news-record.com

BROWNS SUMMIT — Anybody who likes picnicking, camping, hiking, canoeing or just learning about nature has a great reason to visit the new Haw River State Park for an hour or so Tuesday evening.

A consultant for the state Division of Parks and Recreation will lay out the first “conceptual plans” for developing the park as one of the Triad’s recreational gems.

“We’re saying, 'This is what we’ve come up with so far, Guilford and Rockingham folks, what do you think of it?’” said Charlie Peek, spokesman for the division.

Park officials and landscape architects from a Carrboro consulting firm, Swanson and Associates, will be on hand to explain the plans after they are unveiled at the 6 p.m. meeting.

The format will be drop-in style, meaning officials and consultants will be available to discuss the plans one-on-one.

The park was authorized in 2003 by the General Assembly as one of the first in its New Parks for a New Century initiative. Two years later, the park system made the project’s first big purchase — the Summit Conference Center from the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina for $4.1 million.

Two more substantial land purchases added 830 acres in early 2008, including the site on which a Florida developer once planned an exclusive golf-course community many saw as a threat to the park.

The former Episcopal facility is now a public environmental center focused on nearby wetlands. But the rest of the park remains undeveloped, without such traditional park amenities as hiking trails, camping areas and picnicking spots.

The plan seeks to develop those amenities without compromising wetlands and other features with “high natural resource value,” Peek said.

Tuesday’s meeting ultimately will lead to a draft master plan for the park adopted by administrators in Raleigh. Those who attend can share their thoughts with park officials on the spot, write them on forms available at the meeting, or submit them by mail or e-mail.

The park system is keeping the conceptual plans under wraps until Tuesday, but will post them online after the meeting.

Haw River Superintendent Sue McBean hopes the plan will be in final form early next year but isn’t sure how quickly it can be carried out because of the state’s tight budget.

“But realistically, you can’t do anything until you have a plan,” McBean said. “The idea is that when money does become available, we’ll be ready to go.”

Still, the aim will be to make some progress as soon as possible, Peek said.

“We do think it’s important to get people out on the property enjoying it and becoming familiar with it as early as practical,” Peek said.

Contact Taft Wireback at 373-7100 or taft.wireback@news-record.com