Beth Heile seized the opportunity to build a lasting treasure for Burke County

Picking out a favorite spot at Valdese Lakeside Park can be quite the conundrum.

 Is it Meditation Point, which provides a stunning view of Lake Rhodhiss with the summit of mighty Table Rock standing proudly in the distance?

 Is it a bench along Hoyle Creek Trail, where the clean, swiftly flowing waters whisper a message of peaceful contentment and contemplation?

 Might it be the suspension bridge over McGalliard Creek, that serves to link Lakeside Park with McGalliard Falls Park via a scenic, mostly flat, greenway stroll?

 Or could it be any number of quiet, remote locations on the miles of upcountry trails which thread their way through the 300-acre park, often providing glimpses of white-tail deer or turkey?

A hard choice, to be sure.

 But none of those choices would have been possible without the vision, the dedication, and the energy displayed by Beth Heile, who was the driving force behind the park’s creation and who continues to be its biggest booster.

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 Heile seizes opportunity

Nine years have passed since Heile first learned that 300 acres of lakefront property just west of the campus of Draughn High School were for sale. She immediately recognized its potential for hiking, biking, fishing, and other outdoor activities.

 “I couldn’t help but see this as a wonderful opportunity for the Town of Valdese and indeed for this entire region,” she said in a lengthy interview with The Paper. After talking with Mayor Chip Black and Councilman Roy Sweezy, Heile began to think, “This could really happen.”

 A new, non-profit organization was formed to work on the project, Friends of the Valdese Rec, with Heile serving as chairman. In April of 2015, Heile, Black, and Town Manager Jeff Morse first met with the property’s owner, Crescent Communities, to discuss a purchase.

 “I was naive,” Heile remembered. “I really didn’t know just what we were tackling. But I got some really strong people to join in and together we became a voice for conserving that land and developing a passive recreation park for Valdese.”

 Among those helping Heile were Mark Rostan, Sonny Dyer, Sweezy, Don Brittain, and Sandy Terrell. The group quickly realized they would need to raise more than a million dollars for land acquisition and site development through donations and grant funds.

 “We realized,” she said, “that we needed to get Foothills Conservancy involved. They had the expertise and the contacts needed to get us going in the grant and fundraising direction.”

Helping Valdese grow 

As the project began to develop, Heile said she and others realized they were not just developing a park but were also working to ensure that Valdese could continue to prosper in a rapidly changing economy.

 “By developing this park, we realized that it would impact the Valdese economy in two ways,” Heile said, “tourism and population growth. People want to live near green space and be a part of the outdoors.”

“The park will encourage lot owners to build in three lakeside neighborhoods,” she continued, “thus bringing in more tax revenue. People will also come to Valdese to play, spend their money in town, and perhaps decide this would be a great place to live.”

Heile also noted the proximity of the park property to local schools and the benefit it could provide to them.

 Five schools are within three miles of the park, including Draughn High, Heritage Middle, and Drexel, Valdese, and Rutherford College elementary schools.

“We recognized that, being so close, schools would be able to plan educational, recreational, and social activities at the park,” she said. “If school clubs need service hours, there will always be something to do at the park – clean trails, pick up trash, beautify an area.”

 Plans for the park encountered an unexpected obstacle when Crescent Communities decided to sell 3,000 acres of land across Burke County, including the 300-acre tract along the shore of Lake Rhodhiss.

 The new owners of the property, Caldwell Timber Partners, proved willing to work with the town, however, and major contributions from the Rostan Foundation and from Kellex Seating provided a foundation to build on for grant funding and other private contributions.

 Overcoming obstacles

 Heile acknowledged that some town leaders were hesitant to commit to the park, fearing the long-term cost of ongoing maintenance.

“We realized,” she said, “that this would need to be truly a community effort, with lots of volunteer labor, lots of private contributions, as well as help from the Town of Valdese.”

 “I am just so grateful for our volunteers,” she added. “The hours of work and the value of those hours is unbelievable. They have built trails. They have mown grass. They have adopted trails for routine maintenance and upkeep. They are the lifeblood of this park.”

 Heile also gave praise to Hugh Blackwell, Burke County’s representative in the General Assembly, “who became very involved and who was instrumental in our receiving critical grant funding from the state.”

 Valdese Lakeside Park is far from a finished product, however.

 Work is currently underway to extend the soft surface greenway all the way from the parking area at Lakeside to the parking area at McGalliard Falls Park.

 More hiking trails and mountain biking trails are on the drawing board.

And, plans are for a combination fishing pier and kayak launch to be constructed during the upcoming year.

Immeasurable benefits

Valdese Town Manager Seth Eckard said he is amazed at the progress that has been made at the park and listed three major benefits which it provides.

 “One is promoting town wellness,” he said. “Lakeside provides our residents an easily accessible location to walk, to hike, and simply to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

“Second,” he said, “that large, preserved green space provides a great source of protection for our water supply.

 “Finally,” he concluded, “the park provides a great boost to the town in terms of travel and tourism. I just love it. I love to go out there and just enjoy being outside.”

 Tom Kenney, land protection director for Foothills Conservancy, said the park “demonstrates the value of partnerships and the profound, positive impact that Friends of the Valdese Rec have made for their community and its citizens.”

 “Foothills Conservancy is grateful,” he continued, “for the play we played to secure the land purchase agreement and a North Carolina Land and Water Fund grant toward the acquisition of the property along McGalliard Creek and Lake Rhodhiss.”

 Bill Poteat, who loves to visit Lakeside Park in the company of his faithful dog Bo, may be reached at 828-445-8595, ext. 2004.