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The planned November opening of Shuffletown Park will be delayed until spring so additional amenities sought by area residents can be added.
Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation will add a dog park, playground, walking trail and as many as two volleyball courts. Those features were to be added in later phases of development at the 50-acre site, off N.C. 16 at 9500 Belhaven Blvd. in northwest Charlotte.
The old Shuffletown Drag Strip and its history will become features of the park. The drag strip and its service road will become part of a looping walking trail. A marker will be installed with details about the drag strip's history.
"We've heard what the community has said to us," said Michael Cozza, a spokesman for Park and Recreation. "They wanted more of a diverse park."
The 1/8-mile asphalt drag strip opened in a rural setting in 1958 and closed in 1996 amid complaints about noise. Several residential communities sprung up around the park site.
Area residents ultimately lobbied for a park at the site, saying northwest Charlotte didn't have adequate facilities for youth athletics. Residents also requested amenities to serve the site's closest neighbors. These included a playground and walking trail.
Park construction started in November 2007 with money from bonds approved by voters in 2004. Work is complete on two baseball fields, as well as a rectangular space in the outfields that can be used for soccer and football.
With no activities scheduled on the fields until spring, Park and Recreation decided to add features to the park with money from existing funds, said W. Lee Jones, division director for capital planning.
"With the downturn, we've been getting really good prices," Jones said of bids for construction and other services.
The proposed dog park would add an estimated $75,000 to the county's $3 million investment at the site. The project calls for separate fenced areas for small and large dogs as well as water fountains.
It would become the second-largest dog park in the county at about 4 acres. Mecklenburg's largest dog park covers 5 acres at William R. Davie Park in south Charlotte.
