week of  2/20/02
 
 
 


Greenway construction to begin
By Don Hendershot
Swain County officials will be seeking more public input on the Swain County/Bryson City Greenway at a public meeting Thursday, Feb. 21, at 5:30 p.m. at the Swain Administration Building.

Work on a 12-mile, $2.7-million greenway along the Tuckasegee River in Swain County is expected to start this summer.

Jason Walls, Swain director of economic development and planning, said the greenway was a project that will allow him to focus on both aspects of his job. Walls once lived in the tiny town of Damascus, Va., (957 permanent residents) where he witnessed the positive economic impact the renowned Virginia Creeper Trail had on that community.

Work on the first phase of the greenway is expected to begin this summer. The work will begin at the public access boat ramp along the Tuckasegee River on old highway 288 just outside Bryson City. This area will be the west end greenway Anchor Park.

Swain County Commissioner David Monteith said county, greenway and TVA officials have agreed to incorporate an old homestead, the Beasley place, into the west end Anchor Park. TVA archaeologists are expected to survey the site in the next week or two. Monteith said the date of construction of the home has not been determined, but it was in use in the early 1900s. The home was abandoned in 1943 as a result of the construction of Fontana Dam.

The proposed greenway will connect the west end Anchor Park at the Old 288 boat ramp to the east end Anchor Park at the TVA/Swain recreation site on the Tuckasegee along U.S. 19. The greenway is divided into five sections, and three phases of construction are planned. The total cost of all three phases of the project, excluding any property acquisition, is estimated at $2,794,000.

The sections are: The Fontana Lake section which begins at the west end Anchor Park. This section will include the old Beasley homeplace, continue along Bryson Walk past the new fishing piers and end as the greenway enters the downtown area at Slope Road.

The Bryson City section begins here. This section will include an on-street bicycle route and a pedestrian route that utilizes the downtown sidewalks. This section will include signage and information kiosks that will guide visitors to local businesses and services. Planners expect phases two and three of the Bryson City section to become the signature circuit of the greenway linking the urban and rural sections.

The trail will exit Bryson City via the River Road section. This section follows River Road eastward to the U.S. 19 bridge at Darnell Farms. The Governor’s Island section starts at Darnell Farms and follows the Tuckasegee River around the agricultural landscape and onto the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian’s historic Kituwah site. Walls said the trail has the blessings of the tribe’s cultural resources office and the tribal business committee.

The greenway will continue to the east end Anchor Park at the TVA/Swain County Recreational Area (this park will serve as the trail head and parking area for the eastern end of the greenway).

Swain County has retained the engineering firm of Rindt-McDuff Associates and the design firm of Jon Benson Associates, to help with the planning and construction of the greenway. According to Walls, Benson and Associate have extensive greenway development experience across the country.

Walls said that greenway construction would not be linear. The county will focus first on those sections where they have permission for the trail. Those sections include Fontana, Governor’s Island and the east end Anchor Park.

“It’s important to create a pilot project and give the people of the community a chance to see the benefits of the trail before we have to start negotiating for right of ways along the privately owned sections,” Walls said.

Greenway officials say the master plan is a “living design” that will be adjusted and updated as opportunities and constraints are encountered during the planning and construction process. Walls encourages the citizens of Swain County to attend the Feb. 21 meeting to learn about the project and offer input.