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Blythewood's Town Park and Nature Trail

Posted By: Brian Hunt In: Blythewood Blog
Date: Thu, Jun 30th 2011 1:38 pm

  Blythewood has installed the “walking trail”, which is first phase of the master plan for the Blythewood Town Park.  It is located just off the corner of Langford Road and Sandfield Road directly behind the Blythewood Town Hall.  The hype of the trail was a little disappointing after walking back and forth down the 1/6 mile asphalt sidewalk with a cul-de-sac at the end.  However, the town is going “all-in” with the multi-million dollar community park development.  They’ve proposed building a pond, performance stage, concession stands, athletic fields, shopping, and a handful of other features.  The boardwalk on the trail is probably the most appealing section.  It reminds me of the Congaree National Forest boardwalk.  My fingers are crossed and mind is set that the town has the best interest of the residents and local business owners in mind.  But there is a lot of skepticism that the Town of Blythewood is making a decision for a “fun zone” rather than boosting business in the community.

Here’s my take….

  As a Blythewood real estate agent I am concerned that increasing property taxes will do more harm than good.  I’m also concerned that this may be a frivolous venture by trying to create an area for activity rather than improving the real estate that we already have access to.  The “old” Blythewood park (next Bethel-Hanberry Elementary school) is a perfect location for a park.  There is ample parking and potential for overflow parking on the school campus.  There are tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball fields, a gymnasium, and it is right next door to the school, and Blythewood library.  Everyone says real estate is “Location, Location, Location”, so lets hope that the money that was spent on studies by non residents will ring true to what Blythewood really wants or needs.  I’m not sure that putting a performance stage next to a railway is the best idea for spectators or artists.  In fact, I don’t believe that there is enough local support to bring in regional acts to offset the costs.  And lets hope that there is a plan for the traffic congestion since these 2 lane roads aren’t designed for ingress and egress from the location of the park. With all of this being said, I think that the Town of Blythewood has some ethical leaders that truly believe they are making the right decisions for the right people.