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Beauty

I appreciate being asked to reflect on what is great about Gaston County because I have seen what we have versus what surrounds all of Mecklenburg County. Some of Gaston County's greatest assets are its' natural resources.

The fact that we have grown slowly compared to our neighbors surrounding Charlotte, has probably been a blessing. I have spent some time driving all around Charlotte because of the industry I am in, and have seen high density growth and the traffic that comes with it. Gaston County still has vast amounts of green space and, while growth is coming our way, we need to retain as much of this open space as possible.

The Catawba Lands Conservancy has done a great job in securing land for future development in Gaston County and we would be fortunate for those land owners who want to preserve the beauty of the land to continue working with the Conservancy.

Crowders Mountain State Park is a beautiful place. Hiking the mountain and trails feels like being several hours away to the west and it's right here in our back yard.

The park is amazing, having trails that range from easy to strenuous. The 150-foot rock face is a great place to climb. Both Crowders Mountain and Kings Pinnacle offer spectacular views where on a clear day you can see the Blue Ridge Mountains. Efforts are being made to connect trails further west to Kings Mountain State Park. There are large tracts of land surrounding the park that will fall to development. It would be to our advantage to protect as much as possible for future generations.

We are so fortunate to have the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. What a great gift that Gaston County was given that not only protects a large mass of land, but over a period of 20 years, will create a world class botanical garden for all of us to enjoy. This could not have happened without the vision, passion and investment of the late Daniel Stowe. The gardens are now more than 10 years old and things are taking shape with the new orchid conservatory being built at this time.

Water. You cannot underestimate the value of water until you don't have it. Gaston County is extremely fortunate to have access to a great supply of water. This will fuel growth, but it is a resource that can be depleted so we must be careful in planning our growth so we will always continue to have a great water source. We have done a good job in protecting our water supply by purchasing land surrounding Mountain Island Lake. I mentioned earlier how the Catawba Lands Conservancy has been protecting large tracts of land and much of it is close to or adjoining Mountain Island Lake.

In summary, I would like to say to those of you who enjoy the convenience of Charlotte and all the wonderful things it has to offer, you can have the best of both worlds by living in Gaston County. It would be nice to have more Daniel Stowes and others who would be willing to donate their land to the conservancy. Having green space will continue to be appreciated long into the future as we continue to grow.

In London, there are several large parks: Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are contiguous and total 625 acres. Regent's Park by itself is 410 acres. These large parks have been called the lungs of London. Our lungs are currently bigger than any others surrounding Charlotte. Let's keep as much of our green space from being developed as possible so we will continue to have clean air to breath and good water to drink.

Verne Deason, a vice president at Carolina Commerce Bank, grew up in Gastonia and lives here with his wife Dianne and their two sons, Pierce and Sam. A lifelong community volunteer, he is president of the United Arts Council of Gaston County and serves on the board of directors of Keep Gastonia Beautiful.