McGalliard Falls Park has been part of the Valdese story for generations. Now, a new planning process is officially underway to help shape what comes next.
On October 21, the steering committee for the McGalliard Falls Park Master Plan met with Destination by Design to kick off an approximately six-month planning process focused on preserving what makes the park special while identifying opportunities for its future.
The project is being funded through a partnership among three local nonprofit organizations:
- Friends of the Valdese Rec – $20,000
- Waldensian Heritage Foundation – $20,000
- Burke River Trail Association – $3,000
Together, these organizations have invested $43,000 to create a comprehensive master plan for the Town of Valdese-owned park.
Why McGalliard Falls?
People rarely fall in love with a community because of one thing. They fall in love because of the combination of experiences.
McGalliard Falls is one of those places.
Within one park, visitors can experience the natural beauty of a 40-foot waterfall, discover Waldensian history at the Meytre Grist Mill, picnic and gather with family, fish in McGalliard Creek, enjoy photography and plein air art, and access the Valdese Greenway.
The greenway leads across the McGalliard Creek suspension bridge to Valdese Lakeside Park and is part of both the Burke River Trail and Wilderness Gateway State Trail.
All of this is just 1.5 miles from downtown Valdese.
Come for one experience and leave having discovered three more.
Preserving the Past While Planning the Future
McGalliard Falls became a Town park in 1982 after local sixth-grade students helped inspire the community to reclaim a former quarry and landfill and imagine something better.
More than forty years later, the park continues to serve residents and visitors, but it is time to look thoughtfully at its next chapter.
The purpose of the master plan is not to arrive with a predetermined list of projects. Instead, the process will examine the park as a whole and ask how its history, natural resources, recreation, trails, art, education, and community gathering opportunities can work together even more effectively.
Potential areas of discussion may include accessibility and safety, historic interpretation, the Meytre Grist Mill, trailhead improvements, educational programming, creek access, landscaping, parking and circulation, gathering spaces, recreation facilities, and the overall visitor experience.
Just as important is identifying what should not change.
Heritage is not limited to artifacts inside museum walls. It also includes the landscapes and gathering places that shaped daily life. Protecting the character and history of McGalliard Falls will be central to the planning process.
A Community Planning Process
The steering committee brings together representatives from Friends of the Valdese Rec, Burke River Trail Association, Waldensian Heritage Foundation, Town of Valdese Parks and Recreation, and Valdese Community Affairs.
Steering Committee members are:
Beth Heile
David Andersen
Gretchen Costner
Morrissa Angi
Spencer Borden
Mark Rostan
Rob Martinat
At the kickoff meeting, Destination by Design reviewed the project timeline and planning process. Much of the first meeting focused on the park’s study-area map, with committee members identifying opportunities, challenges, important existing features, and ideas that should be explored as planning moves forward.
The approximately six-month process will include additional steering committee meetings, site analysis, conceptual planning, and opportunities for public input before a final plan is developed.
Drop In Public Input – December 14, 5-7pm at Old Rock School
Why Invest in a Master Plan?
A master plan provides much more than a picture of what a park might someday look like.
It creates a roadmap.
As existing facilities require maintenance or replacement, the plan can help the Town make improvements that support the long-term vision rather than spending money on short-term solutions that may later need to be changed.
It will also help establish priorities for phased improvements and future capital planning.
And when funding opportunities arise—from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, state or federal programs, foundations, corporate partners, or local fundraising—Valdese will be better prepared with an adopted plan, identified priorities, and realistic cost estimates.
Some improvements may happen quickly. Others may take five, ten, or fifteen years.
The important thing is knowing where we are going.
Three Partners, One Special Place
The partnership itself reflects what makes McGalliard Falls unique.
Friends of the Valdese Rec brings experience in recreation, park development, fundraising, and community engagement.
The Waldensian Heritage Foundation brings expertise in preserving and interpreting the history and cultural identity of Valdese.
Burke River Trail Association brings a regional perspective on trail connectivity, visitor experience, tourism, and the role McGalliard Falls plays in connecting downtown Valdese to a larger trail network.
Those missions all intersect at McGalliard Falls.
This is not simply a recreation project, a history project, or a trail project.
It is about preserving and strengthening a place where all of those experiences come together.
More than forty years ago, a group of sixth graders looked at this property and asked what it could become.
Now it is our turn to ask that question again.
What could McGalliard Falls become for the next generation?
We look forward to involving the community in answering it.