the park, how far they might be willing to portage their boats and how the trails should be laid out.

The 8-acre park has been on town planning maps since 2004, when developers and the town agreed on the original master plan for the so-called Northeast Quadrant, in the Exit 30 area. The park helps the development meet town requirements for open space and drainage near the lake, she said.

Davidson Day School owns the property, and recently reached a formal agreement with the town that governs park access off Jetton Street and how the park will be developed. Plans call for limited improvements to the site, including a kayak-canoe launch and trails.

As part of the agreement, Davidson Day is keeping 1 acre of the site as a school playground.

At Tuesday’s site walk, participants entered the property through a gate next to Davidson Day’s football field. Chris Graham, the school’s director of facilities explained that the passage is narrow right now, but will be expanded next year. He said the school at the end of this football season will move the football field south about 4 feet, which will both expand the field’s sidelines area and add a bit of space for the access path.

Citizens asked a variety of questions Tuesday, and Ms. Blackburn, parks director Steve Fraher and others tried to provide answers.

• Will the trails be suitable for mountain biking? (No.)
• How will the town regulate the park? (Like all public parks, it will become part of Davidson police department patrols.)
• Will there be a dock or covered gazebo at the water’s edge, as shown in old drawings. (Unlikely, because those structures likely would not be approved by Duke Energy, which regulates the lake.)
• And when might the park be ready? (Davidson Lands Conservancy officials said the money must be spent this year, so winter is a possibility. But other amenities and trails might take years to develop.)

While walking the property, Mr. Fraher pointed out two potential sites for the canoe-kayak launch – one about 700 feet into the woods, and another a bit farther along, but which offers a flat surface to slide boats in to the lake.

In a press release Tuesday night, the Davidson Lands Conservancy said, “Upon completion, volunteers and benefactors will have provided Davidson residents and visitors access to an eight-acre mature woodland jutting into Lake Davidson behind Davidson Day School. The entrance signage, approximately 700 feet of trail, and launch structure will be built by volunteers, along with benches, resting racks, and other trail furnishings.”

The proposed trail would be natural surface, and any structures would be built of recycled and re-used materials. A kiosk off Jetton Street would let passersby know about the preserve.

OCTOBER WORK DAY

As mentioned, Davidson Lands Conservancy is hoping to do most of the work with volunteers. It’s planning a public work day on Saturday, Oct. 23, 8 a.m. to noon, at the site, off Jetton Street. If you’re interested in helping, call the DLC at 704-892-1910 or email dlc@davidsonlands.org

RELATED COVERAGE

Aug. 27, 2010, “Site visit Tues. to plan Lake Davidson Nature Preserve.” – includes an early site plan/map of the site.

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