Parks and Recreation Planning Fosters Community Growth
North Carolina is currently one of the fastest growing states, and because of that, places like the City of Kings Mountain are seeing exponential growth. US Census data shows that Kings Mountain has grown over 6% since 2020, and that growth is expected to continue. There are several factors contributing to the City’s growth, including a large lithium deposit and a new casino.
Kings Mountain recently adopted its first comprehensive parks and recreation master plan. A parks and recreation master plan can help strengthen a community’s identity, provide residents with accessible ways to enjoy the outdoors, and attract tourists, among other things. Being able to spend time outdoors has always been important, but it has become increasingly so since the Covid-19 pandemic. In a time when it was safest to be outside, people were flocking to parks, trails, and open spaces. Some communities realized their recreation amenities needed to be improved.
Serving Residents Through Recreation
The adoption of the comprehensive parks and recreation master plan positions Kings Mountain to better plan for implement improvements and expansions of recreation services. The master plan is beneficial in many ways, as it provides the background data and recommendations needed for the City to effectively operate the parks and recreation department. One of the initial recommendations was to invest in its existing facilities and to provide desirable amenities and programs for the City’s residents and visitors. We recently started working on the Davidson Park Improvements project, which is an important step in supporting the City’s goal of meeting the recreational needs of its residents.
The Beauty of the Foothills
The City has a lot of attractive recreation offerings, like Moss Lake, which is the City’s water reservoir. There are 10 public boat ramps, making the lake popular with fishers, boaters, and anyone else who wants to spend time on the water. Tyson Fortenberry, a new addition to McGill’s Land Planning and Recreation team, grew up near the Kings Mountain area and attests to the lake’s excellent fishing — he named it as a destination fishing spot. For those who prefer to spend time on land, the Kings Mountain Gateway Trail and Crowders Mountain State Park offer a variety of hikes, from easy to challenging, that allow hikers to witness the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
An Inclusive Vision
One of the most important parts of a parks and recreation master plan is community engagement. These plans are not created in a vacuum; they are created with input from the people who live there. Historically, Kings Mountain has sought input from the same groups, leaving many voices unheard. Our community engagement process connected with previously overlooked individuals, which allowed us to create a well-rounded plan that captured a variety of needs and desires. As the City makes improvements, there is a focus on inclusivity. The community and its leadership want Kings Mountain to be an open-door City with a high quality of life, where everyone is welcome and wants to spend time. With the implementation of the comprehensive master plan and the site-specific park plans that will follow, Kings Mountain is proving itself as a destination in the Southeast.
To discover all that the City of Kings Mountain has to offer, check out its website, which has things to do, events, stories, and much more.
