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The Banner News / banner-news.com
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Work progressing rapidly on Kevin Loftin Riverfront Park By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Work is moving along at an astonishing rate on the Kevin Loftin Riverfront Park project on East Catawba St. in Belmont. The park is named for former Belmont mayor the late Kevin Loftin. Groundbreaking for the facility was held in late August to great fanfare and crews from J.D. Goodrum moved in quickly. “We started working on Sept. 14,” said project superintendent Randy Higens. “We've had good weather, I have good guys, and everything is on schedule and moving smoothly.” The park should be ready in April 2016. Last week saw a wide variety of heavy equipment at the work site. Underbrush and the broken pavement from Old NC Hwy. 7 that had clogged the area for decades was gone. The pathway down to the Catawba River where a 112-foot-long observation deck will be located is cleared. Large trees that will remain are carefully marked. Bulldozers are sculpting the landscape. Overall the transformation is amazing. “How can you not be excited about this project,” said Belmont Public Works director David Isenhour. “This will be a family-oriented, environmentally responsible park everyone will enjoy for years.” Belmont Parks and Rec. director Reba Edwards echoed Isenhour's thoughts. “I'm so excited,” she said. “I can't wait for it to open. We're going to have one big grand opening.” See More Loftin Riverfront Park Page 2
This time of year great for visiting old graveyards By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Kevin Loftin Riverfront Park project superintendent Randy Higens (left), Belmont Parks and Rec Old burying grounds and Halloween go director Reba Edwards, and Belmont Public Works director David Isenhour are seen on site with the together like black cats and pumpkins and Catawba River in the background. Work on the park by J.D. Goodrum General Contractors began you don’t have to go far in our area to find last month and is progressing rapidly. Photo by Alan Hodge plenty of them. The oldest graveyard in the BannerNews region is Goshen Cemetery on Woodlawn St. in North Belmont. This plot dates back to the early part of the 19th century and was the burying ground for Goshen Presbyterian Church that was founded in 1764. It is said
Belmont council oks conservation district
to be the oldest graveyard west of the Catawba River. The ground where Goshen Cemetery is located was originally owned by Robert Smith. It was part of a 650 acre piece of property that Smith had bought from two Catawba Indians that encompassed what is now most of Catawba Heights and North Belmont. In 1839 Smith sold 17-acres to the Goshen Church Trustees for eighty-five dollars. Smith and many of his relatives are buried in Goshen Cemetery. See More Graveyards Page 2
By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
For nearly two years now the topic of historic conservation in downtown Belmont and the nearby area has been debated and the most recent meeting of the city council saw a step forward in that realm taken with approval of a tentative Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) that takes in a lot of East Belmont. However, the exact boundaries of the district are still subject to review by the Planning Board. “This is an entry level to historic preservation,” said Senior Planner Alex Robinson. Back in 2014, the City of Belmont launched an Historic Preservation Study Committee to study what, if any, historic preservation measures were needed in Belmont, particularly in the downtown residential area. The group met many times, and ironed out a consensus that a neighborhood conservation district was a good idea. “The committee did a fine job,” said councilman Charlie Flowers. According to Preservation NC, a neighborhood overlay district (NCOD) is “a zoning tool used to preserve, revitalize, protect, and enhance significant older areas within a community beyond what is specified in the standard code (zoning ordinance). The conservation overlay regulations are applied in addition to standard zoning regulations and will usually take precedence. NCOD regula- Old Goshen Cemetery in N. Belmont dates to the early 19th century. A dozen veterans of See More Conservation District Page 3 the American Revolution are among the pioneers buried there. Photo by Alan Hodge