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Matter of Potential Disc Golf Course at Hodges Gap To Go Before Boone Town Council

By Jesse Wood

The Boone Town Council will discuss a potential park and greenway property along Hodges Gap Road, where a citizen is spearheading an effort to start a disc golf course on 50 acres of N.C Department of Transportation-owned property near the Watauga County Jail.

hodgesAccording to a summary of this discussion item in Thursday’s meeting packet, “This issue has come up a few times now, and although the property may not be suitable, according to some neighbors, for a disc golf course, the property still has excellent potential for greenways and hiking trails that are severely lacking on the west side of town. The property is just outside town limits in the ETJ, with several nearby properties on the 105 bypass already annexed into town limits.”

Richard Rosenfeld first requested the Watauga County Board of Commissioners to enter into a lease with the NCDOT in May, but the commissioners unanimously sided with neighborhood residents that didn’t want a disc golf course nearby. Commissioners said in May that they felt a disc golf course near recreation infrastructure off of State Farm Road would be more appropriate.

Rosenfeld agreed to donate $50,000 for the construction of the course and set aside funds for five years worth of maintenance on the course. Rosenfeld made another similar request last month, but Chair Jimmy Hodges tabled the discussion after opening a public hearing on the matter.

According to meeting minutes, three-quarters of the 12 people who spoke were in favor of the disc golf course proposal.

Rosenfeld is a graduate of Appalachian State University and an outdoor-recreation advocate, who built a disc golf course on his property, so he wouldn’t have to drive off the mountain to play, according to a letter to the commissioners.

“After seeing the response of the local disc golf community to my course, I knew I wanted to share that opportunity with everyone. That is why I would like to provide funding for a public disc golf course to be developed in Watauga County,” Rosenfeld wrote.

The Boone Town Council meets at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Council Chambers on Blowing Rock Road. See agenda and meeting packet here.