Pittsboro Parks Blog

Environmental Volunteer Day - Jan 28, 2012

2012-01-24T14:04:00.000-05:00

Click the graphic above for a larger image.

On January 28 from 10AM to 3PM Pittsboro Parks is partnering withthe Pittsboro Elementary School Environmental Committee to remove invasiveplant species along the trail connecting Town Lake Park and the PittsboroElementary School Campus. The trial will be widened in the process to make itfeel safer and to facilitate easier pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

All of this comes about as a result of a grant from the ChathamCounty Soil & Water Conservation Department to the Pittsboro ElementarySchool to build a small outdoor classroom. This workday will lay the groundwork for this future classroom andstrengthen the ties between the school and the park.

I’ve been impressed with the initiative and passion of KarindaRoebuck and Louise Hobbs. with the schools environmental committee and with the education outreachwork being done by Soil and Water Conservation district, particularly the workof Amanda Sand. These folks initiatedthe outdoor classroom project and have been recruiting volunteers through theschool’s PTA. Kudos to allinvolved. The PittsboroSkatepark Group has offered assistance as well, so hopefully we’llget a good turnout.

Town Lake Park has had some aquatic and terrestrial invasiveplant clearing done fairly recently, thanks to the Karen Hall and the Robeson Creek Watershed Council. That clearing was done as part of the ongoing wetland restoration project at the park; but much work remains to be done. Invasive, non-native plant species such as Elaeagnus Umbellata (Autumn Olive) and Ligustrum Vulgare (Privet) are rampantthroughout the park, choking out native plants and limiting biodiversity whichadversely affects the habitat. Theseplants also comprise much of the understory of the park--clear unobstructedviews along trails help people feel intuitively safer. One of the best quick reads on invasive plantspecies I’ve found is at the USNational Arboretum website.

For the January 28 workday, volunteers will easily uproot theplants with a great tool called an extractigator. There are other similar tools under various trade-names but this is theone I’m most familiar with. It’s provento be very effective against Elaeagnus and Privet up to about 2 inches indiameter, even the multi-trunked ones which are so prevalent around here. Recent wet weather will have softened thesoil and make the job much easier. Thisis the perfect time to work on this kind of project. Other noxious plants such as poison ivy aredormant and the weather is cool enough to reward strenuous activity.

Please bring work gloves and hand clearing tools such as clippersor pruners and/ or digging tools such as post hole diggers, shovels or mattocks. Please come on out and help with theproject! A fun time should be had by alland you’ll be supporting both the Parks and the Pittsboro Elementary School.

UPDATE!

Al Cooke, our County’s outstanding and knowledgeable Agricultural ExtensionAgent and member of the Grand Trees of Chatham Board will provide a 10-15minute talk on invasive species with identification tips and a question andanswer period. Anyone transitioningtheir properties back into greater balance by removing invasives should come come for this.

Tree Book by Local Artists

2012-01-21T12:34:00.000-05:00

I just learned about this beautiful tree book at the last Grand Trees of Chatham board meeting. Trees, by Shelly Hehenberger features work from 30 local artists (Chapel Hill - Carrboro) illustrating a poem exploring the meaning of trees. Proceeds support the Haw River Association which is committed to protecting the water quality of the Haw River and Jordan Lake. It’s great for readers of all ages.

Robeson Creek Greenway

2012-01-16T18:31:00.000-05:00

The sign is up for the New Robeson Creek Greenway! The basic corridor is open, and although there is more work to be done, folks are using it, so I suppose the greenway is officially open. The corridor stretches from Sanford Road and runs about 1,200 feet to a spot near the intersection of Small and Chatham Streets. The greenway will ultimately extend a bit further to a trailhead off Small Street later this year.

Robeson Creek Greenway Sign

The greenway project was initiated and is managed by Megan Bolejack, Community Health Promotion and Advocacy Coordinator, along with the Chatham County Health Department. Megan acquired a Fit Community Grant with the support of her Director, Holly Coleman, as well as Pittsboro Parks and Active Chatham. The Town and County had to sign off on the project as it traverses both Town and County property and uses Town easements. The Town will assume maintenance of the project after it is completed. It has already assisted with signage design and purchase, landscaping (mostly clearing away of invasive, non-native species), and had the rustic benches along the corridor installed. Interestingly, the oak slabs used for the benches were milled from trees cleared from the Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park.

Megan's Bridge

One large Hackberry tree highlighted through selective clearing and mulch, has been designated as a Meritorious Tree by the Grand Trees of Chatham Organization. It is quite a specimen, but as large as it is there’s a larger tree still in Chatham County which was also recognized this year.

The greenway has great potential as a linear park. Imagine, the next time you visit, the cleared corridor being much wider, with the invasive species removed giving a greater sense of openness. As the new Justice Center takes form on its prominent hill, the greenway feels more urban, but is still a relaxing and attractive respite from the sidewalks along the busy roads. Bird songs and the rushing sounds of Robeson Creek seem far removed from the traffic above.

The pilot project is great in and of itself, but hopefully it will kindle greater interest in a more ambitious greenway system for the Town. The site has great potential as a City/ County Park just below the Justice Center, and the Greenway has the potential to extend to the County Fairgrounds and beyond to the East and certainly to Town Lake Park to the West.

Grand Hackberry Tree

Please join the other runners, bicyclists and walkers already seen enjoying the corridor.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T00:07:00.000-05:00

Park Supporting License Plates

2011-12-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

If you’re not aware of the Naturally Wonderful license plates, you should be because they help fund state and local parks and conservation efforts across North Carolina including Pittsboro’s two most recent parks, Rock Ridge Park and Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park.

Proceeds from the $30 per year license fees help bolster the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the Natural Heritage Trust Fund. A great way to show your support for the parks!

More info can be found here; online applications are here.

2011 - 5K Reindeer Run - Pittsboro

2011-12-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

The 2011 5K Reindeer Run will be held this Saturday December 10 at the Pittsboro campus of the Central Carolina Community College. Same-day registration begins at 7am and the opening gun sounds at 8am. Better yet, register online at www.sportoften.com, return this registration form to Chatham County Parks and Recreation at PO Box 1783 Pittsboro NC 27312, or hand deliver to 90 East Street in Pittsboro. It looks like this will be a record breaking year with over 275 people already pre-registered.

The shirt this year sports beautiful artwork by Washington State artist Kathleen Faulkner. Check out her blog to see her other work - lots of great jewelry in addition to the woodblock print used for the t-shirt.

Gorgeous weather is slated; so come on down and join the run!

Classic Cars of the 2011 Pittsboro Christmas Parade

2011-12-09T02:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays! A repost with more classic car photos. If you have any great photos from the Christmas Parade, please send them in.

Pittsboro Christmas Parade 2011 - December 4 at 3 PM

2011-12-01T14:57:00.000-05:00

The Pittsboro, NC Christmas Parade will be held at 3 pm on December 4, 2011. This always draws a big crowd, so come on out to Downtown Pittsboro. Weather is expected to be around 56 degrees and partly sunny.

Photo courtesy of the Pittsboro Skatepark Blog

Tannery Branch Clean - Up : December 3, 2011

2011-12-01T14:21:00.000-05:00

Weed Pullers Welcome!

Rock Ridge Park Grand Opening Pictures!

2011-11-09T11:14:00.000-05:00

The Grand Opening of Rock Ridge Park was a great success! While a bit chilly in in the morning, the weather warmed up in the afternoon and well over 200 people showed up--lots of happy smiling faces. Kids explored the play fort and both kids and adults played on the 80 foot zipline and funky pendulum swing. Lots of squealing happy kids on the rides; there were long lines for all pieces of play equipment.

Free cake was available, made by the Chatham Marketplace.

Plus, Captain Pancho's Taco Van, Little Dippers Italian Ices and the Shot of 'Spro mobile espresso van kept people well fed and caffeinated.

photo courtesy of Isabel Guzman

Formalities were kept to a minimum with a cool bulb planting ceremony rather than a traditional ribbon cutting. The bulbs will continue to grow long after the ceremony, providing beautiful Daffodils for years to come. Mayor Randy Voller, Don Lein, chair of the Chatham Parks Foundation and Megan Bolejack, chair of the Pittsboro Parks and Recreation Advisory Board all said a few brief words.

Great music was provided by Max and Ann Drake as well as several performers sent by the NC Songwriters Cooperative.

members of the band Dackel

One of the most popular activities was the free horse rides provided by Bridlewood Farms. Lots of excited and proud kids riding high!

photo courtesy of Isabel Guzman

Genevieve Megginson's Chatham Partnership for Children staff provided great activities for the youngest visitors. This worked out really well because the playground is oriented more for older kids (from 5-12 years of age).

A State Park Ranger, The Grand Trees of Chatham, Irwin Learning Farm, and the Pittsboro Skatepark crew helped round out the festivities.

Judging by the opening day comments and from exclamations of folks upon seeing the playground, I'd say that the new park is going to be well loved. It captures the unique gestalt that makes Pittsboro parks, well . . . Pittsboro Parks.

UPDATED DIRECTIONS

If you missed the grand opening and didn't find the embedded Goolgle Map tool to be precise enough, I'll provide simpler directions:

From Pittsboro, head south on US 15-501 about 3 miles until you get to Charlie Brooks Rd. Take a right on Charlie Brooks Road and follow it until it dead ends onto Old Sanford Road. Take another right on Old Sanford Rd and go a few hundred feet past a nice brick ranch home. You'll see a long driveway with a stout metal gate on your right. That's the park.

Temporary signs were up for the opening, but the permanent sign has not yet been placed at the road as the park was only recently named.

Grand Opening - Rock Ridge Park

2011-10-28T01:46:00.002-04:00

Link to Larger Flyer

Rock Ridge Park Grand Opening & Sneak Peak

2011-10-26T00:41:00.000-04:00

Grand Opening November 5, 2011, 10 am to 2 pm! To feature: . . . free horse rides for the kids and cake while it lasts! Planning is still ongoing, but we’ll have lots of kids' activities and a beautiful new park for all area residents. Come on out and join your neighbors to celebrate this wonderful new asset to the community. Walk the trails, play on some of coolest playground equipment in the area, or just hang out and listen to the bluegrass musicians slated to perform. Food vendors and park related booths should round out the festivities. More info soon. . . but for now some sneak peaks:

Mini - amphitheater

Mystery play equipment - how does this contraption work?

Elegant picnic shelter

Play fort tower of Locust and Rhododendron wood

Asphalt trails through the woods

80+ foot zipline

Rock Ridge Park Grand Opening

2011-10-25T23:56:00.000-04:00

Pittsboro's newest park will have its grand opening on November 5, 2011 from 10am to around 2pm. The park has been named (drum roll) . . . Rock Ridge Park! The name references the natural rock outcroppings on site which are quite beautiful and distinctive. This park had the temporary construction project name of Southern Park.

The park, located at 1397 Old Sanford Rd, Moncure, will remain closed until the official opening. Look for future posts about grand opening events.

View Pittsboro Parks in a larger map

Nature ABCs

2011-10-12T22:11:00.000-04:00

These folks found the entire alphabet in nature. This could be a fun activity with the kids next time you're in the parks.

Jordan Lake Clean Up - October 1, 2011

2011-09-29T23:07:00.000-04:00

A group called Clean Jordan Lake is planning an ambitious clean-up of the Jordan Lake on October 1, 2011, from 8:30 am to 2 pm at Poe’s Ridge Boat Ramp off of Jordan Dam Road in Moncure. Be sure to check out: http://www.cleanjordanlake.org for more details and information on how you can help. Gloves will be provided along with food and prizes.

From CJL's website: "Clean Jordan Lake is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring the natural habitat, beautifying the shoreline and protecting water quality by removal of trash and litter. Since its incorporation in July 2009, CJL has recruited 700 volunteers who have removed about 1,300 tires and 2,200 bags of trash and litter in ten cleanup events."

Meetup details: http://www.meetup.com/HelpCleanJordanLake/events/19960921/

Every day can be a clean up day when you’re at a park or recreation area - just pack out your own trash and that left by your less considerate neighbors.

Haw River Trail

2011-09-21T02:29:00.001-04:00

Now is a great time of year to get out on the Haw River to go fishing, hiking, paddling or just to enjoy the nice weather and scenery. The section of river running through Pittsboro's planning jurisdiction is quite scenic and has great recreational potential. Efforts to develop the trails along the Haw are mostly led by a consortium of agencies under the umbrella of the the Haw River Trail Partnership. More info on these efforts can be found at http://www.thehaw.org. Here's a great video courtesy of their site:

Haw River Trail from Baden Piland on Vimeo.

A list of paddle access points in Chatham County can be found here: http://www.thehaw.org/Paddle_trail/Access_points.html.

Yoga & Kettlebells at Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park

2011-09-15T00:31:00.001-04:00

Pittsboro Parks supports a new Pittsboro business venture and helps provide great programming to the community. Yoga and Kettlebell fitness classes will now be offered outdoors at our beautiful Mary Holmes Park. Classes will begin September 19th.

Photo Source

A word from the instructors:

Certified fitness trainers Jill and Marcus Thompson are offering morning and evening Yoga and Kettlebell Pump classes at the Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park in Pittsboro starting this September. The year-old park is one of the newest additions to the common grounds in Pittsboro. There is a 1/3 mile paved trail leading around a central green area designed with natural rock and stone wall formations, a playground incorporating logs from trees, and other scenic "green" landscaping. Fitness classes are offered outdoors, so students can enjoy the sights and sounds of nature, while also benefiting from a healthy dose of fresh air.

Kettlebell Pump is a fun and unique way to get into awesome shape! Beginners to advanced students love kettlebells because the workout tones the body, boosts the metabolism and gets the heart pumping. Each class is different and students learn a variety of techniques that are put together into an aerobic routine set to music. Kettlebells are provided to the students each class; ranging in size between 5-15lbs. The class schedule is Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30-6:30 pm, starting September 20th. Only $10 per class!

Yoga helps students improve flexibility, circulation, strength and endurance, and is a great way to teach people how to relax physically and mentally; reducing symptoms of stress and improving ones state of mind. This time tested system for self-improvement introduces students to a path that leads to better health. Class schedule is Tuesday and Thursdays, 9-10 a.m. and Mondays from 5:30- 6:30 p.m., starting September 19th. Only $10 per class!

Both classes incorporate functional fitness- techniques and exercises that help students improve physical performance in real life activities; such as, carrying bulky groceries, moving furniture, climbing stairs and chasing after small children. For more information or to register call 919-397-7532 or send an e-mail to getfit@powercore-fitness.com. Visit us at

http://powercore-fitness.com

Northeast District Park

2011-08-25T21:59:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Chatham County Parks and Recreation Department for their successful grand opening of their Northeast District Park located at 5408 Big Woods Road. The park features walking trails, a baseball field, a multipurpose field, tennis courts, a picnic shelter, and a concession building with restrooms. I went out to support the county at their grand opening and happened to capture the the ribbon cutting ceremony in the photo below. Sixty six acres of new parkland should be a great asset to area residents.

Ribbon Cutting at NE District Park

Where's that Confounded Lake?

2011-07-28T23:39:00.000-04:00

Town Lake Park has been drained in preparation of the long planned Wetland Restoration Project. The project, funded by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, has the principal aim of improving water quality in the Robeson Creek Watershed, but it will also increase recreational opportunities, enhance wildlife habitat and beautify the area. The lower lake will remain a lake.

While work is ongoing, park patrons are encouraged to stay out of the lakebed for their own safety. Construction should start within a few weeks and will proceed through next spring. More information is available in the text of the image below.

A copy of the NCSU Town Lake Restoration Study is available here.

Sharing the Road - Rights & Responsibilities

2011-07-26T23:16:00.000-04:00

I recently reviewed Chatham County's proposed Bicycle Transportation Plan. I'll share a small excerpt:

"In North Carolina, the bicycle has the legal status of a vehicle. This means that bicyclists have full rights and responsibilities on the roadway and are subject to the regulations governing the operation of a motor vehicle. NC traffic laws require bicyclist to:

Ride on the right in the same direction as other traffic
Obey all traffic signs and signals
Use hand signals to communicate intended movements
Equip their bicycles with a front lamp visible from 300 feet and a rear reflector that is visible from a distance of 200 feet when riding at night.
Wear a bicycle helmet on public roads, public paths and public rights of way if the bicyclist is under 16 years old.

Source: NCDOT, www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/lawspolicies/laws"

"Laws pertaining to the operation of a bicycle vary from state to state. Below are three issues of bicycling that North Carolina law currently does not clarify.

Bicycling on Interstate or fully controlled limited access highways, such as beltlines, is prohibited by policy, unless otherwise specified by action of the Board of Transportation. Currently, the only exception to the policy is the US 17 bridge over the Chowan River between Chowan and Bertie Counties.
There is no law that requires bicyclists to ride single file, nor is there a law that gives cyclists the right to ride two or more abreast. It is important to ride responsibly and courteously, so that cars may pass safely.
There is no law that prohibits wearing headphones when riding a bicycle; however, it is not recommended. It is important to use all your senses to ensure your safety when riding in traffic."

Source: NCDOT, www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/lawspolicies/laws

Luckily, Pittsboro hasn't had any reported car-bike crashes since 2001, when there were 2 incidents. No accidents were reported to police in the 4 years prior to 2001. Common courtesy and common sense go a long way towards making our roads safer for all. Even though the law doesn't require it for cyclists over 16, wearing a safety helmet is always a good idea.

Can a Playground Be Too Safe?

2011-07-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

CHILDHOOD RELIC Jungle gyms, like this one in Riverside Park in Manhattan, have disappeared from most American playgrounds in recent decades.

Just passing along the following article from the Times:
Efforts to regulate playground equipment to prevent injuries may stunt emotional development, a new study suggests.

By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: July 18, 2011

When seesaws and tall slides and other perils were disappearing from New York’s playgrounds, Henry Stern drew a line in the sandbox. As the city’s parks commissioner in the 1990s, he issued an edict concerning the 10-foot-high jungle gym near his childhood home in northern Manhattan.

“I grew up on the monkey bars in Fort Tryon Park, and I never forgot how good it felt to get to the top of them,” Mr. Stern said. “I didn’t want to see that playground bowdlerized. I said that as long as I was parks commissioner, those monkey bars were going to stay.”

His philosophy seemed reactionary at the time, but today it’s shared by some researchers who question the value of safety-first playgrounds. Even if children do suffer fewer physical injuries — and the evidence for that is debatable — the critics say that these playgrounds may stunt emotional development, leaving children with anxieties and fears that are ultimately worse than a broken bone.

“Children need to encounter risks and overcome fears on the playground,” said Ellen Sandseter, a professor ofpsychology at Queen Maud University in Norway. “I think monkey bars and tall slides are great. As playgrounds become more and more boring, these are some of the few features that still can give children thrilling experiences with heights and high speed.”

After observing children on playgrounds in Norway, England and Australia, Dr. Sandseter identified six categories of risky play: exploring heights, experiencing high speed, handling dangerous tools, being near dangerous elements (like water or fire), rough-and-tumble play (like wrestling), and wandering alone away from adult supervision. The most common is climbing heights.

“Climbing equipment needs to be high enough, or else it will be too boring in the long run,” Dr. Sandseter said. “Children approach thrills and risks in a progressive manner, and very few children would try to climb to the highest point for the first time they climb. The best thing is to let children encounter these challenges from an early age, and they will then progressively learn to master them through their play over the years.”

Sometimes, of course, their mastery fails, and falls are the common form of playground injury. But these rarely cause permanent damage, either physically or emotionally. While some psychologists — and many parents — have worried that a child who suffered a bad fall would develop a fear of heights, studies have shown the opposite pattern: A child who’s hurt in a fall before the age of 9 is less likely as a teenager to have a fear of heights.

By gradually exposing themselves to more and more dangers on the playground, children are using the same habituation techniques developed by therapists to help adults conquerphobias, according to Dr. Sandseter and a fellow psychologist, Leif Kennair, of the Norwegian University for Science and Technology.

“Risky play mirrors effective cognitive behavioral therapy of anxiety,” they write in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, concluding that this “anti-phobic effect” helps explain the evolution of children’s fondness for thrill-seeking. While a youthful zest for exploring heights might not seem adaptive — why would natural selection favor children who risk death before they have a chance to reproduce? — the dangers seemed to be outweighed by the benefits of conquering fear and developing a sense of mastery.

“Paradoxically,” the psychologists write, “we posit that our fear of children being harmed by mostly harmless injuries may result in more fearful children and increased levels of psychopathology.”

The old tall jungle gyms and slides disappeared from most American playgrounds across the country in recent decades because of parental concerns, federal guidelines, new safety standards set by manufacturers and — the most frequently cited factor — fear of lawsuits.

Shorter equipment with enclosed platforms was introduced, and the old pavement was replaced with rubber, wood chips or other materials designed for softer landings. These innovations undoubtedly prevented some injuries, but some experts question their overall value.

“There is no clear evidence that playground safety measures have lowered the average risk on playgrounds,” said David Ball, a professor of risk management at Middlesex University in London. He noted that the risk of some injuries, like long fractures of the arm, actually increased after the introduction of softer surfaces on playgrounds in Britain and Australia.

“This sounds counterintuitive, but it shouldn’t, because it is a common phenomenon,” Dr. Ball said. “If children and parents believe they are in an environment which is safer than it actually is, they will take more risks. An argument against softer surfacing is that children think it is safe, but because they don’t understand its properties, they overrate its performance.”

Reducing the height of playground equipment may help toddlers, but it can produce unintended consequences among bigger children. “Older children are discouraged from taking healthy exercise on playgrounds because they have been designed with the safety of the very young in mind,” Dr. Ball said. “Therefore, they may play in more dangerous places, or not at all.”

Fear of litigation led New York City officials to remove seesaws, merry-go-rounds and the ropes that young Tarzans used to swing from one platform to another. Letting children swing on tires became taboo because of fears that the heavy swings could bang into a child.

“What happens in America is defined by tort lawyers, and unfortunately that limits some of the adventure playgrounds,” said Adrian Benepe, the current parks commissioner. But while he misses the Tarzan ropes, he’s glad that the litigation rate has declined, and he’s not nostalgic for asphalt pavement.

“I think safety surfaces are a godsend,” he said. “I suspect that parents who have to deal with concussions and broken arms wouldn’t agree that playgrounds have become too safe.” The ultra-safe enclosed platforms of the 1980s and 1990s may have been an overreaction, Mr. Benepe said, but lately there have been more creative alternatives.

“The good news is that manufacturers have brought out new versions of the old toys,” he said. “Because of height limitations, no one’s building the old monkey bars anymore, but kids can go up smaller climbing walls and rope nets and artificial rocks.”

Still, sometimes there’s nothing quite like being 10 feet off the ground, as a new generation was discovering the other afternoon at Fort Tryon Park. A soft rubber surface carpeted the pavement, but the jungle gym of Mr. Stern’s youth was still there. It was the prime destination for many children, including those who’d never seen one before, like Nayelis Serrano, a 10-year-old from the South Bronx who was visiting her cousin.

When she got halfway up, at the third level of bars, she paused, as if that was high enough. Then, after a consultation with her mother, she continued to the top, the fifth level, and descended to recount her triumph.

“I was scared at first,” she explained. “But my mother said if you don’t try, you’ll never know if you could do it. So I took a chance and kept going. At the top I felt very proud.” As she headed back for another climb, her mother, Orkidia Rojas, looked on from a bench and considered the pros and cons of this unfamiliar equipment.

“It’s fun,” she said. “I’d like to see it in our playground. Why not? It’s kind of dangerous, I know, but if you just think about danger you’re never going to get ahead in life.”

permalink: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/science/19tierney.html

New Play Equipment at Mary Holmes Park

2011-07-17T11:27:00.000-04:00

New play equipment has been installed at Mary Holmes Park. Four traditional swings, a pair of toddler swings and a stand up teeter totter now form a secondary playground at the park. A wide slab bench has also been added.

Kids love the climbing sculptures already at the park, but a number of parents had requested traditional swingsets to complement them. Swings have a lasting value and never go out of style.

The new equipment is made from locust wood, long used for fenceposts due to its natural resistance to rot and insects. It also happens to be the densest wood native to NC.

The bench is very comfy.

New Windscreen at McClenahan Street Park

2011-07-01T02:10:00.001-04:00

A new windscreen now graces the tennis courts at Pittsboro's McClenahan Street Park (209 Old Pittsboro Elementary School Road). The screen reduces visual distraction, wind deflection and provides more privacy. A windscreen was one of the park improvements most requested by this parks users.

Sculpture Donated to Pittsboro Parks

2011-06-27T01:18:00.000-04:00

Renowned Chatham artist Edwin White recently donated a beautiful sculpture to the Mary Holmes Park. It’s named Kiawah Paintbrush and was inspired by the artist’s time in South Carolina doing archeological digs at Kiawah Native American sites. It's a piece with substance and fits in perfectly at its new home.

A few others helped with this project as well. Jeffrey York, a local public art expert sited the piece and Joseph Kenlan Stoneworks created the pedestal upon which the sculpture rests. The masonry gives the piece additional height and is a perfect complement to the work. Jeffrey chose an excellent location.

Philanthropy is not new to Edwin, he serves as president of the Chatham Artists Guild and organized the the Garden Sculpture Show at Kiwanis Park a few years ago. Edwin is a great guy as well as a very talented sculptor - I don't just say that lightly, or because he's donated this great piece. Please check out his other work at his website; and if you run into him around town, please let him know how much you appreciate his incredible gift to your public parks.

Compost Socks!

2011-05-22T08:20:00.000-04:00

No, these aren't what my socks are called after I spend all day in the field for construction administration (those would be tick socks). The compost socks I'm talking about are erosion control measures courtesy of the Robeson Creek Watershed Council & NCSU Water Quality Group. Thanks to their generous donation, Southern Park is using this innovative technology to keep sediment loosened by construction activities from migrating into area streams. The socks form long barriers around the park's playground and parking lot areas. Traditional silt fence is used elsewhere on site.

Here's how it works. The compost socks are long fabric bags encasing composted mulch. These socks replace standard erosion control fencing and are superior in a number of ways. First, they don’t require digging a trench to install, unlike traditional silt fence, which greatly minimizes damage to tree roots around sensitive areas (the playground in this instance). Second, the compost inside provides biological filtering of certain pollution in the run off, thus providing extra protection for the area's water bodies. Finally, clean up is as simple as slitting the bag and leaving the mulch in place. Some applications allow for adding grass seed and leaving the bags in place as a permanent fixture.

Compost socks can be used for a wide variety of erosion control measures. NCDOT has used compost for erosion control on a number of large projects, although the technology is still relatively uncommon. More info here if you're interested: http://www.filtrexx.com/sediment_control.htm

Compost sock erosion control in action at Southern Park.

Parks Department collaboration with Robeson Creek Watershed Council (RCWC) is nothing new. They helped fund the beautiful raingarden, the permeable parking pavers, and green roof on the gazebo at Mary Holmes Park. The also funded or constructed most of the raingardens around Pittsboro including the one at the Community House. And they'll be undertaking a major wetland restoration project at Town Lake Park. Thank you RCWC for all that you do for our community and our waterways! Karen Hall in particular deserves high praise for her commitment to Robeson Creek.

Southern Park Flora

2011-05-20T01:30:00.000-04:00

Some photos of Southern Park's current residents. . . (pics taken with a 3rd gen iphone)

Sourwood Tree - Oxydendrum arboreum

Bluets (Quaker Ladies)- Houstonia caerulea, Hedyotis caerulea

White Violets - Viola striata

Arrow Leaf Violets - Viola sagittata Aiton var. ovata

Fairy Festival - After Action Report

2011-05-15T18:23:00.000-04:00

The first annual Fairy Festival & Gnome Home Building Workshop was a great success and a lot of fun. Over 50 people showed up to participate and there were tons of smiling faces on kids, parents and grandparents. It’s great to be amongst folks deeply engaged in their creative process. The parents and grandparents were as thoroughly immersed in building their fairy houses as their kids - it was much more of an event for all ages than I had anticipated.

A great team was pulled together to facilitate the event.... Little Dippers Italian Ices set up shop and seemed to be doing brisk business particularly as the day warmed up.

Dr. Laura Barringer DDS was awesome, as always, in her persona as the Tooth Fairy.

Samantha Birchard from Pittsboro Toys, hosted a chalk drawing contest, sold fairy related toys and generally helping out as needed. Stacy Gray, a very talented Environmental Educator, facilitated the fairy house building. Finally, Megan Bolejack, chair of the Pittsboro Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, helped with the event, and brought several people for her excellent Passport to Wellness Program, in her capacity with the Chatham County Health Department.

We had truck load of great starter materials--bark, feathers, acorn caps, flowers, etc.--to use for the home building, plus an assortment of hot glue guns to hold everything together. Like any good meal, if you start out with great ingredients it’s more likely that you’ll have a great meal at the end. A half dozen new homes were built for the fairies and gnomes of the park and many, many more homes were built and relocated to the builder’s homes for their own, local, fairy population.

Caption - Click montage to enlarge

I was most impressed with the creativity of the participants and the imaginative homes that they built. Judging by the feedback and open smiling faces, it looks like this will be an annual event. By the way, if any of you participants have photos of your gnome or fairy homes in their new natural habitat, please send them in and I’ll post them on the blog.

I hope the gnomes and fairies are enjoying their new digs!

Gnome Home & Fairy Festival May 7th 9-noon

2011-05-04T17:51:00.001-04:00

If you're interested in the workshop this Saturday, but are still wondering just what a Gnome Home or a Fairy House is I'd recommend that you go to this great site which gives an idea of what to expect. I hope that ours will turn out a beautifully as the homes at that site. Either way, it should be lots of fun.

Charlotte/ Mecklenburg has a Fairy Festival every year which attracts thousands of people in the middle of January. This will be a lower key affair, but if there's interest this could easily evolve into an annual event. The workshop will be run by an Environmental Educator, so don't be surprised if the kiddos learn a lot more than just how to build cool little houses. (which is quite valuable in its own right) Hope to see you there!

Gnome Home Workshop & Playdate - May 7, 2011

2011-05-04T13:38:00.000-04:00

Join the fun this Saturday May 7 from 9 AM to noon, and let your imaginations run wild as you build miniature homes for tiny mythical creatures at Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park. The construction disturbed a lot of their habitat so they could use some help settling back into their new surroundings. You’ll use natural materials found on site, plus some starter materials brought in for the workshop to create fine homes fit for the gnomes. Fairies and elves need homes too, and feel free to dress up in fairy wings but also in clothes grubby enough for a nature inspired workshop.

NO FEES (troll tolls) – this is a free event sponsored by the Pittsboro Parks & Recreation Department. You can take your creations home, for your own mythical creatures, but we encourage folks to leave a good portion in the park for others to enjoy. Feel free to bring natural materials from home to use or share.

For directions to Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park click the "interactive map tab" toward the top of the blog page under the main banner.

Local businesses like Pittsboro Toys, Laura Barringer DDS and Little Dippers Italian Ice will be on hand to join the fun, provide treats and host contests. A fun time should be had by all, so come on out.

Click image above to expand it to full size.

6 Month Parks & Recreation Progress Report

2011-04-28T16:15:00.001-04:00

Sometimes it's hard to find time to break away from production in order to reflect upon one's work, but the just released Parks & Recreation 6 Month Progress Report does just that. Find out just what a parks planner does. So that's where all of these 50-60 hour work-weeks go! Enjoy . . . :)

Pittsboro by Gaslight - April 30, 2011 - Downtown

2011-04-27T08:04:00.000-04:00

Parks logo to fit the Victorian theme of the Gaslight Circus.

The Pittsboro Parks and Recreation Department is a proud sponsor of the Pittsboro by Gaslight festivities to occur on April 30th, 2011 in Downtown Pittsboro. The event is themed around Steam Punk/ Victorian aesthetics and encourages participants to imagine Pittsboro at the turn of the past century.

Events will start downtown around 2:00 and continue until around 8:00 PM. A circus troop will provide street performances and several bands will play on an impromptu stage to be constructed on E. Salisbury Street. Many downtown shops will feature special event themed activities.

Music continues afterwards at private venues such as the City Tap, General Store and Davenport and Winkleperry. The Pittsboro Business Association has organized the event along with David Quick, lead singer of the Swang Brothers and event organizer extraordinaire. For more information and schedule check out the Pittsboro by Gaslight website.

Parks as a Business Model - Briar Chapel

2011-04-05T01:25:00.002-04:00

Everything is a business model. This is a recurring mantra at one of the financial blogs I read. Looking at the local real estate market it’s apparent that while many developments have gone belly up others are meeting the needs of the market and doing quite well. While significant concentrations of capital certainly help weather the storm of the tentative housing market, other factors help to separate the successful developments from the foreclosed ones.

For example, homes are selling fairly briskly in Briar Chapel; clearly it’s a desirable place to live for many. Much of the appeal is due to the investment in parks and recreational amenities, planned from the outset. By full build out they’ll have 21 neighborhood parks, around 900 acres of open space and greenways with 24 miles of planned interpretive trails, boardwalks and paved paths. The resident’s club has a number of pools, a fitness facility, planned tennis courts, etc. A natural amphitheater is planned. A new dog park and community gardens were just created to meet the desires of residents.

Cycling at Briar Chapel - photo credit link

I called Briar Chapel’s offices last week to find out if the new Pooch Park is public. While on the phone I asked how much of a factor the recreational amenities were a draw for potential residents, and the response was that it was not only very important, but the fact that many of the recreational facilities were built long before the first houses were constructed really set the development apart from others. This is a business model which is working--investing in parks in anticipation of growth, not skimping on the details, in order to attract residents who can freely choose to live in other equally desirable locales.

Conscientious place-making doesn’t just make better places, it’s very good for the bottom line as well.

Briar Chapel's Pool - photo credit link

Unfortunately, Briar Chapel’s awesome looking Pooch Park is not open to the public (and what a great name), but their extensive trail network is, and their mountain bike trails attract visitors from throughout the Triangle. Additionally a 66 acre County park is being developed on Andrew’s Store Road, with football, soccer and baseball fields available for public use.

Kids biking at Briar Chapel - photo credit link

If you’re looking for a new home or just want to get a better look at Briar Chapel, you may consider attending their Earthday Event on April 16th from 9 AM to 4 PM. It will feature a 5K run, culinary tour and other festivities.

Pittsboro Running Club Weekly Runs

2011-03-25T17:02:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it takes a little motivation to get off the couch and go for a run. Well if beer, great food and great company are what it takes, then so be it. It's all in the name of staying fit and healthy. The Pittsboro Running Club is meeting on:

Sundays and Tuesdays at 6:30 PM

at Northwood Highschool

(meet in the 1st parking lot on the right for the 2 mile loop trails)

Thursdays 6:00 PM

at Chatham Marketplace

(meet in the parking lot for 3-5 mile routes through town)

Walkers and Runners of all abilities are welcome! Run's are often followed by social gatherings at the Carolina Brewery or Chatham Marketplace.

Operation Med Drop

2011-03-25T09:29:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows that drugs are bad, especially old prescription drugs. Please drop off unneeded prescription or over the counter medicines at the Kerr Drugs on East Street in Pittsboro this Saturday, March 26th from noon to 4 PM.

There are 4 more drop off sites around Chatham County if Pittsboro is inconvenient for you. Visit http://chathamdrugfree.org/ for more information. This operation was wildly successful last year thanks to the coordinated efforts of local law enforcement and health department agencies. This effort really keeps to keep meds out of the wrong hands.

Need help with your golf game?

2011-03-24T21:36:00.001-04:00

Then sign up for a Golf Fundamentals course through the CCCC Pittsboro Campus. The courses will be taught at Chapel Ridge and costs $120 per semester. It looks like there will be 3 time slots this spring including one on the weekend. Call (919) 545-8044 for more info or visit www.cccc.edu/ce.

New Soccer Goals at MHBH Park

2011-03-17T17:07:00.000-04:00

The new goals at the Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park are courtesy of the Chatham Soccer League (CSL). This donation was planned in the earliest stages of the park's design and now they're here, ready for public use. Thanks CSL!

New Soccer Goals at MHBH Park

With a retro look . . .

West African Drumming Comes to Pittsboro

2011-03-13T11:42:00.000-04:00

The Pittsboro Community House hosts tons of great classes, workshops and cultural events. Be sure to check out these drum sessions every Sunday night at 5 PM starting March 20th.

From the course instructor:

Interested in West African rhythms? Join Diali Keba Cissokho, “griot” from Senegal, for African drumming classes at the Pittsboro Community House from 5:00 – 6:00 pm, starting March 20^th. Try it out for just $5.00. If you enjoy yourself, join us for some or all of the four Sundays that follow for just $10 per class. Guaranteed you’ll have a good time and leave able to play at least two African rhythms after just one class! No experience necessary; all ages welcome. Bring your drum if you have one, or let us know if you want to use one of ours (numbers limited). Check out a demonstration by Diali’s Wednesday class on his website at www.KoraAndDrums.com and call or email with any questions.

DialiCissokhoMusic@gmail.com

H - (919) 542-2008

C - (919) 548-2466

Parks, Placemaking & Economic Development

2011-03-09T10:12:00.000-05:00

I was at a dinner party a while back where I ran into someone in advertising who does most of her work in NYC and LA, and flies to either city with surprising frequency. Nevertheless, her local studio is in Durham and her home is in Hillsborough. She literally could live wherever she wants, yet chooses to live in Hillsborough and work in Durham because she likes the people and culture of these respective locales. This highlights the importance of creating places worth living in.

“No urban area will prosper unless it attracts those who can choose to live wherever they wish.”

- Jonathon Barnett

“Do for the future what you’re grateful the past did for you.”

- Danny Hillis, the Golden Rule of Time

“If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places.”

- Fred Kent

“The 20th Century was about getting around. The 21st Century will be about staying in a place worth staying in.”

- Jim Kunstler

For my dinner party companion, the above quotes are spot on.

Sentiments echoing the need for place making are echoed in the Chatham County EDC’s Strategic Plan. To quote:

“Quality of place is important because high-value entrepreneurs often chose to locate in scenic areas with amenities, such as arts, recreation, and rural character.”

A later section titled “Quality of Life--Recreational Development Recommendations,” elaborates:

“Research reveals that creative workers have a life cycle and move from urban areas to suburban areas as they age and have children. These workers value rural recreational amenities, such as bike paths, greenways, and trails in their residential and business-location decisions, which makes Chatham County an ideal location for these workers."

"Despite Jordan Lake serving as a tourism destination, Chatham County is not capitalizing on the potential small-scale, niche commercial development around Jordan Lake to target outdoor enthusiasts. The County and EDC should identify and zone special, small-scale commercial nodes near Jordan Lake and other recreational sites. Design and planning guidelines must be developed to protect the environment in these areas. It is recommended that the County aggressively pursue the upgrade and completion of the American Tobacco Trail and further explore connectivity of greenways, trails, and bike paths to downtowns and residential areas.”

Parks and recreation are a vital part of placemaking, playing an important role in sustained economic development. But more important is creating and enhancing a great place for yourself and your family.

One last quote from poet and philosopher John Ruskin:

"The measure of any great civilization is in its cities, and the measure of a city's greatness is to be found in the quality of its public spaces, its parks and squares"

Dutch Bike Lanes

2 Creek Clean Ups - Volunteers Welcome!

2011-03-03T23:42:00.002-05:00

The Haw River Assembly is doing its part to keep Pittsboro beautiful by hosting 2 trash clean ups along Robeson Creek. Volunteers are requested - bring gloves if you can, though some will be provided. This should be a fun outing, so come on out.

First Clean Up

When: March 11, 2011 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM

Where: Robeson Creek Bridge over 15-501 S (park at Horton Middle School & walk down)

Second Clean Up

When: Sat. March 12, 2011 9:00 AM to 11 AM

Where: Town Lake Park - 529 NC Hwy 902 - (main parking lot)

Email the Haw River Assembly for more information.

More New Picnic Tables

2011-03-02T08:43:00.001-05:00

Two new pedestal picnic tables now grace Pittsboro's parks. The first, pictured below, is at Kiwanis Park, and the second is under the large oaks at McClenahan Park. I was happy to see a woman using the tables under the oaks the day after their installation! These tables were funded through a grant from the Chatham County Park and Recreation Department. Other items funded through this grant are detailed here. Thanks again to Chatham County and to Pittsboro's Public Works Department for the installations. People do travel from all over the County to visit our parks. These new amenities should enhance their experience.

I also hope that people from nearby workplaces will find the McClenahan Street Park table a convenient place for work-day picnic lunches. There are a lot of employment centers in that area, including the Sherif's office, Pittsboro Elementary School, the County School Administrative Offices, and RAFI to name a few. The park is only a few minutes walk to Angelina's Kitchen and Al's Diner, great take-out options to bring back to the park. Happy picnicking!

New Picnic Table at Kiwanis Park

Greenways Provide Proven Economic Value

2011-03-02T01:39:00.000-05:00

The Trust for Public lands reports that the value of homes bordering a new greenbelt in Boulder, Colorado, increased by 32 percent over properties located 3,200 feet away. This increase in property taxes was large enough to quickly pay off the bonds that the city required to purchase the open space. The $150,000 annual increase in proximate property taxes that resulted from the creation of the greenbelt enabled the purchase price of the greenbelt to be paid off in just three years.

Skatepark Benefit this Weekend!

2011-02-25T09:49:00.001-05:00

The benefit concert for a Pittsboro Skatepark is this Saturday 7:30 PM at the General Store Cafe. There's a great article in the Independent Weekly and a prior post featuring a great poster at the Pittsboro Parks Blog. Bands to include Caltrop, Blag'ard, Gasoline Stove and Shred Crust. Admission is $10. There will be a silent auction for lots of cool stuff donated by local businesses. The definitive source for info on the skatepark is here.

Skatepark supporters at the Pittsboro Christmas Parade.

Hanami - Pittsboro Style

2011-02-25T00:55:00.001-05:00

In Japan the first cherry blossoms of spring are heralded with much celebration. Hanami is the tradition of enjoying the cherry blossom season which would start now in Pittsboro with the blooming of the Prunus Mume at Kiwanis Park. While the tradition now mostly celebrates the bloom of the Sakura or flowering cherry, a more ancient tradition exists of celebrating the bloom of the Prunus Mume, which is more closely related to an apricot than a cherry or a plum.

Traditionally, the delicate flowers were seen as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life. From wikipedia: “Poems were written praising the delicate flowers, which were seen as a metaphor for life itself; beautiful, but lasting for a very short time. This "temporary" view of life is very popular in Japanese culture and is usually considered as an admirable form of existence; for example, in the samurai's principle of life ending when it's still beautiful and strong, instead of slowly getting old and weak. The Heian era poets used to write poems about how much easier things would be in spring without the sakura blossoms, because their existence reminded us that life is very short.”

The Prunis Mume or Japanese Apricot tree was selected for inclusion in the Kiwanis Park because of it’s early and beautiful bloom. Its fruit are edible as well, and no poisons are used at the park, so feel free to eat them this summer. For you macrobiotics, this is the tree from which umboshi 'plums' are made. The weeping cherry blooms will come to the park later in the spring. Both the weeping cherry tree and the Japanese Apricot trees are still quite young; their displays will mature along with the tree.

The hanami tradition is not uncommon in America; April 1st is the anticipated date of the peak bloom of the Sakura in Washington DC, for instance, which were a gift from the Japanese government. I know of several private parties locally centered around these beautiful blooms. It's never too late to begin new traditions or to appreciate the ephemeral flowers of late winter.

I took the following photo yesterday, and in contrast to a similar one I took about a year ago, (March 15th, 2010 to be exact) I saw no honeybees pollinating the flowers. Maybe a few more weeks of warm weather will coax them out.

The Japanese Apricot (prunis mume) is now in bloom at the Kiwanis Park in Pittsboro.

Chatham Lacrosse

2011-02-23T05:26:00.001-05:00

It’s not too late to sign up 1st thru 8th grade boys for spring lacrosse, but hurry because registration ends on February 27th. A free new player clinic will be held on Feb 26th - details here: www.nccardinals.com There’s a girls’ league too, but registration has closed for this spring. Players of all levels are welcome. The teams will be broken up by grade and compete against teams from Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Apex, Holly Springs.

Lacrosse has it's origins in tribal game played by Eastern Woodland Native Americans and Plains Indian tribes in Canada. Hundred or thousands would play in a given game and the event could last for several days. The game sometimes even served as a war surrogate to settle disputes. Read the fascinating history at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_lacrosse

These days it’s just a lot of fun and great exercise. Be sure to check out North Chatham Cardinal Youth Lacrosse.

Photo: the good old days.

Ready for Spring - Picnic Tables and Grills

2011-02-18T16:30:00.001-05:00

New picnic tables have been installed at the Town Lake Park picnic shelter. The existing grills have been repainted as well. New grills have been installed at Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park. I see these getting heavy use as warmer weather arrives.

The new grills and picnic tables were funded through a grant from the Chatham County Parks and Recreation Department, of which we’re very appreciative. Our parks see lots of visitors from the far reaches of the county. Thanks to the Pittsboro Public Works Department for the installations.

Photo: One of the first users of the new tables!

Photo: The new grills are ready for salmon, steak and corn on the cob. . . yum

The Case for Slowing Down

2011-02-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

Forgive the preachy and somewhat morbid post, but I think that it's important. Pedestrians hit by moving vehicles have vastly different rates of survival depending on the speed of the vehicle on impact. The numbers I've seen are:

95% survival at 20 mph

80% survival at 25 mph

55% survival at 30 mph

15% survival at 40 mph

Designing adequate greenways and sidewalks are crucial for a safe and effective transportation system, but driving responsibly makes a huge difference when these facilities don't exist. Children and the elderly are the populations most vulnerable to vehicle/ pedestrian accidents. Help make Pittsboro a safe place to walk.

Biggest Tree in Chatham

2011-02-07T21:37:00.002-05:00

Contest: Think yours is the biggest? Then enter it in the big tree contest hosted by Grand Trees of Chatham. Any species is fine. A special award will be given at the annual Grand Tree Award ceremony this fall. Email grantrees@chathamnc.org for more information.

Storytime: Grand Trees is also doing a tree oriented story time at Pittsboro Toys on Thursday February 10 at 10 am. Pittsboro Toys is at 44B Hillsboro St. Call 542-4885 with any questions.

The Emma Maersk - longest ship in use

Bicycle & Pedestrian Survey

2011-02-02T16:19:00.001-05:00

Just a few days left to complete this NCDOT survey regarding bike and pedestrian needs. The survey is anonymous, but you'll be asked to provide your zip code at the end. This should only take 5 to 10 minutes. The survey will close on February 8, so don't delay. Link to survey below:

http://www.itre.ncsu.edu/Public/Bike-Ped-NCDOT-Survey.html

Tennis Lessons - Pittsboro

2011-02-02T09:53:00.001-05:00

Tennis Lessons offered at McClenahan Street Park in Pittsboro

I ran into a bunch of cool homeschooling parents and their kids yesterday at the municipal tennis courts. They were taking private tennis lessons from local instructor John Delafield. It was their first class but some of them looked like old pros. There are still slots available; so if you're interested in more details for this class, future classes or other private instruction contact John at: LRBCO@AOL.COM. Chatham County Parks and Recreation also offers Tennis Lessons through John - be sure to check their schedule too.

Wow, This is amazing!

2011-01-27T23:50:00.001-05:00

I love Playscapes, I'm not sure where else I would have stumbled upon this rock climbing wall at a daycare center in Finland. As a avid rock climber (years and a few pounds ago), cartographer, and huge fan of functional arts and crafts, this combines all three and just blows me away. It makes me want to vist Vuokatti Finland - it's probably a cool place to host something like this.

Click here for the full Playscapes Post.

Rockin the Skatepark Feb 26 General Store Cafe

2011-01-21T09:53:00.001-05:00

The local skatepark advocacy crew is throwing a fundraiser to promote their vision of a high quality Skate Park in Pittsboro. Come on down to the General Store Cafe Saturday February 26 at 7:30 PM to support the cause or to hear some great music. There will be raffles, giveaways and a bunch of bands. All proceeds go to the skatepark fund. Ten bucks gets you in the door.

For more info on the skatepark plan visit: http://pittsboroskatepark.com/

or: http://pboparks.blogspot.com/2010/11/pittsoboro-skatepark-drive.html

Violin Concertos at the Community House

2011-01-19T15:47:00.000-05:00

The Community House will once again host a free concert organized by the The Pittsboro Bach Society. The Pittsboro Parks Blog welcomes any association with highbrow cultural events (however tenuous the connection to parks). Sounds like a great concert and admission is free.

Concertos for 1, 2 and 4 violins

by Antonio Vivaldi

Featuring special guest soloist Brian Reagan, concertmaster of the NC Symphony,

with additional soloists Carol Feuer, Mara Shea and Lin-ti Wang

Sunday February 13, 2011 at 3:00PM

The Community House address is: 65 Thompson Street, Pittsboro NC

for more info visit: pittsborobachsociety.org

Wise Musings of a London 3rd Grader

2011-01-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

The Place To Be When You’re Lonely

Parks are delightful places
They have the sweet smells
Of laughter, joy, and happiness
The grass as green as anything
Trees as big as mountains
Oh, this place to be when you’re lonely,
You get happy in a flash.

-by Noa Mirsch
London Elementary School, 3rd Grade

Snow Photos for the New Year

2011-01-05T03:56:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted lately with the holidays and such; well also, I've been too busy drafting a comprehensive parks master plan for the Town, shepherding Southern Park toward the construction phase, and preparing a hefty grant application. At any rate, here are some winter pictures from Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park to herald the new year. I got out a day or two too late to capture the majesty of the snow laden trees; but if anyone has snow photos of Pittsboro's parks or downtown, please send them my way.

Gazebo detail

Snow on the climbing sculptures - click photo for a larger version

Spiral shadow from stair railing

Gazebo detail

Fall Colors at Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park

2010-11-20T02:00:00.007-05:00

Fall colors captured by Sheila Rudesill at Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park. Thanks Sheila!

note cyclists in background

Pittsboro Parks Blog Now has an RSS Feed

2010-11-13T18:24:00.000-05:00

Please subscribe to the Pittsboro Parks Blog though the RSS Feed in the top right sidebar. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication, and by subscribing, you will receive every new post directly to your RSS Reader. iGoogle is one RSS reader.

Thanks for the suggestion Dee.

Chatham County Bicycle Survey

2010-11-13T01:24:00.005-05:00

Chatham County is currently developing a Bicycle Plan that will identify biking networks and potential infrastructure and policy improvements for the County. These survey results help the County develop a Bicycle Plan that responds to the residents' and users' needs and desires.
We welcome any Chatham County residents (rider or non-rider) as well as non-residents who ride regularly in the county. Please feel free to forward this to others who are might also be interested. The survey will be open until December 15, 2010. We thank you very much for your help!

The link for the survey is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/chathambikesurvey

If you have any questions on the plan and the survey, please contact Pinaki Santra atpinaki.santra@chathamnc.org or at (571)334-0117.

Pittsboro Skatepark Drive

2010-11-13T00:10:00.004-05:00

I admire the tenacity, moxy and initiative behind the drive to establish a skatepark in Pittsboro. While there is no official Town endorsement of this endeavor at this time, these intelligent, sincere professionals are taking concrete steps toward making their vision a reality. Check out their blog here: http://pittsboroskatepark.com/ Among other things, they're selling skateboards to raise funds; with the holiday season approaching . . .

Pittsboro Reindeer Run - December 11, 2010

2010-11-05T17:18:00.000-04:00

The 2010 Reindeer Run will be held December 11th at the Central Carolina Community College in Pittsboro.

Schedule:

7:00 AM - Same day registration

8:00 AM - Opening Gun

9:30 AM - Kiddos' 1 Mile Fun Run

You can register online at http://www.sportoften.com, or pick up a hard copy form at the Chatham County Parks and Recreation Office at 90 East Street.

If you are interested in providing a corporate sponsorship, volunteering or need general information about the race, contact Megan Bolejack at 919-545-8518 or at megan.bolejack@chathamnc.org

Thanks to the sponsors who support the run and to the many volunteers affiliated with Active Chatham who organize this race every year!

Huge Returns on Bicycle Facility Investments

2010-11-03T10:01:00.001-04:00

Bottom line: A 6.7 million dollar one time investment continues to yield an estimated 60 million dollar annual return.

Economic Impact of Investing in Bicycle Facilities: A Case Study

In the summer of 2003, the North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation (DBPT) commissioned a study to assess the value of their investment in bicycle facilities. The Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) at North Carolina State University conducted the study in the northern Outer Banks region because of its existing high levels of bicycling activity and presence of an extensive system of special bicycle facilities. Researchers surveyed bicyclists riding on the bicycle facilities — paths and wide paved shoulders — and also obtained data from self-administered surveys of tourists at three visitors’ centers in the region.

Over the ten years prior to the study, an estimated $6.7 million of public funds was spent to construct off-road paths and add wide paved shoulders to roads in the region, from Corolla south to Nags Head and west to Manteo.

Economic Impact Study Conclusions

Bicycling activity in the northern Outer Banks provides substantial economic benefits to the area — an estimated $60 million annually.
The bicycle facilities in the area are an important factor for many tourists in deciding to visit the region.
Three-fourths of study respondents indicated that more bicycle facilities should be built, and nine out of 10 surveyed believe state and federal tax dollars should be used to do it.

The full study can be found here: http://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/researchreports/

The Pathways to Prosperity Brochure is a quick worthwhile read.

2010 Pittsboro Fall Street Fair Recap Redux

2010-10-27T00:59:00.000-04:00

2010 Street Fair Recap

2010-10-26T22:13:00.000-04:00

Pittsboro was blessed with perfect weather for this event for the first time in many years. The bands were great, the food was terrific and lots of people were out to enjoy the day. Lest you think you're still recovering from Shakori Hills, the photos were filtered with photoshop to make them a bit more festive.

Balloons galore

Yours truly and members of the Pittsboro Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PARAB) manned a booth at the event where we revealed the hot off the press DRAFT master plan for Southern Park, showed a system map of all of our parks and proposed greenways, master plans of some of our facilities and gathered survey data to find out what type of facilities people want most.

Vibrant street scene

We took a citizen's suggestion and created an email list for Friends of the Parks. They'll get direct emails regarding any parks news, meetings, or events. Thanks to all the PARAB members who helped staff the booth! Look for future posts on how to join the Friends of the Parks email list.

Dolphin free, organic, free range corn dogs and funnel cakes

We received a lot of positive feedback, but it was also clear that a lot of residents were not aware of some of our great parks; not everyone reads the parks blog. I know, it's hard to believe that not everyone reads every post of this fine publication isn't it.? Better signage and increased outreach will certainly help people find the parks.

A visit from the Tooth Fairy

Having the Parks Booth at the street fair was definitely worthwhile. I'm confident that we inspired a lot of people to visit Pittsboro's parks, shared information about what's going on now (mostly the development of Southern Park) and listened to citizens expressing their vision of a town filled with high quality parks, greenways, blueways, sidewalks and bike paths linking key destinations.

Long lines for Ubi the Clown throughout the day

Birdhouse Vendor

DRAFT Plan for Southern Park

2010-10-26T11:09:00.000-04:00

The DRAFT Master Plan for Southern Park is Available Below for Review & Public Comment. Submit comments to the blog or better yet, come to the public meeting for this purpose to be held Thursday October 28, 2010 at 7 PM in the Pittsboro Town Hall.

Currently only the northernmost half of the park is funded, but the park is being planned in its entirety now. Proposed features include Mountain Biking and Hiking Trails, a Dog Park, Regulation Sized Soccer Field, Disc Golf, Futsal Court, Picnic Shelters/ Tables, a very small Woodland Amphitheater, Playgrounds and Restrooms/ Concession Stand.

This plan was shown at the street fair this weekend and received tons of positive feedback. The mountain biking trials, hiking trails, dog park and undisturbed mature forest seemed to be the most popular elements.

Note the new "Interactive Parks Map" Tab under the Pittsboro Parks Blog Banner. This map provides locational information for this and all of your other Pittsboro Parks.

Click Plan above for a larger image.

Parks for Crime Prevention

2010-10-18T10:01:00.009-04:00

Did you know that it costs taxpayers $262 per day to incarcerate one juvenile in North Carolina? That's $95,635 per year. Alternatively this could fund scholarships for:

Swimming Lessons for every student at Pittsboro Elementary School - a series of eight 30 minute classes
Youth Basketball play for every student of Pittsboro Elementary School and for every student at Horton Middle School - 5 months of play - practices and games
Girls Lacrosse Development League play 1 month for 100 girls
Youth Soccer CSL U6 Division play 2 months for 100 kids
Tennis Lessons by John Delafield for 100 kids
T-Ball for 2 months of play for 50 kids
Art Classes for 100 Students via One Stroke Art
Summer Camp 1 week for 10 kids at the YMCA's Camp Wannago
Clydefest Admission for every kid at Pittsboro Elementary School

There would still be $8,092 left over.

Here's a link to an article detailing how: "After-school programs alter lives of at-risk youth: park and recreation-sponsored programming is effective in reducing crime and educating children."

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." - Ben Franklin

Public Input Sought for Southern Park

2010-10-10T23:20:00.004-04:00

A public meeting to seek input on the future development of Pittsboro's proposed Southern Park will be held at the Pittsboro Town Hall on October the 28th at 7:00PM. The park will be located near the intersection of 15-501 South and Charlie Brooks Road, about 3 miles south of town. The parkland contains over 50 acres of rolling hills, mostly covered in hardwoods. It's a great piece of land.

One of several beautiful rock outcroppings on the parkland.

2010 Pittsboro Fall Street Fair - Oct. 23

2010-10-06T13:39:00.005-04:00

The 2010 Fall Street Fair will be held on Saturday, October 23rd from 10AM till 5:00PM. There is no rain date.

Leaves of artist Andy Goldsworthy

Bands:

Sister's Voice @ 10:00 AM

Russell Bluegrass Band @ 10:10-11:10AM

Frizz Wheel @ 11:15AM -12:20PM

The Castaways @ 12:30 -2:00PM

The Mighty Sanfordaires @ 2:15PM - 3:15PM

Big Time Party Band @ 3:30PM - 5:00PM

Kids Events:

John the Balloon Man

Gary the Magician

Bouncy House, Slide and Velcro Wall

Other:

Blacksmithing Demonstrations

Craft Vendors, Food Vendors & More

Many Thanks to the Barber Holmes Families

2010-10-05T21:25:00.007-04:00

"When the Holmes family was negotiating with East West Partners about turning their property into a mixed-use development, their first thought could have been, 'well, how much profit can we make from this transaction?' but that was not their first thought. Their first thought was, 'how can we find some way to give back to the community?' The result was that the family insisted that a portion of the land be donated to a public purpose."

These are the elegant words of Bill Terry, Pittsboro's Town Manager, at the opening ceremony of the Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park. He continued, "The park's namesake, Mary Holmes, who died two years ago, was someone who loved the out of doors. So while she's no longer with us, I think the end result would have been very pleasing to her - so we owe a great debt of gratitude to her and the entire extended Barber Holmes family for their forethought in making sure that Pittsboro ended up with this beautiful park facility."

I ran into one of the prime organizers with the Friends of the Library recently, and he mentioned how glad he was that we named the park after Mary Holmes. He said that without her influence and excitement about that cause, he never would have gotten involved. Mind you this is a real mover and shaker, someone who's largely responsible for the great work that the Friends of the Library continues to do. What a loss to our community if he had not have gotten involved. While I never had the pleasure of making her acquaintance, after hearing so many community members share equally inspiring stories about Mary Holmes, I'm really pleased that the park bears her name.

Extended Barber Holmes Family in attendance at the park opening. Photo courtesy of Bill Wilcox of the Chatham Record. (Thank you Bill, this is a great photo) Ed Holmes, Mary's husband, on the far left, Wade Barber, her brother, to Ed's right.

Kudos for the Chatham County Library

2010-10-02T04:45:00.011-04:00

Kudos to everyone associated with the creation of the beautiful new Chatham County Library. It will be doubtless be a source of community pride for many years to come. Kudos to the vision of the Chatham County Commissioners and Staff, Friends of the Library and Cherry Huffman Architects as well as the countless other contributors I’m invariably leaving out. It’s great to see public investment in quality architecture and design.

This building will last a very long time and continue to reflect the attitudes and values of the community, potentially for generations. An airplane hanger type building would have been a lot cheaper in the short run, but a beautiful and well thought out LEED Gold building such as this will prove to be a much better long term investment--in the obvious way, such as lower life-cycle costs such as heating and cooling, useful lifespan, etc. But more importantly, a beautiful building has inherent value, inspiring its inhabitants and visitors to be better and more sociable people.

Elderly citizens will visit from the Council of Aging building nearby, children will gather for story time, professionals will run in on their lunch hours to drop off books, retirees may linger to read periodicals, CCCC students will come in for research or to go online. This will truly be a community gathering place we can all be very proud of and enjoy.

Library exterior the night of its opening, the event tent is still visible. The landscaping is on the way; it should make the campus more cohesive and will include a much needed central courtyard, as I recall.

Here's the library interior the afternoon of the ribbon cutting. Natural lighting bathes the space.

Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park Grand Opening Highlights

2010-09-30T00:23:00.014-04:00

The Grand Opening of the Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park in Pittsboro was a great success, due largely to the energy which the Carolina Brewery brought to the event through their well orchestrated 5K race. Kudos to Taylor and Robert at the Carolina Brewery, along with volunteers from the Pittsboro Running Club who organized the race. The music of Judy and the Redbyrds was excellent as were the kids' activities provided by Louise Omoto Kessel and Samantha from Pittsboro Toys.

The ceremony itself was short and informal. Town Manager Bill Terry thanked the Barber and Holmes Family for their generous land donation, and East West Partners for their sustained interest in the project. The Town's elected officials were thanked for their support. Karen Hall of the NCSU Water Quality Group was acknowledged for her assistance in funding the permeable pavers in the parking lot, the living roof on the gazebo, and the beautiful raingarden. Appreciation was expressed for Laura Lauffer, the Sustainability Coordinator at the CCCC, for her student's installation of the living roof on the gazebo. Frank Fitzgerald, president of the Chatham Soccer League, was noted for his pledge to provide soccer goals in the near future. Others critical to making the project a success were thanked as well.

Early Birds arrived before 8am.

Strong finishes on the kids' race around the park walking trail.

Finish line of the 5K Oktoberfest Run

Kids enjoying the playsculptures.

Juan & Elizabeth's cute dog on the playsculpture. Why not? Pittsboro needs a good dog park.

Carolina Brewery 5K Oktoberfest Fun Run - September 25th

2010-09-11T14:00:00.006-04:00

5K Oktoberfest Fun Run/ Walk to celebrate Oktoberfest and the grand opening of the new Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park in Powell Place.

Registration Begins at 8:00 A.M. at the new park at the corner of Rock Spring Church Cemetery Road and Millbrook Drive. Light breakfast provided for the runners.

The race will begin at 9:00 A.M. winding it's way through the rolling hills of the Powell Place development and ending back at the park.

There will be a free run for kids 6 and under at 9:45 A.M. (around the paved trail at the park)

Awards will be at 10 am at the Carolina Brewery

Rain date is Sunday September 26th - same time and place

Click here to download the Registration Form

More details in the embedded registration form below:

Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park Grand Opening Celebration Saturday, September 25

2010-09-11T12:00:00.009-04:00

The grand opening for the New Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park in Powell Place will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2010 with opening ceremony beginning at 8:30am. We've partnered with the Carolina Brewery and East West Partners (the developers of Powell Place) to throw a party! Check out the great events below. Bring your family and friends to see Pittsboro's newest park!

8:00am

Race Registration at the Park

8:30

Park Grand Opening Ceremony

9:00

5K 'Fun Run & Walk' thru Powell Place

9:45

Kids 'Even More Fun Run' around the Park Trail

10:00

Race Awards and runners' breakfast at the Brewery Hop Shop

10:30 - 2:00

Bluegrass Music in the park - Judy and the Redbyrds

4:00 - 10:00

Oktoberfest festivities at the Carolina Brewery

Multiple kid's activities - Face painting, dunking booth, clown & bounce house

Bratwurst, cheese-bread, kraut and beer

7:00 - 10:00

Music at the Brewery - Kitty Box & the Jonnies; The Straight 8's

More Oktoberfest info on the Brewery Webpage: http://www.carolinabrewery.com/carolina_brewery_news.html

Benefits of Unstructured Play

2010-08-12T09:46:00.010-04:00

Climbing Structures at Pittsboro's newest park.

One of my favorite parts of the new Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park (Formerly Rock Springs Park) is the wooded trail section just off of the playground circle. There's no great vista or amazing whoopdesnoozit, just a simple bare earth trail that loops off toward the cemetery and then back toward the play area and ultimately on to points due north. I have to say it's often one of the most annoying, in a way, areas to me, too, because my first impulse is to feel that I don't have time to walk this extra section knowing that the trail will soon loop back and bring me very close to where I'd just come. That's when the reminder kicks in that park trails aren't there to provide the most efficient route from point A to point B, they're there to help people get out of the productive focused mode and into an enjoyment of nature and family and play - in short recreation. It's a zen moment that's kicked in for me several times at that location.

My kids, of course, run along the path as fast as they can, calling back to remind me that, "you're supposed to be playing with us, Daddy, not still thinking about work." I admit it's hard to turn off the nitpicking critique of my own parks. Even while visiting other parks I can't turn off the scrutiny of the built environment around me. Nor do I want to, as it's part of my nature, and it's part of my ever evolving understanding of park design and what makes certain places "better" than others.

I suppose that introduction to the following article is a bit like a looping trail, but hopefully you'll end up in a good place....

An excellent article on the benefits of unstructured play. http://www.melindawenner.com/Clips_files/MiQ109Wenn2p.pdf

A quote from the article:

"...But kids play soccer, Scrabble and the sousaphone—so why are experts concerned that these games and more structured activities are eating into free play? Certainly games with rules are fun and sources of learning experiences— they may foster better social skills and group cohesion, for instance, says Anthony D. Pellegrini, an educational psychologist at the University of Minnesota. But, Pellegrini explains, “Games have a priori rules—set up in advance and followed. Play, on the other hand, does not have a priori rules, so it affords more creative responses.” This creative aspect is key because it challenges the developing brain more than following predetermined rules does. In free play, kids use their imaginations...."

Can Parks Pay For Themselves?

2010-07-23T10:50:00.009-04:00

Well, yes. They can. And quite easily.

Recently, I ran across a great article (http://www.collectiveroots.org/benefits_of_parks) describing the economic, social and health benefits of parks. I'd encourage anyone interested in the topic to read it.

The basic idea, supported in the article by tons of academic research, is that people willing choose to pay more for a home located near a park. That's it. Simple, intuitive, and a truism that most successful realtors can readily confirm.

When people pay more for homes near parks, property tax valuations reflect this higher selling price, which in turn generates greater tax revenues. These revenues go on to increase the general coffers, repay bonds which funded the initial development, or finance ongoing park maintenance.

Homes near parks also tend to have higher re-sell values and tend to stay on the market for shorter periods of time. A 20% increase in the value of properties abutting parks is typical. Properties along greenways have documented increases in value of over 30%.

Bottom line, parks more than pay for themselves.

Kiwanis Park gets International Acclaim

2010-07-20T03:45:00.005-04:00

Well, let me qualify that. Kiwanis Park was featured in a Polish print magazine recently. Since I don't actually read Polish; the text may actually read: "Most Idiotic Parks in America" or something along those lines, but judging by the other photos in the article I'd say our humble Kiwanis Park is in good company. The first page is below: I'm not sure what copyright laws apply so I won't post the entire article. If you can translate the article, please let me know.

The Value of Parks & Recreation - Kirschman

2010-07-15T22:31:00.009-04:00

A while back I invited Michael Kirschman from Mecklenburg County Parks & Recreation speak about the True Value of Parks & Recreation. Michael gives this presentation to packed crowds at conferences around the country so we were very lucky to have him speak here. If you wanted to come but just couldn't fit in into your schedule you now have a second chance.

With permission, I've hosted an audio mp3 clip of the presentation as well as a pdf of the original Powerpoint. While the two are not synced, it's easy to follow along as the interface is quite intuitive. You can view and listen without having to download the files.

The audio is hosted here: http://www.box.net/shared/1l0nzaj5n0

and the pdf is hosted here: http://www.box.net/shared/fghlg4usfl

This is great info; it reiterates the fact that parks benefit the entire community, not just the people who use them.

Enjoy!

New Look For Parks Blog

2010-07-06T10:48:00.003-04:00

I've just been playing with some minor tweaks to change the look a bit; it may affect older posts adversely, but I think I can live with that.

Town Lake Park Minor Enhancements

2010-07-05T13:25:00.021-04:00

Town Lake Park is a great little park, offering swings, monkey bars, pond, soccer field, a picnic shelter with grills, and many shady trails for a respite from this summer heat. I've noticed, however, that while a lot of people visit the parts of the park near the parking lot, far fewer seem to explore the trails. Nothing wrong with that; there's wifi near the lot and folks like to feed the geese or use the picnic shelter. And a few recent park improvements will make the parking lot area even more enjoyable. But I hope they will also encourage people to explore the trails and access the more hidden areas of the park.

Here's what's been done: Both parking lots have received tree work to raise the tree canopy and make the area feel safer and more open. Low spots and potholes in the parking lot have been filled in, and poison ivy has been attacked aggressively. The chips from the tree work were retained for future projects.

The soccer field has been aerated and the low areas filled with topsoil, while compost has been spread throughout and the bare spots reseeded. All of this should improve play for the soccer leagues and for the individuals who make use of the field.

But perhaps the most noticeable improvements have been to the trailheads. We've cleared out lots of poison ivy, honeysuckle, and elaeagnus, and coved the cleared areas with recycled leaf mulch which our public works crews collect from around town every fall. In addition, some attractive, but also deer, heat, and abuse tolerant plants have been installed at the entranceways, drawing eyes toward the trail and inviting people to explore further. My daughter and I walked around this weekend and had a great time.

Hwy 902 trailhead: Before clearing

Hwy 902 trailhead: After clearing and crusher run trail surfacing

Hwy 902 trailhead: After plantings

Diane Street Parking Lot: After Improvements left of trail

Diane Street Parking Lot: After Improvements right of trail

Feeding the Well

2010-06-14T12:50:00.011-04:00

Anyone who attended the recent presentation in Pittsboro by Michael Kirschman will understand that parks pay for themselves many times over in real economic terms, providing benefits to the entire community, not just the park’s end users. A recent visit to Airlie Gardens in Wilmington NC, however, reminds me of another great benefit, what designer James Richards calls “Feeding the Well of Creativity.” Many people find their productivity increasing and creative juices flowing after exposure to beautiful inspiring places. The impact of seeing a tree over 400 years old is hard to quantify in economic terms but it certainly seems meaningful in the grand scheme of things. Interacting with inspiring, refreshing places is crucial to us individually, and as members of society, and having access to quality spaces close to home is even better. Inspiration may stem from natural beauty, enhancements of nature, quality architecture, arts, crafts, or simply seeing your kids play in environments which nurture and excite them. Here’s a glimpse at some of the inspiring views at Airlie Gardens. If you’re in the Wilmington area, I highly recommend going. They offer kayak tours, a lovely butterfly house, 62 acres of enclosed garden with over 100,000 varieties of azalea and camellias.

Live Oak

Minnie Evans Bottle Chapel Garden

Minnie Evans Bottle Chapel; google for more photos.

Stained Glass Detail in the Bottle Chapel Garden

A great concrete arbor.

The Airlie Oak, 462 years old.

Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Vacancy

2010-06-05T16:49:00.003-04:00

The Pittsboro Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PARAB) is seeking volunteers, to be appointed by the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners, for the current vacant position on that board for an in town resident. Duties include advising the Board of Commissioners and Town Staff in matters related to parks and recreation. The board consists of six members and meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm.

To download an application click here: http://pittsboronc.gov/vertical/Sites/{512CE168-4684-4855-9CD9-7D209FE775E3}/uploads/{6393E87D-28A2-4695-B461-2C6313E2FF1E}.PDF

For more information about volunteer opportunities, click here: http://pittsboronc.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={F7D98F0D-279D-4FCC-ACDA-3510F7163AAE}

Rock Springs Park Sneak Peak

2010-06-03T20:17:00.010-04:00

As the grass establishes itself and the finishing touches are completed at Pittsboro's Rock Springs Park, area residents circling the walking trails are already enjoying the views....

...the raingarden from the playground circle,

...looking through young bamboo to the climbing sculptures beyond,

...sandbox foreground, picnic shelter, with the multi-use field in the background,

...detail of boulder retaining wall,

...the raingarden and the field beyond.

Celebration at Kiwanis Park June 12th

2010-05-27T15:13:00.007-04:00

The Pittsboro Kiwanis Club will celebrate their 60th anniversary of Community Service to Children by hosting a Children's Day at the Kiwanis Park and surrounding Kiwanis Hut property. The event will be on June 12th from 11:30- 3pm. Jammin Baby will provide interactive musical entertainment most of the afternoon. Various civic and public departments will be there as will Kiwanis members grilling free hot dogs for the kids and $1 dogs for adults. More info to come as the event takes shape.

For those of you who don't know, the Kiwanis Club worked with area parents in 200o to found the Kiwanis Park. The park opened in 2004 and has seen substantial upgrades throughout the years. The Kiwanis lease the parkland to the Town for virtually no cost and support area children in a myriad of other ways. Just from speaking informally with members I've learned that they provide Christmas gifts to children who otherwise would likely receive nothing. They also support the CORA food pantry and other local charities. This celebration is all about the kids, but should you attend, please take time to thank Kiwanis members for their positive civic engagement and their commitment to the betterment of Pittsboro. They rightly focus on doing good works rather than self promotion, so most people don't realize the good they do for our community.

Jammin Baby play silks in action at the Kiwanis Park shindig of 2008.

Thanks to Volunteers at Rock Springs Park

2010-05-27T15:01:00.002-04:00

Thanks to members of The Community Church and Mayor Randolph Voller for coordinating a volunteer work day at the new Rock Springs Park. The Community Church had a community service day a earlier in the month detailed here: http://www.chathamchurch.org/event/2010-05-02-the-church-has-left-the-building-day-of-community-service/. They helped to save quartz rocks from being otherwise buried and placed them around trees like the one below. Thank you all for your contributions.

Quartz tree ring placed by volunteers.

"The War on Children's Playgrounds"

2010-05-19T16:22:00.004-04:00

Great article from Salon.com:

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2010/05/17/war_on_childrens_playgrounds?source=newsletter

An excerpt:

"Children rise to risk," says Joan Almon, executive director of the U.S. Alliance for Childhood. "Give them some genuine risk and they quickly learn what their limits are, and then they expand their limits." The problem is: If kids never encounter even tiny risks, they never develop that thing we call common sense.

The True Value of Parks - Speaker May 20th

2010-05-07T16:46:00.005-04:00

I've heard great things about this speaker so I'm really glad that he was able to come to Pittsboro to share his experience. Essentially Michael has done a lot of research into the value of parks and open space and conveys his findings in hard economic terms. One of his main tenant is that parks are valuable to all members of a community, not just the ultimate end users.

Come on out to the Chatham Mill on May 20th 7PM to view his presentation. A short question and answer period will follow.

Click on the image above to view it at full size.

Adventure Playgrounds

2010-04-22T11:04:00.005-04:00

While rather difficult to implement, manage and staff from a municipal standpoint, especially for a small town like Pittsboro, Adventure Playgrounds still seem like great fun. The idea developed in post WWII Europe when a playground designer observed that kids enjoyed playing more in the the dirt and scrap lumber from war rubble than they did in the "normal" playgrounds of the time. Not surprisingly, he found that kids like designing and building their own play structures given the opportunity. The creative mounds of sticks and sand throughout Kiwanis Park can attest to this fact. There are currently about 1000 adventure playgrounds in Europe but only a handful in the U.S.

Here's a link to an article that provides a great introduction:http://www.good.is/post/adventure-playgrounds/

another:

http://weburbanist.com/2007/11/27/urban-adventure-playgrounds-the-coolest-places-you-probably-never-played-as-a-kid/

and this one regarding an active adventure playground in CA:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/contentdisplay.aspx?id=8656

I love how engaged these kids seem in this photo of a fort building project.

Organized Recreation around Pittsboro NC

2010-04-05T09:56:00.011-04:00

At the moment, Pittsboro's current focus for parks and recreation is geared toward developing new facilities while improving and maintaining existing ones. However, if you're looking for programs, classes and special events, there's much in the area to choose from.

For example, the Chatham County Parks & Recreation Department's seasonal newsletter highlights their services, including classes and events. The latest edition can be found here: Newsletter. Current offerings include youth and adult tennis classes, adult softball, youth track and field training, etc.

In addition, private recreation providers use the Pittsboro's Community House at reasonable rates to offer tai chi, assorted youth and adult dance classes including ballet, and clogging, as well as special events like chamber music concerts and community dance parties.

Other private resources such as the YMCA, assorted gyms, and sports leagues round out the options for organized recreation. Many of these resources are listed in the County's newsletter referenced above as well as in the list of links on this blog's right sidebar.

There's lots to do in Pittsboro!

New Cedar Benches at Town Lake Park

2010-03-30T21:19:00.009-04:00

Two new cedar benches grace Town Lake Park. One is placed at a well used fishing spot on the peninsula. The other is shown below; it was sited to bring awareness to the pin oak behind it. Both benches were crafted by local Erik Wolken of Works in Wood. The cedar was locally sourced. The benches were partially funded through an a Adopt-a-Trail Program Grant through the State of NC's Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

An inviting place to rest after a hike.

Vista from the new bench courtesy of volunteers at a recent park work day.

Pittsboro Parks Blog

Environmental Volunteer Day - Jan 28, 2012

Tree Book by Local Artists

Robeson Creek Greenway

Happy Holidays!

Park Supporting License Plates

2011 - 5K Reindeer Run - Pittsboro

Classic Cars of the 2011 Pittsboro Christmas Parade

Pittsboro Christmas Parade 2011 - December 4 at 3 PM

Tannery Branch Clean - Up : December 3, 2011

Rock Ridge Park Grand Opening Pictures!

Grand Opening - Rock Ridge Park

Rock Ridge Park Grand Opening & Sneak Peak

Rock Ridge Park Grand Opening

Nature ABCs

Jordan Lake Clean Up - October 1, 2011

Haw River Trail

Yoga & Kettlebells at Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park

Northeast District Park

Where's that Confounded Lake?

Sharing the Road - Rights & Responsibilities

Can a Playground Be Too Safe?

CHILDHOOD RELIC Jungle gyms, like this one in Riverside Park in Manhattan, have disappeared from most American playgrounds in recent decades.

Just passing along the following article from the Times:Efforts to regulate playground equipment to prevent injuries may stunt emotional development, a new study suggests.By JOHN TIERNEYPublished: July 18, 2011

Just passing along the following article from the Times:

Efforts to regulate playground equipment to prevent injuries may stunt emotional development, a new study suggests.

By JOHN TIERNEY

Published: July 18, 2011

New Play Equipment at Mary Holmes Park

New Windscreen at McClenahan Street Park

Sculpture Donated to Pittsboro Parks

Compost Socks!

Southern Park Flora

Fairy Festival - After Action Report

Gnome Home & Fairy Festival May 7th 9-noon

Gnome Home Workshop & Playdate - May 7, 2011

6 Month Parks & Recreation Progress Report

Pittsboro by Gaslight - April 30, 2011 - Downtown

Parks as a Business Model - Briar Chapel

Pittsboro Running Club Weekly Runs

Operation Med Drop

Need help with your golf game?

New Soccer Goals at MHBH Park

West African Drumming Comes to Pittsboro

Parks, Placemaking & Economic Development

2 Creek Clean Ups - Volunteers Welcome!

More New Picnic Tables

Greenways Provide Proven Economic Value

Skatepark Benefit this Weekend!

Hanami - Pittsboro Style

Chatham Lacrosse

Ready for Spring - Picnic Tables and Grills

The Case for Slowing Down

Biggest Tree in Chatham

Bicycle & Pedestrian Survey

Tennis Lessons - Pittsboro

Wow, This is amazing!

Rockin the Skatepark Feb 26 General Store Cafe

Violin Concertos at the Community House

Wise Musings of a London 3rd Grader

Snow Photos for the New Year

Fall Colors at Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park

Pittsboro Parks Blog Now has an RSS Feed

Chatham County Bicycle Survey

Pittsboro Skatepark Drive

Pittsboro Reindeer Run - December 11, 2010

Huge Returns on Bicycle Facility Investments

Economic Impact of Investing in Bicycle Facilities: A Case Study

Economic Impact Study Conclusions

2010 Pittsboro Fall Street Fair Recap Redux

2010 Street Fair Recap

DRAFT Plan for Southern Park

Parks for Crime Prevention

Public Input Sought for Southern Park

2010 Pittsboro Fall Street Fair - Oct. 23

Many Thanks to the Barber Holmes Families

Kudos for the Chatham County Library

Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park Grand Opening Highlights

Carolina Brewery 5K Oktoberfest Fun Run - September 25th

Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park Grand Opening Celebration Saturday, September 25

Just passing along the following article from the Times:
Efforts to regulate playground equipment to prevent injuries may stunt emotional development, a new study suggests.

By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: July 18, 2011