Town oF Jamestown DDeeeepp RRiivveerr TTrraaiill PPllaann FINAL DRAFT – June 2010 Town of Jamestown Deep River Trail Plan FINAL DRAFT – June 2010 Piedmont Triiad Counciill of Governments – Town of Jamestown Deep River Trail Plan – The Jamestown Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee in cooperation with the Town Council and staff sponsored this plan. The Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (PTCOG) facilitated the planning & design process, assessed existing conditions along the proposed trail corridor and conducted interviews to determine the level of landowner interest and willingness to participate in implementation of the trail plan. PTCOG also provided design recommendations for local paddling trail access sites, local hiking trail access sites and alignments, and the conceptual alignment of a regional greenway trail. The Jamestown Town Council adopted the plan June 15, 2010. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee: Town Council: Marla Kurzec Chairwoman Keith L. Volz Mayor Fred Kelly Member Georgia N. Roney Mayor Pro Tem Tom Tervo Member Frank Gray Member Linda Schumacher Member Will Ragsdale Member Al Bartko Member R. Brock Thomas Member Will Ragsdale Member Larry Lain Member PTCOG Project Staff: Lynn Tice Alternate - New Paul M. Kron Planning Director Town Staff: Jesse Day Regional Planner Kathryn Q. Billings Town Manager Malinda Ford GIS Planner Matthew Johnson Town Planner Town of Jamestown – Deep River Trail Plan Page i Table of Contents Section 1: Project Background ...................................... 1 MAP 1 – Study Area ....................................................................................................... 1 MAP 2 - Deep River State Park Trail Corridor ............................................................. 5 Section 2: Local Blueway (Paddling) Trail ..................... 6 Concept A – Preferred Blueway Put-in at City Lake Park ....................................... 7 Concept B – Alternate Put-In on Historic Jamestown / Ragsdale Parcels ........... 8 Concept C - Alternate Put-In on Tucker Parcel ....................................................... 9 Concept A–D - Four Potential Take-Out Sites ......................................................... 10 Section 3: Local Greenway (Hiking) Trail .................... 14 MAP 4 – Ortho-Photo - High Point Sewer R.O.W. .................................................... 15 MAP 5 – Land Parcels Adjacent to the Trail Corridor ............................................. 16 TABLE 1 – WEST BANK Land Owner Contact Information & Interview Results .... 17 TABLE 2 – EAST BANK Land Owner Contact Information & Interview Results ..... 19 MAP 6 – Preliminary NCDOT Design Plans for the Jamestown By-Pass / Deep River Bridge (U-2412A) ................................................................................................ 20 Section 4: Local Trail Recommendations ................... 21 MAP 7 - Local Trail Recommendations Map ........................................................... 22 Section 5: Regional Blueway & Greenway Trail ......... 25 MAP 8 – Oakdale Mill Portage and Trailhead Map ............................................... 25 MAP 9 - Regional Trail Recommendations Map ..................................................... 29 MAP 10 – Land Parcels Adjacent the Regional Trail Corridor .............................. 31 TABLE 3 – Privately Owned (P) Contact Information & Interview Results for Regional Trail ................................................................................................................ 33 TABLE 4 – Water Authority Owned (WA) Contact Information & Interview Results for Regional Trail ............................................................................................. 37 TABLE 5 – City and County Owned (C) Contact Information & Interview Results for Regional Trail .......................................................................................................... 39 Appendix A – 1995 Deep River Heritage Corridor Proposal .......................................................................... 40 Town of Jamestown – Deep River Trail Plan Page ii Section 1: Project Background In July of 2008 the Town of Jamestown requested the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (PTCOG) assistance in developing the Town of Jamestown Deep River Trail Plan. The plan was developed in cooperation with the Jamestown Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee, the Town Council, Town staff, Guilford County staff, High Point staff, State Parks & Recreation staff, and multiple landowners along the Deep River Trail corridor. The plan has five sections providing assessments and recommendations for these primary project elements: • Local Blueway (Paddling) Trail – provide recommendations for the location & design of put-in and take-out access sites for a local blueway (paddling) trail along the Deep River from City Lake Park to the Oakdale Mill dam; • Local Greenway (Hiking) Trail – provide recommendations for the location & design of trailheads and the alignment of a local greenway (hiking) trail along the Deep River from City Lake Park to the Oakdale Mill dam; and • Regional Greenway and Blueway Trail – provide recommendations for the conceptual alignment of a regional greenway trail along the Deep River corridor from Oakdale Mill dam south to the Southwest Guilford County Park. The extent of the study area for the proposed local trail is from City Lake Park on the north side of West Main Street south along the Deep River to the Oakdale Mill dam. The regional trail study area is from the Oakdale Mill dam south along the Deep River to the Southwest Guilford County Park located along the northern reaches of Randleman Lake (see MAP 1 – Study Area below). MAP 1 – Study Area Town of Jamestown – Deep River Trail Plan Page 1 Deep River Heritage Corridor Proposal – 1995 The Town of Franklinville began planning for a Deep River greenway trail in the late 1980s, by acquiring railroad right-of-way along the river from the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway. The town currently has a mile of trail along the former railway that was designated in 2009. A plan for the designation and development of a regional Deep River Cultural Heritage Corridor was first proposed by Franklinville Mayor, Mac Whatley, in 1995 (see Appendix A - The Deep River Heritage Corridor Proposal or on line at http://216.162.2.100/). Mayor Whatley drafted a bill for the North Carolina Legislature in 1999 calling for designation and funding of the Deep River Heritage Corridor. The draft bill was endorsed by Randolph County, Guilford County, the Randolph County Tourism Development Authority and the Town of Franklinville in 2000. The bill was passed by the NC State Senate in 2001, however, it was not passed by the NC House of Representatives. In 2005 Mayor Whatley unsuccessfully applied for a Rural Center grant to involve the Towns of Franklinville, Ramseur, and Randleman in establishing a cultural heritage corridor along the Deep River. In 2005 Mayor Whatley also applied for and received a $50,000 state trails grant to establish a trail head at the former NC Wildlife Commission boat ramp, which the Town of Franklinville purchased from the State. These grant funds were also intended to refurbish two steel bridges offered by NCDOT. The Town of Ramseur recently received funding from the NC Clean Water management Trust Fund (CWMTF) to plan and build a greenway trail along a portion of the abandoned railroad right-or-way running adjacent to the Deep River. Much research and groundwork has been done along the Deep River over the past two decades. Numerous communities would very much like to see the corridor’s rich cultural and natural heritage recognized and preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. Town of Jamestown – Deep River Trail Plan Page 2 Urban Design Assistance Team – 1996 The Deep River Trail was a part of the Urban Design Assistance Team (UDAT) project in 1996. With a vision of expanding connections to the existing Bicentennial Trail and the Piedmont Environmental Center, Jamestown in Motion (JIM) carried the project forward in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The JIM committee worked to build the Deep River Trail from the Mendenhall Plantation to Oakdale Mill at Harvey Road. Major achievements of the JIM Committee included the construction of walking trails, a small footbridge, a canoe access site and a Native American Village in and around the Mendenhall Plantation at the northern part of the study area. A paved walking trail was including as part of the River Walk Development on the west side of the Deep River along Dillon Road as a result of the UDAT plan and the efforts of the JIM Committee. In addition, an 80-foot steel footbridge was constructed across the Deep River along the east side of Dillon Road to provide pedestrian and bicycle access from River Walk towards downtown Jamestown. The JIM committee also worked with Guilford Technical Community College and interested citizens to help determine the alignment of the Deep River Trail. An engineer was hired to help determine the feasibility and cost of trail sections at the intersection of the North Carolina Railroad and other natural obstacles. Unfortunately, Deep River Trail planning stalled around 2002 or 2003, due to unsuccessful outreach to the Norfolk Southern Railroad Corporation regarding access under a North Carolina Railroad bridge, a failed attempt to get a pedestrian bridge over Main Street at City