Nature Center to get update

Plans to redesign the Rowan Nature and Learning Center at Dan Nicholas Park are picking up speed.

Officials hope to pick up a chunk of cash along the way from a state grant to help pay for the project, which will include new digs for the two bears.

Members of the Rowan Parks and Recreation Commission and park staffers will interview three candidates for the job of designing a Nature Center master plan.

Parks Director Jim Foltz said work is under way to apply for a $250,000 matching grant from the state. He noted that several municipal projects in Rowan have received grants, and he is confident the Nature Center project can be approved. Foltz is also looking for private dollars.

Discussing the project with the Parks and Recreation Commission on Monday evening, Foltz said he has held several meetings with County Manager Tim Russell, who is totally supportive of the project.

During a retreat earlier this year, commissioners gave a high priority to rehabilitating the center and getting the bears into better quarters. Commissioners acknowledged they have heard many complaints from folks unhappy with the bears’ cramped quarters.

But commissioners agreed with Russell that the project can be funded with grants and private money rather than tax dollars.

Bob Pendergrass, Nature Center supervisor, outlined the process of narrowing the field of consultants to do the design:

• On Friday at 1:30 p.m., the group will interview two architects with Johnson Architecture of Knoxville, Tenn., a firm with zoo and nature center experience.
• On Saturday at 10:30 a.m., the group will meet with Dwight Holland, a retired member of the N.C. Zoo design staff.
• The final interview will be May 5 at 1:30 p.m., with Ron Surratt, the head curator of the Fort Worth Zoo. Surratt has been involved in designing cages and handling animals worldwide.

All the meetings will be at the Nature Center. Prior to the formal interviews, the candidates will tour the Nature Center area.

The Nature Center continues to be one of the biggest draws in the county park system. During April, students from 13 Rowan schools visited the center. Students from several neighboring counties also visited.

Officials reported attendance at Dan Nicholas Park at 25,000 during April.

The turnout for the Easter egg hunt nearly overwhelmed the park. The roadways entering the park were jammed, prompting a new plan for next year.

Next year’s hunt will be staged at two times, the younger kids starting at 10 a.m. They will be able to get their eggs and depart, leaving plenty of space for the older group to take off at 11 a.m.