Greenway Conversations

There’s a new park going in next to the Plant.  It will cover both our southern and western edges.

It’s the result of a deal the Town of Pittsboro did with developers.  Along with it comes 1100 townhomes and apartments from the north side of the Plant out to 64 business.

I’m on the steering committee for the new park.  Which means I now spend my days looking at maps and getting Thomas to create new maps for me.  My satchel is full of maps.

Of late, I seem to be spending my time discussing “Greenways.”  Call it Tree Museum “Mission Creep.”

Today Pittsboro has a wonderful greenway segment that goes from 15-501 across from the laundromat below Horton Middle School, over to Small St., where it pops out by Melinda’s Country Farm and Home.

There is another segment being added that will extend the greenway to the Chatham County Fair Grounds, where Habitat for Humanity is building a 72-unit project. 

There is a third segment needed to connect the Fair Grounds to the new park.

That’s where I am right now.  With this third segment, Pittsboro will have bikeable connectivity to the new park and the Plant.  Without it, we will have a park that no one can get to except by car. 

I am having lots of conversations. There are two kinds of towns in this world:  cool towns that have greenway connectivity, and uncool towns that don’t.  This is our chance to be a cool town.  This needs to happen.

One of my conversations was with Josh.  He’s the chair of the Pittsboro Parks Advisory Board.  After a mapping session with him, he invited me to present my vision at the West End Restaurant on Wednesday, August 27 from 9:00-10:00.

Looks like I’m headed back to the “Speaker Circuit.”  I’m going to get one of those metal “antenna” pointers for the occasion. 

And I would like to invite you.  Anyone that reads a Tree Museum Blog surely wants to go to coffee/breakfast info session at West End.  I’ll bring the map. And the pointer.  Join me?