An effort by the city of Winston-Salem to preserve almost 100 acres of farmland is moving forward, but not everyone on the council is on board. At a Monday meeting, the city voted 6-2 to approve a $200,000 donation to the Piedmont Land Conservancy project.
Member D.D. Adams originally supported donating $100,000 but bristled at doubling it and delayed the vote at a November meeting. The land is located in Adams' Ward. Vivian Burke, who represents the Northeast ward, criticized the proposal at the same meeting.
“It's amazing how we can find money for some things, and not find money for some other things,” Burke said. “And I have said over and over again, there are parts of this city that when people would come here they would think we had two cities...We have areas in this community that have not been touched.”
Both Adams and Burke ultimately voted to reject the increase on Monday.
The PLC needs to raise a total $6.5 million by the end of the year in order to purchase a conservation easement from the Crossnore School. The deal would protect 92 acres of land from future development.
PLC Executive Director Kevin Redding says the land's central location makes the project unique.
“A lot of times a park is a small park, a pocket park per se, in one council person's district that really doesn't benefit the entire city,” he says. “And we just think this project rises to a level that it will help define the city for many, many years to come.”
Including the city's money, PLC has raised about $5.35 million. Most of it has come from private donors.
If the deal is finalized by the deadline, PLC will seek extra money to create public walking trails on the property.