by Jordan Green<\/p>\n

The Guilford County Commission backs away from giving the Rich Fork Preserve to the YMCA of High Point, but a controversy over mountain biking on the property rages on.<\/em><\/p>\n

Guilford County leaders pulled back from the idea of transferring the Rich Fork Preserve to the YMCA of High Point on Dec. 3 amidst strong opposition from open-space advocates across the county and concern about mountain biking on land purchased through a 2004 bond.<\/p>\n

Commissioner Alan Branson, a Republican who has butted heads with open-space advocates, went on record as saying he would not vote in favor of transferring the property to the YMCA, joining Commissioner Kay Cashion, a Democrat on the board.<\/p>\n

Republican Chairman Hank Henning, who initiated the discussion with the YMCA leadership, distanced himself from the idea after Branson signaled his opposition at the end of the three-hour meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was never a discussion about we\u2019re going to definitely do this \u2014 we\u2019re going to push this through and give it to the Y,\u201d Henning said.<\/p>\n

Branson pointedly asked Dot\u00a0Kearns, a former county commissioner and current chair of the Rich Fork Preserve Committee, where she heard that the property might be transferred, while Henning skirted the issue in his comments, yet acknowledged that he had approached the YMCA about a potential partnership.<\/p>\n

Comments from Jay Wagner, who chairs the board of directors at the YMCA, made it clear during comments at the beginning of the meeting that the concept of transferring the property was on the table during the discussion. Wagner is also a High Point city councilman, who represents Ward 4, where the property is located.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to assure you of several things in the event that the property is transferred to us in some way,\u201d he said. \u201cFirst of all, we will honor the commitment made by the county to its citizens that this property will remain open space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Underpinning the strong feelings about the fate of the 116-acre preserve on the west side of High Point were heated differences among two contingents about whether mountain biking should be allowed on the property. Opponents of mountain biking at Rich Fork Preserve also feel betrayed that the Republican-controlled county commission dismantled the Guilford County Open Space Committee, which enlisted Kearns and other High Point residents to come up with a plan for the preserve. Open-space advocates have insisted that the Rich Fork Preserve and 13 other properties purchased through a 2004 bond should be reserved for conservation and low-impact recreational purposes.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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