Quality Parks and Sports Programs Make Being Active Easy
The town of Mooresville truly puts its money where its parks are, providing the amenities and sports programs that help its residents stay active.
Since 2005, when the town council passed a bond that allocated $25 million for parks and recreation facilities, Mooresville has invested millions to improve and expand its recreational offerings. The Mooresville Parks and Recreation Department currently operates nine parks that range in size from the 40 acres of ball fields and green space at Bellingham Park to several neighborhood mini parks with playgrounds and picnic tables. Collectively, Mooresville parks include 14 ball fields, nine tennis courts, a skate park and three recreation centers.
Among its newest parks are the Mooresville Skate Park on West Iredell Avenue, the Nesbit Street Mini Park, John Franklin Moore Park and Bellingham Phase 2, which boasts two lighted tennis courts, two baseball fields, a playground and paved walking trails that connect the park to area neighborhoods.
Coming soon is the new Mazeppa Road Park, which will feature paved walking trails that wind through the park’s 80 acres, in addition to a large playground and plenty of room for organized sports: An adult baseball field and three adult softball fields are scheduled to open in the fall of 2010, with six soccer fields to follow in the fall of 2011.
The 75-acre Cornelius Road Park is currently in the design and permitting process and should be ready for construction bids by January 2010, says Wanda McKenzie, parks and recreation director for the town of Mooresville. “Our staff is extremely excited about these huge parks opening,” McKenzie says. “This will allow the department not only to expand current programs but also to offer additional programs.”
The Recreation Department also partnered with area schools to build tennis courts and ball fields and expand the gymnasiums at the Mooresville Graded School District recreation complex and the Iredell-Statesville Schools complex.
All of the upgrades enhance the department’s popular sports programming, which Athletic Director Darrin Hucks considers an essential aspect of community life. “Youth and adult sports are vital to the well-being of any community,” Hucks says. “Organized sports allow kids to learn many life lessons, and adults enjoy the social aspect.”
Programs for youth include baseball, softball, T-ball, flag football, volleyball, basketball and wrestling. Youth teams are grouped by age. The department also runs adult softball leagues.
“These new facilities give us the opportunity to add new programs, regionalize the programs we have in order to minimize travel and provide more practice time, and add more games to our schedule,” Hucks says. “We are proud of our programs, and we fully expect the new facilities to add participants and teams.”
Walking trails, playgrounds, picnic tables and open space ensure that the parks also provide plenty of other recreation opportunities.
Other popular spots for outdoor fun include Stumpy Creek Park and Boat Landing, an 83-acre park adjacent to Lake Norman. Operated by Iredell County, the scenic park features a nine-hole disc golf course, walking track, picnic shelters, a playground and ball fields.
Nearby Lake Norman State Park claims 13 miles of shoreline along the “Inland Sea,” as well as hiking trails, campgrounds, interpretive programs and boating access. And for a truly unusual experience, fun-seekers head to the privately owned Lazy 5 Ranch, a 3.5-mile drive-through safari park featuring more than 750 exotic animals from six continents.
