The city is spending bond money to replace the ground material under the equipment in the children's play area that was only built a few years ago. It is constructing new areas outside the main gate. It is building a new boat ramp, which involves lowering the level of the lake, which means the Salem Creek Greenway will be closed from the Reynolda Park Road bridge to Salem Lake Trail for months due to high, rushing water along the greenway at the concrete sidewalk and ford.
How much of the bond money is being spent on the actual greenway and trail. ZERO. Salem Lake trail is more like a well-used dirt road to a logging operation; it is rutted, the surface is washing away, there are areas of constant standing water and mud, areas where water constantly runs over the trail, exposed large rocks, ancient drainage pipes are completely clogged, etc. The greenway even has kudzu growing ONTO the pavement.
The six-mile Granite City Greenway in Mount Airy is always immaculate. It is always clean, clear of debris, and they have bridges over all the low-lying areas. The High Point Greenway has over a thousand feet of elevated trail over a rugged section of terrain. However, the Salem Creek Greenway has a sidewalk beside the creek at creek level and a ford used to cross the creek. Water flows over these areas most of the time and the area is impassable after heavy rain or when lowering the lake. But to be fair, the city may never fix the problems but it always apologizes for the inconvenience.
