STEELE CREEK NEWS

Grand Opening for Walkers Branch Greenway Trail at RiverGate is October 14

(September 16, 2006) The first section of greenway trail in Steele Creek is now open at RiverGate Shopping Center. It follows Walkers Branch along the northern edge of the center behind Best Buy, Office Max, Marshall's, and PetSmart. It has access points at the sides of Best Buy and PetSmart and at the eastern end of RiverGate Parkway across from Home Depot.

The 10-foot wide asphalt trail is .4 mile long and is complete, accessible and available for walkers, joggers, and bikers. It is the first leg of what community supporters hope will become at 50-mile network of trails throughout Steele Creek.

The trail was constructed by Childress Klein Properties, developer of RiverGate and is the first greenway trail in Mecklenburg County built by a developer.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Department will hold a Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday October 14 at 10:00 at the eastern end of the trail across from Home Depot. County Commissioner Norman Mitchell and other representatives from Mecklenburg County government, Park and Recreation, Childress Klein, and community organizations will be present.

This is your opportunity to learn more about greenway trails. A large turnout will demonstrate support for trails in the Steele Creek community.

A group of local residents has been meeting since the summer of 2003 to promote the development of trails within Steele Creek. The initial emphasis has been on the Steele Creek and Walkers Branch corridors because these are on Mecklenburg County's Master Greenway Plan. The hope is eventually to have a network of trails following stream paths, utility rights of way, and and roadways that will connect residences, schools, businesses, and employment centers throughout Steele Creek.

Supporters have organized as the Steele Creek Community Trail Committee of the Steele Creek Residents Association. Major efforts so far have been to encourage property owners to donate easements along Steele Creek and Walkers Branch for the trail. Mecklenburg County Real Estate Services and the Park and Recreation Department currently are preparing surveys and arranging for transfer of the easements.

If you are interested in becoming involved in this effort, please visit the Steele Creek Community Trail web site and plan to attend the committee's meetings, which are held on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 P.M. at the Steele Creek Athletic Association meeting house at 13530 Choate Circle. Please e-mail the committee at CommunityTrail@SteeleCreekResidents.org to confirm meeting times.

Use the following links to read about the new trail and efforts to develop a network of trails in the Steele Creek area:

• See the article "First portion of greenway open" by Kirsten Valle (August 31, 2006) in Neighbors of Southern Mecklenburg County.
• See the article "Steele Creek forging new path" by Catherine Muccigrosso (June 20, 2006) in Lake Wylie Pilot.