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the town installed three new metal picnic tables at the park
Jessica Webb
editor@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Fresh gravel crunches underfoot, the sunshine peeking through the shadows of trees and shining on the trail is warm. There’s the sound of the Tuckasegee River rushing by, the call of a Kingfisher as it darts across and a young family singing praises to their puppy. It’s Monday afternoon, and I have darted by Island Park to check out the recently completed upgrades by Town of Bryson City.
The island experienced substantial flooding damage in February 2020 that downed trees and washed out the walking trail in some places. It was closed for a little over a year.
Repair work began with clearing debris, followed by fixing areas of the trail that had to be rerouted in spots that were too eroded. Town crew filled all the trails with gravel and have added three new metal picnic tables and trash cans.
The town acquired FEMA funding to complete the work which wrapped up recently.
Mountain True
Local nonporfit Mountain True, which has led vegetative cleanups on the island, is now pursuing funding through North Carolina Land & Water to make more improvements on the island.
The plans include installing bio-stabilization in places to stabilize erosion. The process uses matting and plants to stabilize the banks.
If the grant is approved, it would require a local town match.
“They’ve spent a lot of volunteer hours to try to eradicate the kudzu and other invasive plants,” said Regina Mathis, Bryson City town manager.
She said the dream of developing the area into a Riverwalk is on hold right now, with “a focus on the island first to make sure we’re not losing it.”