One local park is losing its facilities and falling into the water. Another is gaining facilities and improving its piece of water. They are Snows Cut Park on River Road and Hugh MacRae Park off Oleander Drive.

I have been visiting both parks since I came to Wilmington in 1994, and it struck me recently how much both have changed.

Let’s take the bad news first.

I remember taking my dog for walks in Snows Cut Park shortly after I moved here. I found it by accident as I was exploring River Road. I loved its great views, the woods and the beach.

Snows Cut, of course, is that man-made waterway that connects the Cape Fear River with the Intracoastal Waterway. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project, it cuts through land that has become two parks: Carolina Beach State Park on the southwest bank, Snows Cut Park on the northeast bank.

From the banks of Snows Cut – so steep, and getting steeper, they’re nearly cliffs – I would sit on a bench near the edge and watch the boats go by – everything from slow-as-a-snail barges to speeding water craft. Nearby there were other benches and an arbor with a water fountain and a small rose garden. Shelters offered shade to local folks out for picnics or celebrating the Fourth of July. On the beach below, fishermen cast their lines into the shallows. On the pretty little gazebo at the end of the park, many couples said their marriage vows.

But over the years, I noticed that trees I used to stand under were no longer standing themselves. They had tumbled into the water, taking pieces of soft, sandy cliff with them. The safety railings were being pushed further and further back and at least one of the picnic shelters and an arbor were sacrificed to the elements.

What was happening? According to Neal Lewis, parks director for New Hanover County, most of the damage has been caused by three problems: Scouring of the banks from constant commercial boat traffic (such as barges), hurricanes and surface run-off from River Road. Plus, there is the movement of the water itself, its fast flowing eddies. “The water moves through there so fast it naturally erodes the cliffs…(but) it has nothing to do with the dredging,” Lewis said.

The park has lost 75-100 feet of land over the past 10 years or so. Lewis said.

All of which means almost daily monitoring by parks department personnel. After bad storms “we walk the entire length of the cliff,” said Lewis. And they are constantly moving back those railings.

“You have to understand that for the Corps of Engineers the priority is navigation,” Lewis said, “not what happens on the banks. It’s a sad situation for us who use the land, but solutions are difficult and very expensive. We appreciate that they’ve let us use the park all these years, for free.”

Rather strangely, a few years ago the parks department installed a colorful children’s playground at Snows Cut Park and I remember looking at it and thinking: How long before that joins other parts of the park beneath the waves? The playground is still standing, but Lewis told me they are watching it closely and there is talk of moving it to a safer location. The gazebo is still there, but its future looks even more precarious as only a few feet separate it from the racing tide beneath.

Over at Hugh MacRae Park, the tale is entirely different.

My early memories of walking my dog there are mixed. I liked all the trees and shrubs around the pond, especially in late winter, when the winter-blooming honeysuckle scented the air and the camellias shone like jewels in the late afternoon sun. On the other hand, the pond was a mess. It was dirty and full of algae, and the bridge over it was badly in need of repair and cleaning.

Paths were patchy. Retaining walls were collapsing. The lighting was inadequate. A fallen tree trunk was popular with kids but potentially dangerous, and many of the trees and shrubs looked uncared for.

On one side of the park I occasionally saw horses and riders in the ring and noticed the ball park, but that area had little interest for me as there were few paths for walking.

Have you been to Hugh MacRae Park lately? If not you should. What a transformation!

The New Hanover County Parks and Recreation department has done an excellent job of improving the park’s landscaping and the facilities, including adding comfortable, safe and well-lit paths. They intersect often so that you can make your walk as long or short as you wish.

New retaining walls have been placed around planted areas near the pond, the dangerous tree stump has been removed and work is now under way to add a new and more attractive gazebo close to the pond, which should make it even more popular for weddings.

More landscaping is planned for around that area, which could include new and unusual plants.

“The landscaping team often brings me new plants to consider,” Lewis said.

The pond has been cleaned out and an aerating fountain installed to help keep the water clear of algae. The bridge has been repaired and new rails will be installed shortly to make it safer to walk on. It’s also a good spot from which to watch the many species of ducks that have taken up residence on the pond.

Raised beds have been added and are currently full of bright yellow daffodils. The lighting has been greatly improved making the park a much safer and more inviting place in the evening (it is open until midnight).

Lewis said the new construction is not part of the much-talked about county bond issue but “the final work of a six-year project to improve MacRae Park.”

Have a question for gardening columnist Susan Hart? E-mail it to jeff.hidek@starnewsonline.com, subject Ask the Gardener; or mail to Ask the Gardener c/o Star-News, PO Box 840, Wilmington, NC 28402. Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns. Ms. Hart cannot reply to individual inquiries.

source : www.wilmingtonstar.com By Susan Hart