Today we submitted the letter below to the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners and County Manager Dena Diorio regarding funding for completing our 2008 - 2018 Greenways Master Plan:

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June 11, 2017

Dear Commissioners and Manager Diorio,

You have a terrific opportunity right now to complete a connected greenway system that will provide healthy outdoor recreation opportunities, spur economic development, increase property values, and provide more safe and efficient ways to travel by foot and bicycle.

This year our park system was ranked an embarrassing 97th out of the 100 largest metro park systems in the nation due largely to the low percentage of residents within a ten-minute walk of a park or greenway and our low investment in parks and greenways per resident compared to other metro areas.

Given our system's poor national ranking, it is unsurprising that there is a clear public need and desire for greenways and trail development in Mecklenburg County. In the 2016 survey of Mecklenburg residents conducted by the ETC, the number one most important type of park and recreation facility that respondents said they needed was "paved walking and biking trails."

You have the unique ability to provide Mecklenburg residents what they most desire.

I hope you will seize this opportunity by allocating the necessary funds in both the FY18 operating budget and the FY19-23 CIP to complete our 2008 Greenway Master Plan within the next five years.

Thank you for your service, and if I or Sustain Charlotte can assist you in this endeavor, please do not hesitate to ask.

Shannon Binns

Founder + Director

Sustain Charlotte