Letter: Imagine Asheville’s Own Central Park

Letter: Dreaming of Asheville’s Central Park

Can you envision Asheville with its own Central Park — a place free from a $299 annual fee, where everyone can gather for picnics, stroll with their labradoodles or gather wildflowers without resorting to taking them from Interstate 26 exit ramps? Picture our community-minded neighbors participating in AcroYoga or the latest Tie-Dye 101 class, observing our plant whisperers and seed library evangelists enjoying expansive community gardens. Perhaps even catching a glimpse of our congressman sunbathing.

How about the Asheville Racquet Club’s golf course? Consider the advantages: a nine-hole course — the perfect size for evening strolls, just six minutes from Pack Square, and towering trees providing a natural spectacle wherever you look. The New York Times’ “After Shutting Down, These Golf Courses Went Wild” article elaborates on the transformation of a few closed golf courses nationwide, purchased by land trusts, municipalities and nonprofits to become nature preserves, parks and wetlands.