A Vision for
Change: Where the American Tobacco Trail meets Fayetteville Street near Pilot
Street.
Priority # 1 is that
this three phase project keep in mind Asset Based Community Development (ABCD).
What and who are the resources in the neighborhood and how can they be
mobilized?
ACCESS
I. An open parking lot
for trail access along the Southern side of the American Tobacco Trail near the
2 mile marker and behind the Discount Mart (3011 Fayetteville Rd, Durham, NC 27707).
SHARING FOOD
II. A Chick-Fil-A
restaurant on the Southern side of the American Tobacco Trail at the
intersection with Fayetteville Street. Next to the current bus stop.
GATHERING
III. An Outdoor
Amphitheater on the Northern side of the American Tobacco Trail near the
2 mile marker and the Blind Boy Fuller monument. There is a large
grassy field that touches on the Fayetteville Street Elementary School
property, facing the American Tobacco Trail where it forks with the Rocky Creek
Trail. Elmira Park is nearby.
Any or all of these
projects would add value to the neighborhood and would be welcomed by many of
the residents, local citizens, and those who utilize the American Tobacco Trail.
The current sense or mood of this block is one described as harried and hurried and
I observe fast travel to and fro. Drivers fly by on Fayetteville Street.
Walkers, runners, cyclists zoom by on the trail in a hurry to be North or South
of this block. Folks are tight and tense. More so than they should be. This
block is not as dangerous as the rest of the town thinks it is, yet in the
questions that I receive on a daily basis it is among the most frequent.
"When is that
part of the trail going to be safe?" is fielded second only to, "What
do you (the Tobacco Trail Church), do when it rains?" I welcome the
conversations that come with both these questions and yet they both leave me
feeling weary. I cannot sit quietly and have no answer to either question.
Let's change the questions and the mood.
What if we heard in 10
years, "Hey are you going down to mile two? Yeah, me too!"
What will it take to
draw the Bull City back into the neighborhood, slow them down, invite them to
stay a while?
This question should
matter to city officials, NCCU, residents, interested non-profits, and future business owners. This is
a highly traveled area of town and one with great social and economic
importance.
I am prepared to
dedicate the next decade to this project in South Durham.
Sincerely,
Rev. George E. Linney,
III
3312 Denada Path
Durham, NC 27707
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Chick-Fil-A would be directly to the right or West of this photo.
Parking Lot down and to the right or West, 100 yards.
Outdoor Amphitheater down and to the left or East, 150-200 yards.
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