Honor Uniqueness of Horseshoe Farm Park, Former Owner Urges

Today's News & Observer reported on the controversy over plans for Horseshoe Farm Park, 146 acres of former farmland located along a horseshoe-shaped bend of the Neuse River northeast of Raleigh.

On the one side are those who would like the park to retain closer ties to nature with hiking trails, canoe launches and fishing areas. On the other side are those who want to turn it into playing fields for soccer, tennis and the like.

The city purchased the land off Louisburg Road in 1994 and is funding its development with $1 million from the 2000 park bond. The property previously belonged to former Wake County Commissioner Merrie Hedrick and her husband, Dr. William Hedrick.

Raleigh Eco News asked Merrie Hedrick for her thoughts on the future of the land, where she and her husband were married and reared four children. Reached by phone at the family's new home outside Wake Forest, Hedrick had just returned from picking roses in her garden.

"The Horseshoe Farm is like family to me," Hedrick said. "It truly is a place that is my heart. I'd love to see it enjoyed by lots of people the way we enjoyed it."

Hedrick recalled life in the sort of place that's becoming increasingly rare in the fast-growing Triangle region: a place teeming with wildlife and trees and native plants, where stars still shine brightly at night and Indian artifacts are often unearthed. She told of welcoming preschool classes to the farm and the amazement that not only the children but also their parents experienced at spotting a snake near the chicken house or seeing apples grow on trees.

"I feel very strongly that every child should have the opportunity to be someplace where they can run and explore the woods and fish and see hawks and geese and rabbits and possum," Hedrick said. "So many people haven't experienced life in the country, and these are the kind of activities I'd like to see continued there."

Sadly, places like Horseshoe Farm are fast disappearing across North Carolina. During the last 20 years alone, the state lost 2.8 million acres of woodlands, farmland and open space, and it is expected to lose an additional 2.4 million acres by the year 2022, according to a recent report by the North Carolina Public Interest Research Group. In response, conservation organizations across North Carolina earlier this month launched Land for Tomorrow, an initiative challenging the state to save more of its heritage from bulldozers.

"The time in which land is going to be available for preservation in Wake County is quickly passing," Hedrick warns. "Soon there isn't going to be any land left to save."

Hedrick has spoken with the committee charged with devising a plan for the park. She has offered various suggestions to help quell neighbors' worries about crowds and parking, such as having the public park at the WRAL soccer complex on the west side of the Neuse across from the parkland and cross the river via a pedestrian bridge, which would have to be built.

"I don't disagree with the need for ball fields, but I just don't think this is the piece of land for that," Hedrick said. "The uniqueness of the area should be what prevails."

The Horseshoe Farm Park committee meets twice a month and welcomes public comment. The next meeting is this Wednesday, June 22 at 7 p.m. at Raleigh's Durant Nature Park at 8305 Camp Durant Rd. For details, call David Shouse at 890-3285. Comments on the park plan can also be e-mailed to parkplan@ci.raleigh,nc.us.