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Concord opens McEachern Greenway Connector

Photo by James Nix

Concord Resident Cary Gluf walks along the new McEachern Greenway extension near downtown Concord Tuesday afternoon.

By Karen Cimino Wilson | Independent Tribune

Published: July 1, 2009

Walkers and joggers came out Tuesday to enjoy the newest section of McEachern Greenway, which local leaders officially opened Monday evening.

The Downtown McEachern Greenway Connector cost about $1 million to complete and connects downtown Concord near the post office on McCachern Boulevard to McGee Park.

It adds about 0.52 miles to the McEachern Greenway, which is 1.5 miles total, and is the last funded section of greenway in the city's current plans. But parks and recreation officials said they continue to look for funding and new greenways to develop.

The McEachern Greenway Connector was funded by the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, which provides dollar-for-dollar matching grants to local governments for parks and recreational projects to serve the public. N.C. Department of Transportation grants were also used for the
project.

Concord resident Cary Gluf, who started using the connector before it was paved, said he's happy the new section is complete. Gluf said he thinks the new section is a good addition to the City of Concord's greenway system.

The entire Downtown Greenway loop is now four miles and is marked by brick pavers along Union Street and Lawndale Avenue, according to city officials.

"We find a lot of walkers and a lot of families use the path," said Bob Dowless, the city's parks and recreation director.

"This addition to the greenway system focuses on preserving the natural setting," Dowless said. "We used boardwalk to keep the integrity of the area sound. Any number of birds or wildlife can be seen regularly in the greenway area.

Dowless said the project creates a "serene oasis for people working and living in downtown to just get away and have quiet, reflective time in addition to the active exercise component."

A unique feature of the McEachern Greenway Connector is its five exercise stops. They offer greenway users tips and directions for stretching and strengthening as well as muscle building devices to use at intervals along the path.

Dowless said the exercise equipment and signs were an idea from a greenway in South Carolina.

"A lot of seniors use them from what we were hearing," Dowless said.

About 60 people attended the opening ceremony for the Downtown McEachern Greenway Connector in addition to Mayor Scott Padgett, Council Members Jim Ramseur, Ella Mae Small, David Phillips, Al Brown, Jr., and Lamar Barrier, former Mayor Harold B. McEachern, the Concord Parks and Recreation Greenway Advisory Committee members, county commissioners, associates of the Hartsell and Williams PA who own the adjacent property.

"The quality of life is definitely increased by the greenway both physically and mentally with greater access to nature," Padgett said during the opening ceremony. "I have walked this greenway several times and am always amazed at how many people use it to walk or run, ride their bike, or just spend family time with their children."