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APPENDIX C
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APPENDIX C: HOWARD KNOB SURVEY RESULTS
The Howard Knob Community Survey was distributed through social media paid advertising, receiving 263 total responses.
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SURVEY COMMENTS:
• Signage to the park needed
• No jungle gyms or swing sets. Leashed pets only (enforced). Keep it natural with the only sounds being weather and wildlife...
• What is the requirement for the fence? Can the gates come off?
• Love the park but just wish there were more amenities. The views are some of the best around and the size of the parcel the Town owns has a lot of potential for growth.
• Please consider leaving the park open after sunset.
• I fully support a dog park!
• Went to ASU when windmill was there. Have taken friends and family back to view campus for 35 years!!!! Love view!!!
• Don’t call it Howard Knob. Make it something people will want to talk about.
• Outdoor fitness is a great idea. Definitely connect to trails so you don’t have to drive there or use the dangerous road walking
• I am relatively new to Boone and hadn’t heard of this park. I have two small children and would be more likely to go to a park with a playground. Building a playground or a splash pad would make me very likely to visit this park. • I think that a trail to get up there is most important because locals, like myself, find the road up to it to be dangerous. I would still keep the park gated at night or the college kids will trash it • See note about the obnoxious rude man that bought the “black house” property. I’m a single female and don’t appreciate him harassing and threatening me. • This is where I would like to take all of our of town guests to show them our gorgeous area but the park is terrible, very unsafe, overgrown, neglected and kids use it to drink and make out. Not appealing right now but with so much potential! • Such a great space that is under utilized. No safe way to bike/hike to the park which further increases vehicle traffic on the road. Also limited hours which impact my ability to enjoy the park after work.
• I recall when this was a great place to ride up & view the town & sunsets. I have hated to see it go downhill & become grown up & neglected. Looking forward to this great asset being so again! Thanks for your interest! • Extended hours would be great - or perhaps a clear and honest explanation about WHY there are limited seasons and hours on the new signs would be helpful. • Please try to keep this park as natural as possible, therein lies it’s value. Commercializing it depreciates it. • There has been evidence of illegal drug activity in and outside the park gates. This needs to be addressed. • It would be great if this space was more available more of the year. • Boulders! We want boulders! • I think the closure times really limit the parks use. I would love to be able to star gaze, watch sunsets and sunrises, etc. I think access is poor except by car, there are no safe biking or walking/hiking options to reach the park. • I hope you are aware that a proposed asphalt plant is to be built in the 194 direction Tourist will love to visit and watch an asphalt plant churn out toxic smoke towards them. • The viewing area was poorly trimmed up. It looked brutally wacked. It is also very close to the conservancy and I worry people will go through all the wild Sarsaparilla. • It’s a view of our town that is hard to access, ridiculous hours and limited views . Could be wonderful picnic spot but old and needs renovation as well as signage to identify views. • Great space and views. • Howard Knob is a showpiece for the downtown Boone area with easy access from town and incredible views of our community and surrounding Appalachians. Let’s build a trail up from the Post Office to get to a newly renovated overlook. • Seasonal hours are frustrating because winter provides the best views with minimal foliage. Open the park year round.
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• We hike and visit lots of parks and trails in the area but hardly visit Howards Knob because there isn’t enough to occupy more than 20 min. Some hiking trails and better picnic/shelter areas would open up a great resource that is close by for people to enjoy the views! • I feel the park is one of the most important tourism areas in the Boone area. It’s great to hear of a push to make the park more attractive and useable. It’s a real shame that it’s closed all winter. • Happy to see some movement happening to improve this beautiful but under utilized resource; would also be willing to help! • I love Howard’s Knob as a way to show all of Boone. I think having a way to watch the sunset would be ideal. And if there was a way to access the Howard’s Knob boulders. • The park would be a great sunset spot. Having it open dawn to dusk would really provide some great scenic viewing opportunities! • How about a replica of the NASA MOD-1 Wind turbine blade set up to be used like a giant 98’ long picnic table? • Allowing access to climbing. • Connecting a trail system to Howard’s Knob Park would make for a very rewarding hiking experience! • Make it awesome • I would use the park if one could actually see the view from up there. Connecting the trail that starts at BUMC to Howard’s Knob Park would be awesome. • The main improvement would be to add trails to get there safely on foot rather than having to drive. I don’t want to see much facility “improvement” because that would take away from its natural “wilderness” appeal. We already have plenty of “man made” park and playground areas in Boone. All it needs is a simple working restroom and a water fountain. • Please don’t ruin the park by putting a bunch of stuff up there. It’s a little upsetting to hear that trees and plants were cleared. Having natural “nooks” to enjoy the view and have private conversations were a large part of the appeal of this viewing spot compared to others. • Clean the park up. Hopefully more people will use it making it self policing. • I used to go to Howard’s Knob park years ago. I used to walk up the road to it. It’s a great workout, but traffic can make that dangerous. A trail to the park would be ideal.
• An observation tower in the middle of some green space with 360 degree views would be cool. • I’d love to have it available in the winter time when it’s not snowy/icy. • The site has such great potential. I’d love to see it improved! I’d love to be able to hike there from the Boone United Methodist church trail. • At a regional economic development scale, Howard Knob park has the opportunity to be “the park” that business owners could easily point tourists to for a picnic or quick hike. The park has a chance to be the face of outdoor recreation for Boone and Watauga County. Amenities such as signage, restrooms, etc. should respond accordingly and set the stage for what visitors can expect to see across the county.
HOWARD KNOB
BOONE, NC
