During his monthly community coffee with the mayor program, Pat Taylor did his best to bring the outside in.
Joined by three organizations involved with land conservation, parks, and recreation, Taylor covered how local groups are working to protect green spaces and improve the town’s recreation infrastructure.
Hank Ross with the Friends of Founders Park took the first turn at the podium and gave a brief history on what is perhaps Highlands crown jewel in terms of its parks system – Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park.
“Some people come to town and they visit the park and they assume it’s been here forever, and that’s not the case,” Ross said. “We really got started making the park a reality in 2009 and it took about four years for it to come together.”
Taylor noted that the early days of the park discussion were hotly debated in town.
“I was on the planning board at the time, and we had a planning board member who was a realtor, and he had a client that wanted to buy that property and put storage units on it,” Taylor said. “Thankfully in hindsight, the planning board didn’t think storage units was a good use of that space right in the center of town and we were able to put that property to a public use for the park.”
At the time of the park’s beginning, the former US Post Office sat on the property after the post office relocated to Highlands Plaza. Ross noted that the building needed torn down as did an adjacent building in order to make room for the park.
Ross added that perhaps the park’s most unique feature isn’t even visible to visitors.
“Underneath the park there is a holding tank that the ground water passes through, that acts as a filter,” Ross said. “The town staff can go in there and clean it out via the manholes in the park, and what the tank does is two-fold. It filters out garbage and debris of course, but it also slows the groundwater down and keeps Mill Creek from being white water.”
Today, Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park is one of the town’s most popular recreation spots. The park hosts the Saturdays on Pine concert series, the Highlands Motoring Festival, arts and craft shows, the weekly farmers market, the annual Christmas tree lighting, SnowFest, and more.
“It’s hard to imagine that property as storage units now with all that we use it for,” Ross said. “We are blessed that it’s a beautiful public space and as an organization (the Friends of Founders Park) are working to continue making improvements to the park so that it’s viable for future generations.”
Highlands Playground
Following Ross’ presentation, town commissioner Brian Stiehler used his time to promote a new project that will replace the existing playground at the Highlands Rec Park with a new inclusive playground.
The project is in the fundraising stage and Stiehler noted that several backers have already stepped up to make contributions.
“We started with a $50,000 private donation from a Highlands citizen, and then we applied for a $500,000 NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant that we will find out about later this month,” Stiehler said. “The town has committed $150,000 and Macon County has put in $300,000. So where that leaves us, assuming we get the grant, is about $600,000 that we are trying to raise privately. Of that, we have brought in roughly $200,000 already from community groups, and individuals.”
Stiehler noted that the upcoming Rotary Club of Highlands Twilight 5k on Aug. 17 is being used as a fundraiser for the playground, which should offer another strong injection of financial support. The 5k race is among the biggest and best in Western North Carolina and draws runners from across the region.
Interested runners can enter the race by visiting runsignup.com and searching Highlands Twilight 5k.
“We are working with a company called Carolina Parks and Play, and building playgrounds is what they do,” Stiehler said. “What we are trying to build will be state of the art, it will be inclusive for children of all ages, all physical abilities, etc. and it will contain an educational component with a scavenger hunt focused on native plants and animals. It’s really going to be incredible, and it will be something people here can be proud of.”
Highlands Cashiers Land Trust
The final group to put its work on display during the community coffee hour was the Highlands Cashiers Land Trust.
Executive director Lance Hardin highlighted some of the organizations major successes from its 115-year tenure on the plateau.
“The land trust has been through a few different eras, but it really started in 1909, making us one of the oldest such organizations anywhere,” Hardin said. “From preserving Sunset Rock, and then facilitating the creation of Ravenel Park, to our current work with landowners who want to make sure their property is protected in perpetuity we are a multi-faceted conservation agency.”
Hardin gave the audience a brief overview of ways they can make sure their land is conserved for future generations, even after they sell the property or pass away.
“We have people who donate land to us, or sell it to us in a fee simple sale, but the more popular way for landowners to conserve their land is through a conservation easement,” Hardin said. “This is a clause connected to the deed of the property that ensures it must be conserved as the current owner sees fit. Most of the time that means it can’t be put to commercial use.”
Hardin noted that it’s the land trusts job to make sure those easements are upheld.
“Right now, we have a property we did an easement on, and the new owner is unhappy with that easement and wants to override it,” Hardin said. “We are going through the legal system to make sure that doesn’t happen. We’re called the land trust for a reason, people are entrusting us to protect their land in the future.”
Taylor noted that the land trust has been an integral part of protecting some of Highlands most vital natural areas, and will be a key player in future conservation efforts.
“What the land trust, and the Friends of Founders Park, do is so important,” Taylor said. “Those of us that live here understand how important the environment is to our way of life and having protected public spaces is a big part of that.”