One boat access plan down ...
Second proposed site on hold
By J.D. Walker
Staff Writer, The Courier-Tribune
ASHEBORO - Boaters throughout the region are one step closer to getting
their oars in the water at Randleman Lake.
Authorities with the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority have officially
approved one of the sites Randolph County has requested as a boat access
point.
A second proposed boat access site has been tentatively put on hold while
authorities coordinate with High Point city officials.
County Commissioner Darrell Frye presented the requests to PTRWA on Jan.
11 after getting the endorsement from the county board on Jan. 3.
"The water authority was very impressed with the proposal for the
site near the dam and agreed to make it available to Randolph County at
no charge to us," he said.
The approved site is 155 acres located behind the dam structure on land
owned by the PTRWA. The site would be accessed from Randleman Lake Road
north of Randleman.
A second suggested site covers approximately 56 acres at the intersection
of Walker Mill and Commonwealth roads. Frye said in an interview Wednesday
that High Point is considering the feasibility of having a boat access point,
too.
Guilford County has already requested a boat access site at Southwest
Park in Guilford. The goal would be not to have designated boat access sites
too close to each other.
Plans proposed for the 155-acre site at the Jan. 3 meeting by county
planning director Hal Johnson are ambitious.
The proposal envisions a facility with parking for 100 boat trailers.
The site would accommodate 110 leased boat slips and four boat ramps.
Nearby, the public would be able to make use of four shelters in a day-use
picnic area. The proposed site would have walking trails throughout the
property. The facility would connect to the existing Deep River Trail in
Randleman and then to the proposed Deep River Heritage Corridor.
Using proposed greenways or following the lake up to Archdale, visitors
would eventually be able to traverse the county on proposed and existing
trails, including the Caraway Creek Trail, Birkhead Wilderness Trail, Uwharrie
River Trail, Richland Creek Trail, Old Rail Line Trail, Creek Trail and
more.
Frye said the next step is to get an official appraisal of the 155-acre
site. Once the property value is known, Randolph County officials can begin
the process of applying for grant money from the state and/or federal government.
Frye said a second look will be needed at the proposed district park
plan presented to the board on Jan. 3.
In particular, he expressed reservations about the number of boat slips
suggested in the proposal. Original estimates indicate the lake could accommodate
roughly 400 boats - or one boat per seven acres of water - at one time.
"I can tell you right now, 400 boats on that lake at one time -
it ain't going to happen," said Frye.
He said the decision is yet to be made by the water authority but it
would probably be more restrictive - on the order of one boat for every
10-15 acres of water.
Randleman Lake is being constructed as a future drinking water source
for Randolph and Guilford counties. As such, it has some of the most restrictive
development and recreational use restrictions in the state.
Regardless of the practical concerns about recreational uses and policing
responsibilities, Frye said action on the proposed boat access site is taking
place fast.
The lake is scheduled to start filling up in 2006. Frye said the best
estimates from fish and game experts are that the lake will need to "settle
out" for at least one year before it will be ready to fish.
With those markers in mind, Frye is optimistic that boaters could set
sail on Randleman Lake from an access point in Randolph County sometime
in 2008.
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