Thanks to Burke County Public Schools, Town of Valdese, Rep Hugh Blackwell and volunteers, a new section of Burke River Trail will open on August 2. Officials will cut the ribbon at 10:00 am for the 0.6 mile natural surface trail, located north of Draughn High School, will be called Wildcat Way.
Wildcat Way was one of the first targeted sections of Burke River Trail during initial discussion back in 2020 when work started in earnest on Rep Blackwell’s vision for a trail along the river. As Beth Heile was exploring potential routes for the trail, she reached out to the developer on the east side of DHS and upon sharing the vision, the developer saw the benefit of having the trail in his development. When completed, McGalliard Falls to the eastern side of the development will be about a 4 mile section. At that time, the “Valdese Greenway” was still grass and there was no McGalliard Creek Bridge.
Beth Heile, as a volunteer trail advocate, organized a June 2020 meeting with Town of Valdese, BCPS officials, Burke County and the Developer to pitch the idea. With all parties on board after the meeting, Beth started the background work of feasibility and funding. With specifics in place, a January 2022 follow up meeting was held to solidify the route on Burke County Public School property.
For public trail to be on private property, a trail easement agreement is filed along with the deed. It is signed by the landowner and the entity that will hold the easement – a municipality or a nonprofit. (More about easements.) The next six months were spent getting approval from both parties and legal language in place.
In March 2022, Beth presented to the BCPS Board and in August they past a resolution to support and allow the trail. In April 2022 Town of Valdese started work on easement language – with first draft available in June 2022. Based on resolution agreement from BCPS, September 2022 marked the go ahead to build trail and get the survey for final easement.
Because this trail section will be maintained by Town of Valdese, trail design and building was handled by volunteers with Friends of the Valdese Rec and Burke River Trail Association. The specific path route was designed by Zakk Heile and Tim Johnson. Eric Heile ran the excavator and volunteers including Samuel Fitzwater, Johnny Poteat, Wes Presnell, Cassidy, Santis, Evija, Erika, Arianna, Zakk and a Corrections Officer Class built the trail across 5 months starting in November 2022. In March 2023, an official survey of the trail needed for the easement agreement was completed. Thanks to Foothills Much and Stone for the donation of a load of dirt needed. Funding for the excavator and the survey came from a directed grant from State of North Carolina thanks to Rep Hugh Blackwell.
With the official survey, it was time to complete the final easement agreement. That process took 15 months as the update to the deed required consent from past property owners Duke Energy and Crescent Communities. If one entity made a change to the easement language then others reviewed that change and made more changes and around and around it went. On June 26, 2024 the easement was finally recorded.
Volunteers are now putting on the final touches for an August 2 Ribbon Cutting.
Big Picture Timeline
- June 2020 – Initial Meeting held with all Stakeholders
- January 2022 – Specific Meeting with Burke County and School Board
- September 2022 – Allowed to design, build and survey trail
- March 2023 – Survey complete and start on final easement language
- June 2024 – Easement agreement filed
- August 2024 – Trail open to public
What’s Next
A bridge is in the works from the Valdese Lakeside Park parking area to the large boulder called Wildcat’s Perch. This will make the Burke River Trail path more logical leaving the Valdese Greenway and continuing along the river.
