What's Happening in Gastonia, NC…

A popular Gastonia recreational trail is receiving a grant of $300,000 that will make parking prior to exercising more convenient.

The present parking arrangement is less than ideal at the Avon/Catawba Creek Greenway. Lineberger Park visitors wishing to reach the greenway trail are forced to cross Garrison Boulevard. Doing this involves either having to dodge fast-moving traffic or walk under the busy road via a tunnel that commonly is obstructed with sandy pockets of water.

These obstacles make accessing the trail difficult and sometimes impossible for mothers with strollers and the elderly. However, with the David Belk Cannon Foundation grant of $300,000, a 40-space parking lot will make the greenway trail much more accessible and enhance Lineberger Park.

A 1.1–acre lot at Fern Forest Drive and the southeast corner of Garrison Boulevard, already owned by the city, will be used for the new parking area. The lot had long been considered for this purpose but the funds to go ahead with the project could not previously be found.

Once city engineers draw up plans for the lot, which will include amenities beyond mere parking spaces, the project can get underway. Brochure printers could assist the city in informing the public when the parking lot is completed, as well as promoting the park and the health-related recreational options it provides.