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OBSERVATIONS
January 28, 2021 |
 |
 Wingate Lassiter |
COVID pandemic has pushed people
to partake of our parks --- a good thing
I read that North Carolina's state parks saw a record-setting surge in visitors during 2020. No surprise there. One thing the coronavirus pandemic didn't shut down was people's ability to get outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. With few places to go this past year, public parks relieved our wanderlust.
Smithfield's greenway along the Neuse River got a noticeable boost. I've never seen so many cars parked down near the boat ramp --- any time of day, any day of the week. Same thing at Community Park.
All that makes it easier for our elected officials to appropriate more of our tax dollars for parks and recreation improvements. And they appear to be doing just that.
Pictured below are several examples of recent Smithfield projects --- none of them costly, yet all of them useful new assets.
Last week the County Commissioners got an update from Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail about efforts to expand hiking opportunities in our neck of the woods. Specifically, they talked about plans to extend a relatively new section of the cross-state trail to link up three outdoor attractions in Bentonville Township: the Civil War Battlefield, the Boy Scouts' Camp Tuscarora, and Johnston Community College's Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center.
I'm hoping we'll get more news from that organization shortly about efforts to extend the Neuse River Greenway Trail from Clayton to Smithfield. That will be a treasured asset for bicyclists as well as pedestrians.
Meanwhile, we can continue to enjoy Smithfield's Buffalo Creek Greenway. I was glad to hear at a recent Town Council meeting that its course won't be altered by the upcoming project to expand the Water Treatment Plant.
Granddaughter Ella Claire tries out newly installed exercise equipment at the DAV Fitness Trail beside Community Park as Grandmother Susan offers encouragement.
An Appearance Commission project has added a picnic landing complete with flagpole overlooking the boat ramp on the Town Commons beside the river.
The new "splash pad" is finished at the site of the abandoned swimming pool across from Smith-Collins Park. Now all we need is warmer weather to turn on the water.
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