BADIN — In an area with many existing recreational opportunities, Stanly County residents will soon have another public park to utilize and enjoy.
On June 10, officials from the Town of Badin held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Badin Waterfront Park — an upcoming public recreation area located at Badin Lake — and to officially accept a donation of 14 acres of land given by Badin Business Park (a subsidiary of the Alcoa Corporation).
The park, which is set to be located next to the existing Badin Lake recreation area on Highway 740, will include watercraft rentals, boat docks, wooded trails, picnic shelters and a band shell. Over the course of this year, plans for funding and park amenities will be conducted by Badin officials.
The 14-acre donation made by Alcoa is its second donation to Stanly County in less than two years. Back in May 2020, Morrow Mountain State Park became one of the 10 largest state parks in North Carolina when Alcoa gifted 1,085 acres and expanded the park by more than 20 percent.
The land donation from Badin Business Park last week is part of a 2007 Relicensing Settlement Agreement obligation that is being honored by Alcoa Power Generating Inc.
“Accepting this generous donation sets the stage for a search for funding to update the existing park masterplan, and include some new factors such as the Town of Badin eastern border being shared with our neighbor, Morrow Mountain State Park,” Badin Town Manager Jay Almond told SCJ in an email.
Almond joined Mayor Anne Harwood, Mayor Pro-Tem Deloris Chambers, Councilman Gary Lowder and Councilman Demar Huntley in representing the Town of Badin during last week’s event; director of transformation Robyn Gross, transformation multi-location manager Randy Rush and former plant manager Tommy Gibson represented Alcoa in the formal donation ceremony.
“Badin is a beautiful town, and we are excited about what the future holds for this property. It is a beautiful setting for a waterfront park and is sure to draw more people to Badin,” Gross said in a press release.
Over the past year, Badin officials have worked with the Site Solutions planning group to put together a master plan for how to best incorporate the 14-acre donation into a full-scale waterfront park. The area that will be expanded has previously been used for baseball and softball games, festival events, Native American powwows, fireworks displays as well as other celebration gatherings.
“We are incredibly excited about this donation and the opportunity it presents for us to create a unique waterfront recreation area in Badin. The park will have a regional appeal that complements the draw of Morrow Mountain State Park and Uwharrie National Forest,” Badin Mayor Anne Harwood said in the release. “We look forward to maximizing the recreational offerings in our beautiful waterfront town.”