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Rob Wallace Park Cabarrus County Parks and Recreation Justification for the Project for information and pictures: http :robwaIlacepark.publishpath.com Rob Wallace Park is a 190 acre Community Park located in the Southeast quadrant of Cabarrus County. The park will be funded, operated, and maintained by Cabarrus County. The Town of Midland is pursuing the first year staff operational costs while a local Mountain bike Club, Tarheel Trailblazers will design and build the mountain bike trails in the park. There are 3 planned phases with this grant application requesting funds for Phase 1. Additional phases to follow the development of Phase 1. Construction dollars are in the current, approved CIP document. Rob Wallace Park is located near the Town of Midland in the southernmost portion of Cabarrus County and just a few miles east of Mecklenburg County. Midland is a town with a population of more than 3,000 people that is dedicated to preserving the rural quality of life. Residents in the area currently have to travel 10 to 15 miles or more to visit a park that offers active pursuits and passive opportunities. Development of this park will not only provide opportunities for the residents of Midland and southern Cabarrus County, but also for residents in several small towns in Stanley, Union and Mecklenburg counties within a 20 minute drive to this park. Approximately 15,000 people live within a 15 mile radius of the park. The development of this park is expected to have a considerable positive impact on the character of the surrounding communities. The 2002 Livable Community BLUEPRINT (LCB), the Cabarrus County Masterplan for Parks, Recreation, and Bicycle /Pedestrian Routes, (four copies provided) states that the #1 Goal for the County is to continue coordination between county, municipalities, schools, and public access providers (page 11 of 162). Additionally, Goals #3 and #4 list upgrade and development of park facilities as priorities (page 13 of 162). A community park in a central location is the #3 priority on the list of recommended parks to meet the goals of Cabarrus County (page 158 of 162). Additionally, 90% of the residents responding to the LCB Survey ranked passive parks as a priority (page 65 of 162). By constructing Rob Wallace Park in the Southeast portion of Cabarrus County, we will achieve many of the major goals outlined in the LCB by adding a community park that ties together the local community and draws users from surrounding areas to enjoy all of the wonderful opportunities presented at Rob Wallace Park. Cabarrus County, through the organization "Healthy Cabarrus ", has completed two Community Needs Assessment Reports in the past decade. The initial report was completed in 2004 and an updated report was compiled in 2008. These reports involved community leaders, health officials and residents and focused on the overall health of the county. The two reports indicate Cabarrus County has a very high rate of deaths from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer and 63.4% of the residents were overweight and 1 in 3 children were considered obese. The residents of Cabarrus County ranked Obesity /Diet /Fitness as the number one issue requiring immediate attention in surveys completed for the report. As such, the 2008 report included a "call to action" for the County to proceed with the development of additional recreational facilities identified in the 2002 Livable Community Blueprint as soon as possible so as to begin to cause a positive impact on these alarming health statistics. Community input was crucial in developing a masterplan for the park that reflects the true needs of Cabarrus County. The residents are interested in visiting passive parks and enjoying nature based activities, family oriented parks and programs where the entire family can participate together, and theyfeel the community should provide them access to recreation programs and parks. Rob Wallace Park meets those needs by providing hiking trails, biking trails, a boardwalk along the lake, a playground, natural play space and a picnic area while protecting the existing natural setting. Sustainable site practices will be utilized at the park where appropriate, such as bioretention systems that capture and treat storm water run -off, green roofing, and solar lighting to name a few. Numerous educational opportunities will also be integrated into the park by using sustainable practices and low impact development to maintain the natural features offered at the site. Education will be a theme within the park with signage explaining various ecological and environmental aspects. Education is a primary objective of the Cabarrus County Parks Department as a whole and Rob Wallace Parks provides acres of interpretive possibilities. With each completed phase of park development, Cabarrus County takes a step toward meeting the park, recreation, and land use needs of the citizenry for today, tomorrow, and the future. Quality of life has never been as important as it is in today's economic environment and it is important to provide recreational opportunities that can be enjoyed by the public at no cost. Attendance and participation has increased by 280% since FY 2005 -06 to 481,159 justifying the need for additional, close to home quality of life, educational opportunities. Attachment number 1 F -3 Page 104