Tuesday evening the Wake Forest Town Board agreed the Greenway Advisory Board could proceed with plans for soft – i.e., unpaved with minimal clearing – trails built by volunteers to augment the town’s program of building wide paved greenways.
The greenway board’s first priority was not presented, member Jan Ammons told the mayor and commissioners, because of some unresolved easement issues.
However, priorities two and three will help to relieve a strongly felt need – ways to allow neighboring children to walk to the three Heritage schools.
Priority #2 would be a half-mile trail south along Smith Creek from Rogers Road next to Heritage Middle and Elementary schools to the Heritage High campus, the park and ball fields near Sanford Creek and end at Forestville Road. A bridge over Smith Creek would give access to Foundation Drive and the high school buildings.
Priority #3 would connect with the Smith Creek trail at two points and loop next to Sanford Creek and through the Thornrose subdivision.
Soft trails will provide access now and could link the town in the future, Ammons said. At the present rate of greenway construction, it will take 112 years to pave all the greenway trails the town has in its plans.
“We’re ready. We feel like we’ve done our homework. We’ve hiked those trails. We know who owns them,” Ammons said.
Although there were a couple questions about accessibility and access in case of injury, the board agreed the greenway board can proceed with the trails. There are soft trails already in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham, Greensboro, Wake County, and state parks. Ammons said there are miles and miles of soft trails around Falls Lake.
The commissioners and mayor also heard from six people who have applied to become members of advisory boards, five who were interested in the parks and recreation board and one who was interested in either the human relations council or parks and recreation.
The town board will appoint the one new member to each advisory board at its regular meeting Tuesday, Sept. 21.