. March 29 & 30, 2006
- Cherry
Touching Tomorrow Today
Page 5A
Parks and recreation enrich Belmont residents
By ALAN HODGE
All work and no play
makes Jack, Jane, and/or off-
spring dull folks. Thankfully,
Belmont has always had
plenty of places to recreate in
the past, and hopefully the
future will hold more of the
same. ;
The crown jewel of the
Belmont Parks and
Recreation system is Stowe
Park. Located right in the
heart of downtown Belmont,
this 10-acre oasis of relax-
ation opened on July 4, 1951
to much fanfare.
Amusements included a full-
sized Ferris wheel, musical
carousel, concession stand,
and stage where shows by
such luminaries as ‘the
singing cowboy’ Fred Kirby
could perform.
Topping it all off was a
miniature train that gave
kids a ride around the park,
across a bridge and through’
a tunnel. Dignitaries that
rode the train on opening
day included Robert L.
Stowe, Jr., Miss Belmont
Novella Cloninger, former
N.C. gubernator R. Gregg
and Harley B.
Expanding
schools to
meet needs
By ALAN HODGE
Like the lady who lived in
a shoe, local schools have so
many children they don’t
know what to do. But offi-
cials are trying to figure out
a solution.
Taking the number of
homes coming to Belmont in
_ the foreseeable future, local
schools of all grade levels
could need space for as
many as 1,200 new students.
Relief for over crowded
schools in the area could
come in the form of a bond
referendum. On Jan. 26,
Gaston County Board of
~ Commissioners voted to put
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$148.7 million worth of edu-
cation bonds on the
November ballot. Gaston
College has asked for $23.7
: million, and Gaston County
Schools is looking for $125
million.
If the bonds pass, six new
! schools are slated to be built
in high growth areas, includ-
: ing Belmont. The break-
down of proposed schools is
as follows: one new high
i school, two middle schools
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and three elementary
schools at sites still to be
determined.
“If I had my choice of a
site for a new high school it
would be in the middle of I-
85 between Belmont and
Mount Holly,” said School
Board Member Kevin Collier
who lives in Mount Holly.
A preliminary search for
new school building loca-
tions in Gaston County
turned up 490 potential sites
for elementary schools, 152
for middle schools and 31
for high schools.
Some people feel failure to
pass the bonds will send a
negative message to firms
and families who are eyeing
the area.
“Folks will turn away if
the bonds don't pass,” said
Belmont Central Elementary
Principal Julius Barkley.
The issue of overcrowding
schools isn’t a new or sur-
prising issue. In late 2005,
i Gaston County Schools set
: up a Capacity Committee to
i study the impact increasing
! population numbers cur-
: rently have and will have on
the local educational system.
The research and report,
headed up by the GCS
System’s Operation Director
Kristine Spivey, pointed to a
“capacity dilemma.”
Some schools are already
getting a relief from the
space issue. .
Construction of a new
classroom addition has been
completed at Catawba
Heights Elementary.
Building renovation projects
at Page Elementary and
Belmont Central are under-
way with projected comple-
tion dates of Fall 2006.
Page Elementary principal
Mark Fisher says the new
building on his campus will
have nine classrooms -
enough for around 200 more
students on top of the exist-
ing 250.
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Gaston, Sr.
Within six years of its
opening Stowe Park had seen
around 150,000 visitors. All
was not rosy though, since
some folks objected to the
noise the merrymaking
caused. Besides the ruckus
factor, the fact that the park
was open to African-
Americans only on Tuesdays
was another source of
debate. The ensuing protests
and rows caused the park to
close in 1965.
In 1978, Stowe Park was
given to the City of Belmont
by Robert L. Stowe, Jr.-
minus the rides and train.
Nonetheless it was a green
space in the city that would
not only be reborn as a recre-
ation area, but as a gathering
place for festivals and cele-
brations such as the annual
Garibaldifest.
Today, things are looking
up even more for Stowe
Park. Plans are in the works
for a 900 sq. ft. dedicated
restroom and concession
building paid for in part by
money raised by the Belmont
Rotary Club. Other upgrades
the park will see includes
renovation of the upper ath-
letic field with lights and
drainage improvements, a
sand volleyball court, and a
new 30x60-foot picnic shel-
i fer.
Besides the Stowe Park
project, Belmont Parks and
Recreation Department is
also in the midst of a 10-year
plan to improve current
recreational facilities and
Stowe Park in Belmont
build more for the city’s
growing population. The
road map for this journey
was drawn up by Charlotte-
based consultants Site
Solutions in 2003.
The study suggested
improvements in existing
park facilities and where new
ones need to be built. Ideas
included jogging trails, an
equestrian trail, a new field
INFRASTRUCTURE
nuts & bolts of growth
By ALAN HODGE
No doubt there are many
pipe dreams connected with
Belmonts explosive growth-
and a lot of them are of the
sewer and water variety.
Since folks these days are
loathe to carry water from a
well for cooking and wash-
ing, or make a trip to the
‘house of office’, the
increased need for
water/sewer infrastructure
is at the top of the list of
things Belmont is facing.
Currently, Belmont pro-
vides around 9,000 individu-
als with water and sewer
service. The water treatment
plant on 10th Street cleanses
10 million gallons per day of
drinking water and five mil-
lion gallons per day of waste-
water.
A Local Water Supply
Plan study done by the city
in 2002 showed an average of
2.5 million gallons per day of
water use with a maximum
of 4.0 million gallons per day.
Wastewater - flow figures
were 1.8 million gallons per
day.
An important factor in
considering current use is the
fact that since 2002 several
industrial water users have
gone out of business or left
town, thereby reducing to
some degree the amount of
water the city has been sell-
ing- and the amount of rev-
enue Belmont has been tak-
ing in from those fees. In
April 2004 the Belmont city
council approved a special
rate for heavy industrial
users in an attempt to keep
companies such as Spartan
Dyers from pulling up
stakes.
One of the biggest devel-
opments in Belmont’s infra-
structure are the new water
and sewer lines going down
South Point Road. In August
2004, an 800-foot section of
sewer pipe was laid from the
new South Point:Ridge sub-
division and tied in with an
existing line on Stowe Rd.
South Point Ridge was under
construction at that time and
projected to have 200 homes
when completed. It’s located
right behind South Point
High School. A report done
by the engineering consult-
ants ARCADIS estimated
nearly 77,000 gallons of
wastewater would come
from the development each
day. .
In November 2004 work
started on a 12-inch water
line from near Henry's
Chapel Road south to the
upscale: Reflection Pointe
gated subdivision. The line,
which was completed late
last year, is around 3 miles
long and cost nearly $2 mil-
lion and was paid for by the
developers. Also part of the
equation is the possibility of
a one million gallon water
tank at the corner of Henry's
Chapel Road and South
Point Road. Cost of the tank
will be $1.8 -2 million.
But Reflection Pointe is
just the tip of the iceberg as
far as the future of develop-
ment on South Point Road
goes. The Belmont Peninsula
Water and Wastewater
Master Service Plan done by
ARCADIS had some interest-
ing figures. The study esti-
mated that by the year 2055,
the entire South Point
Peninsula, bordered by the
South Fork and Catawba
rivers, on the east, west and
south and the city proper on
the north, would be totally
‘built out’ by the year 2055.
Based on an average popu-
lation rise of 3 percent a year
starting in 2003, the 4,600
undeveloped acres down
that way would see as many
as two dwelling units per
acre. With at least three peo-
ple in each household and
most likely at least two vehi-
cles the mathematical equa-
tion means a lot of people
needing a lot of water and
sewer service. To whit— by
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build out in 2055 the penin-
sula alone would need over 6
million gallons of water
every day. Nearly twice what
the entire City of Belmont
uses today.
Besides water lines, sewer
pumping stations will also be
needed on the South Point
Peninsula. ARCADIS recom-
mended a dozen developer-
built wastewater pumping
stations along the western
and southern side of the
peninsula. A city built
regional pumping station
was also proposed.
Besides development on
the peninsula, another subdi-
vision in town will call for
beefing up of the city’s infra-
structure. Located on the site
of the former Eagle Mill on
Eagle Road, the Eagle Park
development is slated to be a
mixed use development with
around 150 single family lots,
a like number of townhous-
es, and a mix of retail and
other living spaces.
The development is
expected to flow an average
of about 120,000 gallons per
day of wastewater.
To help process the flow
from all those houses, the
City of Belmont is upgrading
its wastewater treatment
plant with a new administra-
tive office building. The
eight-decade-old Water
Treatment Plant is also get-
ting attention in terms of
repair and renovation.
City of Belmont Public
Works ~~ director David
Isenhour sees challenges
ahead but thinks planning
carefully can address them.
“One of our goals for the
future is getting gravity fed
sewer service to all citizens
along South Point Road,”
said Isenhour. “Another will
be construction of the water
tower. The land has been
purchased and engineering
drawings completed.
Hopefully, construction can
begin next year.”
From the Cherry Ben
[¥0) the New Years NTS
© aan | Sa star m
North Carolina's crown!
for football and soccer, base-
ball/softball field, swim-
ming pool, several miles of
walking trails and a new 30-
50 acre community park near
N.C. Hwy, 273. Also on the
wish list was a 25,000 sq. ft.
community building to
replace the aging J. Paul Ford
building on Woodlawn
Avenue where Belmont
Parks and Recreation cur-
rently has its offices.
An especially interesting
prospect is construction of a
park on the Catawba River
near the Hwy. 29/74 bridge
and Catawba Street. The
park could feature a bridge
to an island in the cove as
well as fishing and picnick-
ing areas.
At the time of the Site
Solutions report, the cost of
everything they said the city
needed was around $9 mil-
lion.
Recent approval of a
$235,894 grant from the
North Carolina Department
of Environment and Natural
Resources will help with the
bills. The grant had been
approved in August 2005.
The most the City of Belmont
could have asked for with
that particular grant was
$250,000.
Besides recreational
opportunities in the city of
Belmont, the U.S. National
Whitewater Center project
under construction across the
Catawba River will not only
give local folks an outlet for
their energies, but put $35
million into the local econo-
my as well. The park is also
expected to create several
hundred jobs directly or indi- °
rectly.
At a press conference
held Now. 2, 2005 in Belmont,
Whitewater Park officials
laid out plans and projec-
tions for the place.
“People will come from
all over the Southeast,”
Whitewater Park director Jeff
Wise said. “It will be an excit-
ing, vibrant place.”
Besides a man-mad
whitewater rapids river, the
center will also have over 11
miles of trails for hiking and
- biking, a 20,000 sq. ft. lodge
with restaurant and a retail
shop, and a boathouse on the
Catawba for kayaking, fish-
ing and canoeing.
Ob - jec - tive
Not influenced by emotion or
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Unbiased financial advice
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100 Glenway St, Suite J
Belmont, NC 28012
(704) 825-3939
www.vandermeid.com
todd@ipl.com
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