Spend just a minute talking with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Director James Garges and you’ll find the pride he has for his department is evident. “The county is teed up for the future,” he says. “Community involvement is up, citizen satisfaction is at an all-time high and we have an outstanding staff.” 

It’s nice to celebrate your 40th birthday on a high note. The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department was founded on July 1, 1974, just 40 years ago this summer. Eighteen years later on July 1, 1992, the county department merged with the City of Charlotte’s Park and Recreation Department and the county found itself in control of all recreational facilities in Charlotte and six towns. “We’re a consolidated, comprehensive park system that serves a little over 1 million people,” says Michael Kirschman, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation deputy director. “We absorbed the larger and older system of Charlotte,” and though the department is only 40 years old, “we have parks going back 100 years.” The merger made a tremendous difference in the county’s ability to deliver service to Charlotte and the larger Mecklenburg County community. “The 1992 board of county commissioners and city council really made a wonderful decision for the citizens of Mecklenburg County,” says Garges. “I believe it made a tremendous difference in our ability to deliver outstanding service.” 

It’s no small task providing recreational services to one of the fastest growing regions of the United States. Mecklenburg’s 320 full-time and 600 part-time staff manage 20,400 acres of parkland and more than 210 parks and facilities that provide recreational services for more than 1 million people. 

The Gold Medal Standard

After three years as a finalist for NRPA’s Gold Medal Award for Excellence in the Field of Park and Recreation Management, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation came home with the medal in 2012. “I’m very proud of the work and professional dedication of our staff and volunteers to earn this recognition,” said Garges at the time of acceptance. 

It’s this award-winning, long-range planning and resource management that allows Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation to continue to meet the needs of their growing and active community.

Take, for example, the Little Sugar Creek Greenway (LSCG). When completed, LSCG will span approximately 20 miles in length from the South Carolina state line to north of uptown Charlotte. Currently, more than 6 miles are open to the public. “The project has been decades in the making,” says Kirschman. 

The LSCG has been of benefit to not only the residents of Mecklenburg County but the environment as well. Some sections of the creek that lends the greenway its name were capped with concrete. Structures such as hotels, houses and business were in the flood plain. Those structures were purchased and demolished, the concrete caps were removed, the creek was restored and the greenway was built. “What at one time was deemed the most polluted creek in the entire state is quickly improving and coming back to life,” says Kirschman. In addition, the Greenway has “spurred over $3 million in private sector investment,” adds Garges. 

When complete, the greenway will include more than 19 miles of trails and land connectors catering to the walker, runner, biker and nature lover. Most importantly, LSCG will provide a much-needed green space in the heart of Charlotte’s urban area. 

Speaking of green, Mecklenburg County’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building, Revolution Park Sports Academy, opened in 2010. The Academy boasts more than 30,000 square feet of recreational space and offers life skills development programs for youth and teens, after-school enrichment activities, and fitness and recreation programs for all ages. It’s also a unique home for some of the nontraditional sports programs offered by Mecklenburg County such as boxing, wrestling and martial arts. 

Mecklenburg County’s newest edition, the innovative and urban Romare Bearden Park, opened in downtown Charlotte in 2013. Bearden, an internationally renowned artist, was born in Charlotte in 1912 and the park is inspired by his work. “It’s our first true urban park on 5.4 acres in the heart of Charlotte,” says Kirschman. The park has become an iconic destination in Charlotte offering fitness and cultural arts programs throughout the year and a Party in the Park Series featuring live bands. “The park was 13 years in the making. It’s a game changer in terms of urban parks here in Charlotte,” Kirschman notes. 

Public-private partnerships have also brought wonderful recreational opportunities to the citizens of Mecklenburg County. The U.S. National Whitewater Center, an official U.S. Olympic training site, sits on more than 500 acres. Mecklenburg County donated the core 288 acres of land to the project and the center raised $39 million in funding. “It’s a great example of a public-private partnership,” notes Kirschman. The Whitewater Center has a 4,000-foot multi-channel artificial river with adjustable water velocity. The center provides opportunities for citizens of Mecklenburg County and around the world to whitewater raft, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, rock climb, zip line, participate in ropes courses or canopy tours, or mountain bike on the 25-mile trail system. The U.S. National Whitewater Center is an outdoor destination in North Carolina and has a total economic impact of $36 million per year. 

Of course, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation would not be what it is today without the involvement of the community. In 2011, more than 17,000 residents donated their time and energy to the Mecklenburg County park system. “We have a very robust volunteer program,” says Kirschman. “We have one-time volunteers and park ambassadors and master gardeners… that save us tens of millions of dollars a year.” 

Planning for a Growing Community

When Garges became director of the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department almost eight years ago, his first focus was to create a comprehensive master plan to bring park and recreation services countywide. The plan was finished in 2008, and soon after, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation passed a $250 million bond issue, the largest in North or South Carolina park and recreation history, with 68 percent of the vote. 

A few years later, the recession hit. “The plan is community involved and was adopted formally by every town board,” says Garges. “It gave us a better opportunity to manage through the recession.” 

It was a tough few years, but the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department has come through the other side. “We have over 40 capital projects and over $70 million worth of capital projects in the design phase. There’s been a huge boost in capital funding in parks,” says Kirschman. “It’s a great time in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County for parks and recreation.”

An Eye Toward the Future

When Garges is asked what the future of Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation looks like, he doesn’t hesitate before diving in to a long list of upcoming projects. These include the addition of new neighborhood and community parks, building the first nature-based preschool, expanding a Great Depression-era stadium with the hope of one day attracting a Major League Soccer franchise and setting aside $10 million to buy up new land. 

Four big regional recreation centers are in line to be built in the coming years. The county has entered phase one of a new sportsplex that will be home to 12 synthetic playing fields. The sportsplex is on track to be completed in fall 2016 and will be the largest of its kind in the region. 

“We’re trying to hit all the bases people in the county need and ask for,” says Garges. “I’m proud of the support we’ve received. The future is bright.” 

Kim Dinan is a freelance writer who travels the world in search of stories.

 

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