On Growth, Equity, and Partnerships

Our interview with Corey King; Director, Matthews Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources

The Charlotte area is full of growing, vibrant, communities. As the area grows, so will their need for parks and green spaces – the very things that breathe life into these communities! Those tasked with meeting those needs have tall orders.

Corey King is one of those charged with such a task, as director of parks, recreation and cultural resources in the town of Matthews. The town, like many in our area, is growing faster than most it’s size. But King found time to sit with us and discuss how he’ll meet current and future challenges in this environment.

Partners for Parks: Matthews, like the rest of the Charlotte area, is growing at a rapid clip. How are you managing the growth of the community and the growing need for parks and green spaces?

Corey King: I’ll say the biggest… support system is, of course, our elected officials. Everything we do costs money. But the other piece of it is our relationship with Mecklenburg County. Partnering with them, for instance, is how the Matthew Sports worked. And certainly we are in love with the fact that is here in Matthews, and the town contributed a small portion of the cost for it. But we have is awesome facility here! And it is just making the money stretch in the towns as far as we can with partnerships and grants, whatever we can do.

P4P: If I’m coming to visit, what’s a “must-see” park and recreation opportunity in Matthews?

Corey King: You have to visit Four Mile Creek Greenway! This is another great partnership with Mecklenburg County. It’s about over two miles of trail, and it connects to the more recently built Matthews Areas Trail. You know, it is amazing how that Greenway is packed every day, walking, biking, some scooters. It’s connected to Square Park. So you’re going to the park. It’ll take you here to the Community Center. It’ll connect to the Heritage Trail, which takes you through historic Crestdale Community. And then, of course, it ends right behind town hall, which is right in downtown, where you can come and spend some money!

P4P: What would you consider to be the most underused or hidden gem in the Matthews Park system?

Corey King: Good question! I think I’ll break it also to separate these one outdoor spaces, one that is sort of still taking off. So Windsor Park is one of our parks that was here when I got here. It was built up in 1997… This one has a little more commercial around. So it’s right behind Sycamore Commons Shopping Center. So when the leaves are not on the trees, you look up, you can see Costco, but the setting has a creek that runs right through, has this awesome family-size picnic shelter where you can come in and have a celebration. You go out and you really feel like you’re out, even though you’re surrounded by Costco and you can see Michael’s. You feel like you’re in the woods, that it is an awesome park and it’s just now starting to take off.

Now, the indoor facility is probably a toss-up between the McDowell Arts Center and Crews Recreation Center. We opened (Crews) in 2006. So it’s almost been here for 20 years. It has a full-sized gym plus large three large program rooms. On one hand, it is just sort of this unknown gym. We ask people about it and they say, where’s that? But at the same time, we look at the schedule, and is bursting at the seams. A lot of people still don’t know about it, but the people that know about it, they’re in there.

And the McDowell Arts Center is an amazing gallery space. It was redone actually in 2012. You walk in is original wood floors. It just has an awesome feeling when you walk in. I think for the next year and a half, it’s already booked. It rotates every 4 to 6 six weeks, I believe.

P4P:  People of color are generally underrepresented in the outdoor space. Being in a position of leadership in parks, what do you think that brings to the table as far as getting more people of color into parks and green spaces?

Corey King: So, you know, every community is a little bit different, it really is. So just to say for Matthews, I don’t … have the magic solution to it. But we need to identify what the barriers are. And in some cases, trying different things that you think are perceived barriers and removing them. It is just simply continuing to have that conversation and attempt to find out what it is that does not seem inviting to people to just come out and enjoy the spaces there for them… to find out what is preventing you from participating? Why aren’t you visiting the community center? But in some cases just this sense of not feeling welcome, even though in my mind and in our efforts, we hope that there’s nothing that we’ve done to create that.

P4P: What do you think the biggest challenge for Matthews Parks is going forward?

Corey King: That’s a good question. Well, I’ll say one of the things that we are wanting to do is to kind of stay ahead of the curve is, you know. I think we all get excited about the new stuff and the shiny stuff; the new parks and facilities and we don’t want to get away from that, but we do also have these other parks.

We have to focus on the maintenance of what we have. And I think that’s one way that we continue to, I’ll say be great. We’re not only investing in the new stuff, but also looking at the things that are already there and how we can continue to improve and re-engineer.

P4P: What are you most excited about in the next year or season or coming years? Tell us one thing that you’re super excited about. 

Corey King: So I’ll say, and you may be aware, that last November the voters of Matthew said yes to a bond for parks. And so once we are given the thumbs up it’ll be like, Corey, let’s go! I’m so ready, too, and I’m excited about the shiny stuff right now, also some of the other improvements we’re going to actually invest in. It is just this laundry list of improvements we’re going to be making in the next two or three years. They’re going to sort of set Mathews in place for the next 30. It’s going to be awesome!