Council questions Bandera Farms costs

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Summerfi eld council members question Bandera Farms costs

Funding of trails with grants, cost sharing by Summerfi eld, Oak Ridge and Guilford County needs to be worked out, according to Town Manager Scott Whitaker

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county and the city of Greensboro negotiated a MOU that divided the $575,000 purchase price of the property among the four parties, along with a state grant. Greensboro isn’t going to be part of the second MOU, according to Palmer McIntyre, conservation planner for Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC), which negotiated the property purchase in December and is spearheading efforts to develop Bandera Farms. SUMMERFIELD – A majority of Summer- PLC and the other three municipalifield Town Council members endorsed ties have incentives to remain involved in the master plan for developing Bandera the project, according to McIntyre. Farms as a horseback-riding and hiking Summerfield and Oak Ridge view the park, but not without asking questions project as a recreational destination, she about paying for the improvements. said. The county backs the establishment The Town Council voted 4-1 dur- of the Piedmont Greenway, a 19-mile trail ing its April 13 meeting to approve the from Greensboro to Winston-Salem that master plan for the 115-acre Bandera will run along the Reedy Fork floodplain Farms public trails preserve. The vote of the Bandera Farms tract. also authorized Summerfield to apply PLC will hold the conservation easefor a $500,000 matching grant from ment on the land, McIntyre said.the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) to help pay for improvements. The master plan estimated costs of $1.79 million for the project, leading Mayor BJ Barnes and some council members to ask whether other municipalities would help pay expenses not covered by grants. Barnes said he supports the develop“I don’t believe we’d be in this alone,” Councilman John O’Day said, explaining he believes Oak Ridge and the county will decide to remain involved in the project. Costs may be spread over several years, he noted. “I think it would be a great project for Summerfield to take on for generations to come,” O’Day said. ment of Bandera Farms, but he wants “While we do need to be responsible to make sure “we’re not going to be left while we proceed, I think we need to proholding a bag fiscally for our town.” ceed,” Mayor Pro Tem Tim Sessoms said. Summerfield Town Manager Scott The property, located on Bunch Whitaker said he’s begun discussions Road at Interstate 73, lies within Sumwith leaders in Oak Ridge and Guilford merfield’s town limits. As a result, PLC County in an effort to reach a memoran- will eventually transfer ownership of it to dum of understanding (MOU) laying out the town. how the three jurisdictions would share Council members discussed the timdevelopment costs and long-term opera- ing of the ownership transfer. tions and maintenance of the property. Council member Lynne Williams “There is a lot of uncertainty about DeVaney said she wants the division of the funding and about how the county future costs among the municipalities and Oak Ridge and Summerfield will to be determined before Summerfield come together to support this,” Whita- takes ownership of the property. ker said. “That’s the hard part. We’ve PLC wouldn’t transfer ownership of 2 APRIL 29 - MAY 5, 2021 The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996 still got to work through the details.” Last year, Summerfield, Oak Ridge, the the property to Summerfield until the