September 27, 2006

WALKER BRANCH GREENWAY OPENING SET FOR OCTOBER 14; FIRST GREENWAY SECTION PAID FOR BY DEVELOPER

Charlotte, NC—Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, nearby residents and merchants celebrate the grand opening of a new greenway October 14, 2006, as the first leg of Walker Branch Greenway is ready for public use. Walker Branch is the first greenway in southwestern Mecklenburg County and the first one paid for by a private developer.

Childress Klein Company donated the land for public use and paid more than $200,000 to build this segment, in conjunction with its development of an adjacent shopping center. Parks department officials hope for similar private company participation in other greenway projects.

Grand Opening: A grand opening ceremony will be held Saturday, October 14 at 10 a.m. at the greenway entrance from 14119 RiverGate Parkway (off South Tryon Street just north of Steele Creek Road), beside Home Depot. This greenway has two access points from the commercial shopping center. Parks department officials hope this will be the first of many greenway sections paid for by developers as the greenway system expands.

A grand opening ceremony will be held Saturday, October 14 at 10 a.m. at the greenway entrance from 14119 RiverGate Parkway (off South Tryon Street just north of Steele Creek Road), beside Home Depot. This greenway has two access points from the commercial shopping center. Parks department officials hope this will be the first of many greenway sections paid for by developers as the greenway system expands.

County officials, a representative of Childress Klein, and a member of the Steele Creek Trails group will make brief remarks at the opening ceremony. Mecklenburg County now has almost 24 miles of greenways, with a master plan that eventually calls for 185 miles. This is the eleventh greenway in the system, which is expanding all the time.

The new Walker Branch Greenway runs six tenths of a mile now but eventually will stretch more than two miles and connect with the future Steele Creek Greenway near the North Carolina/South Carolina line. Additional greenway trails are planned in South Carolina to hook into this greenway system.

For more information about Mecklenburg County parks and greenways, visit www.parkandrec.com .