Almost 20 years ago, Dave Dudek joked that he’d be retired by the time his dream of having a greenway in Waynesville was realized. Dudek was kidding — yes, the project seemed daunting, but no way could it take that long to complete a several-mile path around town.

He had no way of knowing just how right he was.

Dudek, a long-time biology professor at Haywood Community College, retired in July. The first section of the Waynesville Greenway will officially be presented to the public at a ceremony Oct. 4.

The 5.3 mile route — some of it a creekside path of gravel or mulch, but most of it sidewalk — connects businesses, schools and neighborhoods and provides residents with a place to run, bike, fish and enjoy nature.

It also represents what is arguably the largest collaborative effort — and a pricey one — ever conducted in Haywood County.

Construction of the first phase of the greenway began in 2001 and was slated to cost $250,000. That price more than doubled — the end product was completed at a cost of $630,500, and looks much different than the original plans, which called for a path hugging the Richland Creek cooridor.

“Time has proven to provide some difficulties in realizing the original vision,” said Dudek. “It’s been really interesting to see over time how that has evolved.”

Planning. Acquiring easements. Surveys. Contractors. Landscape architects. Everywhere greenway proponents turned, there was something that cost a good chunk of cash.

“This is not a cheap undertaking,” said Tim Plowman, the greenway coordinator for the Town of Waynesville.

“There’s a good deal of money that has to be ready — greenways can be quite expensive,” agreed Dudek.

Greenway hurdles

Convincing landowners to allow public access on their property was one of the biggest challenges, which is one reason so much of the greenway follows sidewalks along the road instead of Richland Creek.

“The folks that provided land are to be applauded,” said Dudek. “Something like this is only going to occur where people welcome it if it involves their land. That’s quite a contribution. Those that may not choose to provide those accesses are understandable.”

In the end, three residents and businesses provided greenway access to their property, and many more did not.

Then there were the floods of 2004. After they hit, the floodplain was reassessed. Consequently, the price of land rose and requirements for building on flood level became stricter, said Plowman. Plans for the greenway had to change. For example, a bridge that would have spanned Richland Creek now had to be built so high above flood level that it became cost prohibitive. The bridge was scrapped.

Construction involving the greenway proved expensive and time-consuming, and the project faced unforeseen costs. Before a sidewalk could be built near Industrial Park Drive along Old Asheville Highway, for example, a 30-foot-high wall the length of a football field was required to stabilize the area. All the while, the price of construction materials skyrocketed, driving the cost of the greenway up further.

It became obvious during the course of the project that the $250,000 — provided through a DOT Enhancement Fund grant and a 20 percent match from the Town of Waynesville, Friends of Richland Creek and the Adopt-a-Trail program — wasn’t going to cut it.

“Finding those sources of funding has been challenging over the years, but we’ve been relatively successful,” Dudek said.

The Pigeon River Fund stepped in with $30,000, and the Tennessee Valley Authority contributed $73,000.

In the last year or so, it became evident that greenway proponents, six years into the project, still only had about half the money needed to complete it. Officials at the state level stepped forward to provide the last piece of the puzzle. Secretary of Transportation Lyndo Tippett approved an $82,500 donation, and Western North Carolina legislators secured $165,000 from the General Assembly.

Through the collaborative effort of people and organizations from all walks of life, the first part of the greenway was finally completed.

“We had a host of folks who were willing to work together, even though they’ve not always done so, for the public good,” said Dudek. “There was private and nonprofit involvement as well. That really is the key to success, though at times it can create a bit of a challenge in terms of moving the project forward.”

The greenway represented a milestone in getting various interests to set their sights on a common goal.

“There are so many stakeholders that have a part to play,” Dudek said. “To bring all those partners to the table and find some common ground is very rewarding.”

Nature on display

Years after the greenway was first proposed, the finished product has stayed true to its original intent — showcasing the natural resources of the area for residents and visitors to enjoy.

The idea for a greenway really began with several volunteers who worked with the Trout Festival, then held in Waynesville.

“We were looking at ways not to just make a one-day festival, but to bring environmental consciousness to counties as best as we could,” said Dudek. “This seemed to be a natural project.”

Today, colorful exhibits along the greenway teach visitors about plants and animals found in and around Richland Creek, which runs alongside the trail. One illustrates where the water in Richland Creek comes from and how it gets to the ocean.

Plowman took great pains to use sustainable practices in constructing the greenway, hoping to encourage others to do the same.

“We want people to enjoy this and feel ownership so that they’ll maintain this,” he said.

The native plants employed for flood and erosion control and landscaping along the first 2,000 feet of the greenway are impressive. Near the parking area, a shallow ditch covered with native grasses, called a “swell,” controls the torrent of water that rolls down the hill from the road when it rains. The swell slows the water, cools it off, and then deposits it into a rain garden filled with native vegetation.

By taking care of the area, Plowman hopes future generations will realize it was important to the people of Haywood County.

“It was important to me to say we had a footprint here that means something to us,” he said.

Future additions uncertain

Original plans for the greenway call for the construction of two more phases. Phase II was proposed to run from the Waynesville Recreation Center to Frog Level and then Hazelwood along Richland Creek. Phase III would continue past the end of South Main Street to the beginning of Old Balsam Road, also along Richland Creek. Eventually, greenway supporters foresaw it connecting to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mountains to Sea Trail.

However, the incredible difficulty in completing the first section of the greenway has made the future phases far less certain.

“So much has happened in the past seven years we’ve been working on this process,” said Plowman. “We are going to go ahead with dedicating this one and we’ll evaluate what our options are for the next phases. We have to go back and look at what’s on the drawing board and see if it’s still viable.”

Dudek believes the next two phases are still possible, but it will get harder to complete them.

“I still think they’re within reason, but as time passes and land parcels are sold and bought, it creates more of a challenge,” he said. “There’s a multitude of people instead of a few landowners, and they’re going to have various opinions and perspectives on their private property.”

For now, locals are enjoying the greenway they do have. John Serenius is one of them. He and his daughter ride bikes from their home near the Lake Junaluska golf course to Main Street, where they stop for a candy and coke at Mast General Store before heading home. On Sundays, Serenius and his wife hang out at Blue Ridge Books and News downtown and Serenius jogs home along the greenway afterward.

“I waited for years for them to build something like this,” he said. “I was very excited when it opened up.”

(To comment on this story email julia@smokymountainnews.com)

Funding the greenway

Where the money came from to build the Waynesville Greenway.

$250,000 – DOT enhancement fund grant

$15,000 – Town of Waynesville

$10,000 – Friends of Richland Creek

$5,000 – Adopt-a-trail program

$30,000 – Pigeon River Fund

$73,000 – TVA

$82,500 – NC Secretary of Transportation

$165,000 – General Assembly

Want to go?

The public is invited to a dedication for the Waynesville Greenway at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4. The ceremony will be held at the South Lake Shore Drive entrance across from Lake Junaluska. Parking is limited, so meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Bojangles parking lot to take a shuttle to the site.