By Mark Wineka
Salisbury Post
COOLEEMEE ó Even the winter’s bare trees, freezing temperatures and diminished water flow can’t hide the distinct natural beauty of the RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls, the place longtime residents still call “The Bullhole.”
Here, the South Yadkin River’s usual cascade of water over the dam and onto the jigsaw puzzle of rocks below has always created the kind of place where people want to hang out; have a picnic; sun, swim and slide; or take a break from a long canoe trip.
RiverPark encourages all of those things ó at no cost ó and the nonprofit corporation overseeing its operation and development hope a second ambitious phase can make The Bullhole an even bigger natural attraction for residents of Rowan and Davie counties and beyond.
But the nonprofit corporation’s leaders face some funding challenges ó hurdles, in a way created by the river itself.
The South Yadkin separates Rowan and Davie counties and sets up the always-present question of what role governments on each side of the river should take in the park.
And if they are involved, to what extent should they pay for things not necessarily on their side of the river?
The park’s first phase of development also complicated things. The expansive shelter, trails, restrooms, vehicle access, benches and parking ó some $1.1 million worth of clearing and construction ó all happened on the Rowan County side of the river.
All of the things planned for Phase II would occur on the Davie County side.
Rowan County government did not contribute any money to Phase I of RiverPark, while Davie County commissioners allocated a total of $250,000 ó $50,000 a year over five years.
Behind the scenes, RiverPark board members have been soliciting major commitments to Phase II’s plan, but the private donors have stipulated that their contributions would be dependent on the park’s hiring a full-time manager and operational funding for five years from Rowan County, Davie County and the town of Cooleemee.
Participation from the local governments also would be important toward providing matching money for a N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) grant, the application for which will be due early this year.
The grant could provide up to $500,000 in state funding.
Arnold Chamberlain, chairman of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners, threw another wrinkle into hopes for Phase II in November when he mentioned RiverPark at a meeting.
Noting that the RiverPark supporters plan to ask the county for a $25,000-a-year commitment for five years, Chamberlain said, “I will not do it,” adding he wanted to “nip it in the bud.”
Chamberlain said Rowan commissioners had voted against funding the first phase several years earlier and that although it was “a wonderful project,” the park’s supporters knew Rowan County was not going to make a contribution.
Ron Bivins, vice chairman of RiverPark Inc., acknowledges that his board faces some hurdles, but he also thinks it’s close to an exciting expansion that would benefit citizens from both sides of the river.
“I want to see it happen,” says Bivins, a lifelong Davie County resident and longtime course superintendent for the Country Club of Salisbury.
“We’re this close to jumping one or two hurdles, and it would take off.”
Phase II plans call for these additions:
– The purchase of seven additional acres on Main Street in Cooleemee, including the old warehouse and hill areas above the river.
– A new main entrance for RiverPark at the side of the cotton mill warehouses on Main Street, also giving families good pedestrian access.
– A river outfitter shop, park headquarters, canoe storage and equipment maintenance shop at one location, which also would provide 130 additional parking spaces.
– A pedestrian and light-vehicle bridge that would span the South Yadkin River and join the Rowan and Davie sides. It could be built on old pilings of the former steel bridge for N.C. 801.
Davie County owns the old bridge property and has an easement from Main Street across the river.
– A picnic shelter on the old “Park Hill” site on Main Street and another rest room building.
– A rustic-styled playground near the shelter.
– A “Wetlands Boardwalk” through an area identified by scientists as a significant wetlands area.
– A dock for planned river boat rides from Cooleemee Junction (up river) to the park.
– More woodland trails.
– Handicap access to a principal trail along the river from the bridge to the dam.
Bivins says all the Phase I development happened on the Rowan side of the river because the land and access were available, and it represented the least expensive way to start, though plans all along have been to develop both sides of the river.
The project also received a $250,000 PARTF grant in May 2000, and work had to proceed to make sure RiverPark would receive that money.
“It upset folks,” Bivins says of all the construction’s happening on the Rowan side, “but they understood why …”
RiverPark has 39 acres on the Rowan side and 39 acres on the Davie side, if you include the 7 acres the group wants to purchase as part of Phase II. The town of Cooleemee actually owns the land.
RiverPark opened to the public in November 2003.
From the beginning, former Riverpark Chairman John Peeler says, the park initiative has been a grass-roots movement from citizens on both sides of the river who wanted to preserve and protect this unique spot.
The shelter on the Rowan side provides a meeting place for family reunions and church groups. The park in general has become a good spot for Eagle Scout projects, school field trips and summer archeological camps. The location is rich in Native American history and is an important location on a South Yadkin River trail.
Peeler says he already considers it a regional park, based on its pull on people from beyond the two counties. Come on a summer day, he says, and it’s not unusual to see 250 people fishing and swimming.
On New Year’s Day, Peeler counted some 50 people just walking the trails.
Major Phase I funding came from the PARTF grant, $250,000; the Margaret C. Woodson Foundation, $50,000; The N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, $127,000; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, $300,000; Davie County, $250,000; the town of Cooleemee, $25,000; Claude Horn, who donated 18 acres; and a Community Funds Campaign, which included church groups, individuals, businesses and students who purchased $10,000 worth of “deeds” to The Bullhole at $100 each.
The Cooleemee Historical Association first started to explore creation of the park on both sides of the river in 1998 when there was a danger of the Rowan side’s being clear-cut of its timber.
Volunteers and a part-time staff person oversee the Rowan side of the park now. The part-time employee opens and closes the park and picks up trash, among other duties.
Peeler, the former chairman of RiverPark Inc., says the park’s establishment has been important in reducing the number of times Rowan sheriff’s deputies have had to respond to incident calls, related to The Bullhole.
For years, the land on the Rowan side of The Bullhole had been off limits to visitors, for example, but that often made it that more intriguing to trespassers. The park’s existence probably has improved things for law enforcement 180 degrees, Peeler says.
RiverPark’s chief fundraiser every year is a fall fish fry. At the 2007 event, Bivins fried 300 pounds of catfish for close to 500 people. But the event only clears a couple thousand dollars, according to Bivins.
The nonprofit group still plans to approach Rowan County commissioners and ask for a contribution toward operations.
Meanwhile, RiverPark Chairman Daphne Beck notes that residents of Woodleaf and the Scotch-Irish community in general have initiated a letter writing campaign to encourage their county commissioners to participate in the park project.
Last August, RiverPark Inc. started a community outreach program into Rowan County to involve residents in volunteer work at the park and to advocate for it. A RiverPark volunteer workshop is planned for early this year.
A tentative goal of $2.5 million has been set for Phase II, with a community- and corporate-based fundraising campaign planned to begin in May.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or mwineka@ salisburypost.com.