Lunch with a side of Information

January's Speakers: Adrian Miller, Amanda Anderson, Ed Smith and Brian Dupont

Catawba River Women, by Carla Linster – Feb. 9

Many of my blogs will be about the Catawba River Women's Group. Our mission is “to bring women together to create a sense of unity among the communities along the Catawba River, focusing on sustainable healthy lifestyles and development, service to community, regionalism and to provide an active voice for a unified community.” And do we have a wonderful group of women, diverse and creative with curious minds, my kind of people. We gather monthly for an information-packed luncheon on topics that concern the Catawba River communities.

"Connecting our Communities, Greenways Under Development” was the topic of January's luncheon. The speakers were Amanda Anderson, Grants and Volunteer Coordinator from Carolina Thread Trail; Adrian Miller, Assistant City Manager of Belmont; and Ed Smith, Director of the Mount Holly Parks and Recreation.

Volunteer efforts to build the Carolina Thread Trail

Amanda spoke about the recent Long Creek East Preserve trail-building day that created 2 miles of natural-surface trail next to the US National Whitewater Center, along with the Little Sugar Creek clean-up day that removed over 6,500 pounds of trash. These were just part of what the 400 volunteer hours since September have accomplished.

The Carolina Thread Trail is a regional effort to create a network of more than 200 miles of greenways linking dozens of destinations including Mount Holly, Belmont and the Whitewater Center.

Belmont Rail Trail and park plans

Rail Trail might look like this near Sisters of Mercy property.

Adrian talked about Belmont’s plans for transforming the train track running from downtown Belmont north to Belmont Abby College into a pedestrian trail. This Rail Trail in turn would connect to part of the Carolina Thread Trail running to the YMCA and Mount Holly’s Catawba River Greenway. (CLICK to learn more at CatawbaRiverViews.org)
Adrian also spoke of Belmont’s new passive park on the Catawba River, a contemplative space with limited parking to encourage pedestrians and bicyclists to access it from trails.

Mount Holly's Linear Park

Ed then filled us in on the development under way to create Mount Holly’s Linear Park, a 10-foot-wide, landscaped walkway connecting downtown to the future Catawba River Greenway by way of Mount Holly’s Citizens Center on East Central Avenue. Improvements to River Street Park are also in the works, he said, including renovating a park trail and adding a kayak/canoe launch.

Because these greenways and parks will be connected to each other by the Carolina Thread Trail, the speakers were familiar with each other, which allowed for conversational presentations. The speakers and Brian DuPont (Mount Holly Planning) fielded comments and questions over a yummy lunch of chicken panini, fresh fruit and house made chips.

Learn more about the Catawba River Women’s Group

The group would love more women to join them for the monthly luncheons and other activities. CLICK to visit the group's Facebook page, where you can find out more about the group and how to get involved.

Learn how you can help build the Carolina Thread Trail

Visit carolinathreadtrail.org to learn much more about this ambitious project and how you can get involved. Check out “Trailheads”, the Thread Trail’s new grassroots initiative.

About Carla Linster – Carla, 47, is enjoying a “mid-life spring” after overcoming several medical problems. One new joy is working with “an amazing group of women,” the Catawba River Women’s Group, as they seek to create a sense of unity among communities along the Catawba River.