RDU Airport and Umstead State Park are both critical resources for our region. They have been neighbors since the 1930's. For most of that time the buffer and boundaries around the park have been treated with the respect they deserve. But many consider recent actions by RDU as aggressive and hostile towards their park neighbor.
First came the controversial decision in March 2019 when RDU signed an agreement with Wake Stone to mine a new quarry pit directly on the park border. And now in December, RDU put into motion plans for extensive tree clearing and chain link fencing along their border with the park.
RDU has already put the fence project out to bid, with detailed technical specs, without even working with the party that will be most affected: Umstead State Park. The rapid timeline calls for construction beginning in January 2020. This is simply disrespectful and in bad form.
Under RDUs plan, visitors to the park will be greeted with 8' tall chain link fence topped by barbed wire as they approach the park. And if the fence alone wasn't bad enough, RDU plans to clear a 30' wide path (15' to either side of the fence). This will destroy the natural beauty of the Western approach to Umstead State Park. The fence plan even calls for severing the Reedy Creek multi-use trail (one of the most used corridors in the park - connecting the park to Lake Crabtree County Park, and the Cary and Morrisville greenways). Reedy Creek Trail has been a Park trail since the Park’s inception in 1934. The section of the trail that RDU plans to sever with a fence was part of a forced exchange of land in 1958 to provide a safety zone for the runway (now the General Aviation runway) built by the US Army during WWII.
This not how smart communities treat their prized assets. Why does RDU act with such disrespect and aggression towards our regions most heavily used recreational asset?Would neighbors of other parks build an unsightly chain link fence around the border of Raleigh's Dix Park, or Cary's Bond Park? Why do it to our most iconic, most valuable park?
This also begs the question, why is the border like it is? Why does RDU control the Odd Fellows tract and other parcels along Old Reedy Creek Rd? It’s a section of land that protrudes around the southwest corner of the park, and across a major recreational greenway corridor.
This land was not always controlled by RDU. These parcels were acquired through condemnation (and threat of condemnation) in the 1970's as RDU prepared to build a new East-West runway. This runway was never built, due to the detrimental impact it would have on the park. The airport is now left with surplus land, not needed for any aeronautical purpose. There is a better alternative - make this surplus airport land an addition to Umstead State Park, as has been advocated for by NC State Parks, the Wake County Commissioners, and other local and state leaders.
Let’s choose a path our community can be proud of. One that invests in preserving our prized quality of life and the economic competitiveness of our region, instead of destroying these priceless natural assets.
Here's a short video describing the fence project.
Want to help stop the RDU fence?
- See StopRDUQuarry.com for how to contact the Honorable Governor Cooper and Wake/Raleigh/Durham cities and counties.
- Cary and Morrisville also have a stake - this corridor is their main greenway access to Umstead State Park - contact your council members.
Want to learn more?
Join us for a hike Sunday 12/15 @ 1:00 PM
We'll walk portions of the Umstead State Park border. It's a great opportunity to learn more about the quarry and fence projects.
https://www.meetup.com/umsteadcoalition/events/266879671/