Bluebell Island Natural Area trail design and conceptual redesign of A.R. Matthews Park

The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) worked with the Town of St. Paul and St. Paul Tomorrow, Inc. to develop a conceptual master plan for the Bluebell Island Trail as well as a redesign for A.R. Matthews Park. Bluebell Island is approximately 1.3 acres. This undeveloped natural area is owned by the town and has recently been put in a conservation easement with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The town and TNC want to see a natural surfaced trail system developed on the island to compliment the biodiversity of the area and to provide connections to existing trail systems in the area. A.R. Matthews Park, the town’s current riverside park, is adjacent to Bluebell Island and is home to the annual Clinch River Days Festival (circa 1998). This festival was created to “showcase the Clinch River, and the endangered species that exist in and around the river.” 3

The current park contains a variety of amenities (two tennis courts, a basketball court, children’s play equipment, a stage, a covered shelter, a little league stadium, and the start of a skate park) but is aging and doesn’t take advantage of its proximity to the Clinch River as well as it could. “The St. Paul’s Tomorrow Trails Team is interested in creating a new design for the park that will complement the new trail addition to Bluebell Island and create a Riverwalk that joins Oxbow Lake and the Sugar Hill Loop Trail system.” 4