Council visits Horseshoe

Nature was the star of the show last Wednesday at Horseshoe Farm as Raleigh City Council members toured the 146-acre park.

Mayor Charles Meeker suggested the visit to help the council prepare to make a decision on the park’s plan.

Grasshoppers and crickets jumped with each step into the damp grass. Gnats swarmed around those gathered. Various birds called out in their distinct sounds. A cloud of mist formed in one bend of the site near the densely-wooded forest.

John Connors, a naturalist with the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh, told the council members that all they saw — all of nature there — is part of what makes Horseshoe what it is.

“It’s about the experience visitors have here. Focus

on that,” Connors said.

Groups in favor of keeping Horseshoe mostly natural argue that the current plan would compromise that experience.

The Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board in July recommended adding a community center and two outdoor basketball courts.

Council member Jessie Taliaferro, who represents northeast Raleigh, said she doesn’t understand why both nature and recreation can’t be accommodated at Horseshoe. If the concern is about having an additional building, she said, the recreation center and environmental education center could be combined.

“The big question is where to put (a community center),” Taliaferro said. “If there’s such a push not to put it there, where are we going to put it?”

Taliaferro’s focus is finding a place for active recreation nearby in northeast Raleigh.

“We have not built a community center (in northeast Raleigh) in 32 years,” she said.

The nearest community centers are at Green Road and Millbrook Exchange parks. Millbrook Exchange Park is about 7.42 miles from outer northeast Raleigh, Taliaferro said.

“We build (community centers) to serve a two-mile radius,” she said.

Meeker, who’s leaning toward keeping the park more natural, said he’s concerned about the availability of other appropriate locations for community centers nearby.

Other city park sites they could consider are Sydnor White, Alvis Farm and an unnamed site. All of the sites are within three or four miles of Horseshoe.

The city is also looking at North Wake Landfill, which is owned by the county and will be partially developed into a park when it closes.

Partnerships could play an important role in Horseshoe’s development, Taliaferro said. Wake County, The Trust for Public Land and Triangle Land Conservancy are agencies the city has been in discussion with.

The city could swap open space with Wake County in return for recreational space, Taliaferro said.

Meeker said he’s also concerned with the narrow road leading up to Horseshoe. “Even if you leave the park completely natural, you still have to have (a better road).”

The road is only one of the hurdles city council members will have to cross in making a decision about the park.

“There are certainly some great opportunities on that site. There are also some challenges,” Taliaferro said. “Those are the things we have to weigh out.”