Task force eyes way to improve quality-of-life

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the fourth article in a series looking at the issues Eastern  North Carolina faces as a result of rapid growth due to a military influx.

Onslow County Parks and Recreation offers six parks, a paddle trail and bike trails, according to its Web site. But even with these amenities, plus the sports and programs Jacksonville offers, the county's parks and recreation Director Mac Sligh is concerned about 60,000 more people looking to use these facilities.

"More people just shows the need for more recreation opportunities and more facilities that service those people, so the demand will increase what is currently a tight situation," he said.

The availability of sports, recreation, meeting space and culture are among the concerns for Onslow County's quality of life, according to a recent report published by the Military Growth Task Force.

The task force's working committees recently looked into various issues facing a seven-county region in Eastern North Carolina that will be impacted by Marine Corps expansion expected to bring an additional 25,000 troops, civilian employees and dependents along with 15,000 people indirectly associated with the build-up to the region, plus an additional 21,300 people estimated to arrive due to normal population growth.

The population increase will have a "significant impact on the utilization and availability of recreation and sports venues throughout the region," the assessment reads.

The highest priority concern, according to the assessment, is the amount of parks and recreation centers and sports venues.

The influx, Assistant Director of Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Mike Wetzel said, will affect both youth and adult programs. The size of facilities and staffing are his two main concerns.

"We're limited space right now in our centers. Our ball fields right now, we're able to accommodate what we have, but it could mean we could need growth in the ball fields in the future," he said. "All of it depends on what people as they come in want - what activities are they used to compared to what activities we offer."

Currently, Jacksonville Parks and Recreation offers 23 parks totaling about 290 acres, about 10 miles of trails on the Trail and Greenway system and water access at Northeast Creek Park and New River Waterfront Park, complete with boat ramps. There are also youth and adult sports, youth and adult programs, sports camps and summer camps.

"We offer a wide variety of events and with the influx of troops, I think we offer everything they could want from a recreation department," Wetzel said. "I don't think people realize how much we actually do. We do a lot of programming trying to keep the citizens of Jacksonville active."

Sligh said, currently, the county's parks and recreation are "well used," and he expects them to see even more use as the population grows.

"I just think we're all going to have to work together, there's no doubt about it, to make the quality of life as good as it can be and partner and utilize facilites together and stretch everything we can to meet the demands," he said.

Making sure that there is a bit of culture for residents is also on the task force's list. Those who are looking for a taste of art in their daily lives can visit the Jacksonville Arts Council.

"Anyone can come in and enjoy whatever art we have, whatever the month brings," Connie Wenner, director of the council, said. "It's a good place for you to bring family, give them a bit of culture."

The Council hosts a different art show every month, has art for sale, provides courses for adults and reaches out to area students.

The influx of people, however, could bring more money to the Jacksonville Arts Council through grants, Wenner said, since the Grassroots Grant that the council receives each year is based on area population.

Mona Padrick, who chairs the quality of life committee for the Military Growth Task Force, said one of Onslow County's biggest concerns is meeting space for both civilian and military groups. She said, for example, many Marine units have to take their balls elsewhere because there aren't enough locations that can hold large amounts of people

"We simply do not have enough meeting space to accommodate all the things we could help with," she said.

Contact Jacksonville/Onslow County reporter Amanda Hickey at 910-219-8461.