Notable Projects Planned and/or Designed by Chuck Flink

Chuck Flink has served as a lead planner and landscape architect for projects in more than 230 communities and 36 states. The following are examples of some of the work that Chuck completed during the past three decades.

---

Grand Canyon Greenway Trail, Arizona

Chuck Flink, originally served as one of ten volunteer professionals, representing the nation's leaders in greenway development, invited to work with the National Park Service and the Grand Canyon National Park Foundation to develop a plan of action for implementing a greenway master plan for Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. The Greenway was a project identified in the officially adopted General Management Plan (GMP) for Grand Canyon National Park.

The 72-mile Greenway system on the North and South Rim's is planned to accommodate bicycle, pedestrian, and intermodal travel, and will be constructed using both public and private funding sources. The greenway system will link the Park's hubs at Grand Canyon Village and Grand Canyon Lodge, with points of interest along both rims. This project is part of an overall strategy to reduce automobile congestion within the national park and offer visitors a choice in how they visit and view this World Heritage Site.

Chuck served as the lead designer during a ten-year period extending from 1997 to 2007 for the development of six phases of the greenway. Chuck lead meetings with the client, the consultant team and construction crews. The project was dedicated in an April 1999 ceremony lead by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Construction of all six phases are complete. Five phases have been built on the South Rim and one phase on the North Rim.

Award: American Society of Landscape Architects Merit Award, Planning and Analysis 2001

---

Chimney Rock State Park Master Plan, North Carolina

Chuck Flink served as the lead landscape architect and planner for the Chimney Rock State Park Master Plan. Chuck worked in partnership with the State of North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation to prepare a plan for the 15,000+ acre state park study area. The State of North Carolina took ownership and operations of the park and was in need of a master plan to guide future expansion, development and operations of the park. Chuck lead a coordinated effort that included an extensive environmental inventory and an analysis of the parks historic buildings, infrastructure, trails network and related visitor areas. Chuck worked with the merchants association in the Chimney Rock Village and Town of Lake Lure to discuss the economic impact of an expanded state park on the Hickory Nut Gorge Region. Chuck was the lead author for the master plan that identifies core park development, operations and areas of park expansion to meet the needs of various user groups. Throughout the planning process, Chuck worked with citizens to define needs and desired visitor experience. The final master plan set forth a specific program of action, describing capital improvement projects, needed funding, phasing, staffing, programming and fiscal operations. The final master plan defines a 100-year vision, 25-year master plan and 5-year action plan, and provides a business plan for future park development and operation.

Award: North Carolina Chapter, American Society of Landscape Architects, Honor Award, 2011

---

Greater Grand Forks Greenway Master Plan, North Dakota

In the spring of 1997, the Red River of the North, which lies between the cities of Grand Forks, ND and East Grand Forks, MN, rose 54 feet above normal, flooding almost every home and business within five miles of the River. In order to help ensure that such a tragedy could not happen again, the Army Corps of Engineers proposed to build a levee system to contain the floodplain of the River in this area. The land between the levees, 2,200 acres, was transformed into the nation's first bi-state Greenways. The Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Grand Forks hired Chuck Flink and his firm, Greenways Incorporated, to complete a master plan for the Greater Grand Forks Greenway. Working with multiple public and private sector partners from the federal government, both cities and two states, Chuck produced a plan of action, management structure, conceptual design, and an events plan for the Greenway. Chuck worked closely with the cities and the Corps to ensure that the master plan incorporated design elements that complement the regional landscape and local communities, while promoting area tourism and recreational use.

Award: 2002 Tri-State Chapters (NC, SC and GA), American Society of Landscape Architects, Honor Award, Planning and Analysis

---

Charleston County Greenbelt Plan, South Carolina

Chuck Flink was the lead author for a Comprehensive Greenbelt Plan for Charleston County, South Carolina. As one element of the work, Chuck and his team conducted a detailed inventory and needs assessment for the County, which included identifying current greenspace and forecasting future needs. Chuck crafted a Level of Service (LOS) recommendation that defines how the County can meet its greenspace needs for the next 25 years, and then applied this LOS to a strategy that will be implemented over time. Chuck met frequently and worked with a citizens Greenbelt Advisory Board to produce the Plan. The Greenbelt Plan recommends conserving more than 200,000 acres of greenspace through six component landscapes. To implement the Plan, the County increased its borrowing capacity and issues bonds to fund project implementation. The County adopted the plan as an element of its Comprehensive Plan. For more information about this project visit the web site a www.smallchangeforbigchange.org

Award: 2006 Large Jurisdiction Outstanding Planning Award from the South Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association

---

Miami River Greenway, Florida

Chuck Flink worked with The Trust for Public Land and the Miami River Commission to prepare the Miami River Greenway Action Plan. This 5.5 mile urban study area begins at the eastern edge of the Miami International Airport and continues downriver to Biscayne Bay. Within the corridor exists a variety of land uses, including heavy and light marine industry, water dependent business operations, restaurants, shops, government facilities, residential, and commercial uses.

Chuck facilitated a planning process, coordinated the ideas and efforts of a broad multi-cultural constituency, and formulated a plan of action for developing greenway solutions along the river. After completing an extensive research of existing conditions and prior master plans, and working through a series of stakeholder meetings and public workshops, Chuck authored an Action Plan for the project.

The Action Plan incorporated Geographic Information System (GIS) data sets from Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami and Florida Power and Light, defining a new "greenway layer" for the community. Additionally, Chuck and his team generated three-dimensional, computer-generated graphic models of the project corridor to illustrate proposed design development changes to the river corridor landscape. The Action Plan features a complete estimate of development costs, operations and management recommendations and a phasing strategy for project development. More than $9 million was raised from public and private sources to support project development.

Award: 2001 Award of Excellence NC Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects

---

Anne Springs Close Greenway, South Carolina

Chuck Flink worked with Ms. Anne Springs Close and the Leroy Springs Foundation of Fort Mill, South Carolina to develop a master plan (1992) and a subsequent action plan (2010) for this 2,000 acre private greenway. The Greenway is operated by Leroy Springs and Company, a non-profit corporation, and has been developed as a cultural and environmental park for residents of Fort Mill and the surrounding region. Located 20 minutes from downtown Charlotte, the Greenway also serves as a regional park for southern Charlotte. As a fee-for-entry, private park, the Greenway offers some of the most outstanding resources for visitors, including an interpretive center, equestrian camp, nature camp and an institute for ecological and environmental education. Chuck and his team planned a 32-mile equestrian and hiking trail system.

The Greenway is rich in both natural and cultural resources. Natural resources include over 190 species of wildflowers, and a great diversity of birds and other interesting wildlife. The Greenway includes the 30-acre Lake Haigler, as well as other lakes and ponds, mixed hardwood forests, prairies, Steele Creek and vistas that are truly breathtaking. Canoeing, fishing and swimming are available at the park. Cultural resources include the historic Nation Ford Road, part of the Great Philadelphia wagon road and a pathway for Native Americans, settlers, American Revolution and civil war soldiers, traders and trappers for hundreds of years. In addition to this nationally significant site, the Greenway contains a circa 1800 log cabin, a 1780 hall and parlor log house, a 1946 Dairy Barn, the site of the original mill for which Fort Mill is named, and other historic sites.

Chuck authored a 100-year vision, 20-year master plan and 5-year action plan for the project. The master plan included the layout of a multi-purpose trail system through the Steel Creek floodplain, that links recreational areas, camp sites and historical sites. Additionally, traditional agricultural land uses have been adapted for modern and future uses, to preserve and protect the unique heritage of the Springs family.

---

MetroGreen, Kansas and Missouri

Chuck Flink worked in partnership with the Mid America Regional Council for the preparation of the MetroGreen Action Plan. MetroGreen is a multi-purpose open space and greenway system that unites the seven (7) metropolitan counties in the Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri bi-state region. Chuck lead a team of consultants that provided a full range of planning services including an analysis of existing greenway facilities, GIS-based mapping, public opinion polling and demographic evaluation, community workshops, design standards and facility recommendations, and an action plan for implementation. Community involvement was key to the success of the planning process. Chuck worked with a Citizen Steering Committee, an Advisory Committee, as well as municipal and county staff members to prepare the plan. The recommendations contained within the final plan were based on a citizen survey as well as needs identified throughout the region. These recommendations ensure that an interconnected system of greenways, open space and parks will serve the metropolitan population. Implementation recommendations include project phasing and a financing strategy

Awards: 2002 North Carolina Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award. 2002 Missouri Chapter, American Planning Association, Excellence in Planning Award

---

American Tobacco Trail, North Carolina

Chuck Flink lead a team of planners and designers in the preparation of a master plan and design development guidelines for the American Tobacco Trail, North Carolna’s longest and most continuous urban trail. This inactive Norfolk-Southern railroad corridor extends from the heart of downtown Dur¬ham, beginning at Durham Bulls Stadium and the American Tobacco Campus, and heads south for 30 miles through rural portions of Durham, Chatham and Wake counties to Jordan Lake and the Town of Bonsal, North Carolina. During a 9-month planning process, Chuck and his team worked with local citizens; and the non-profit Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a multi-agency regional management team to prepare a master plan for the rails-to-trails project. Our work included researching corridor history and ownership, conducting a thorough inventory and analysis of the corridor, identifying problem areas and issues of concern, preparing recommendations for conflict resolution, developing comprehensive management plan for a public use facility traversing 3 counties and 3 municipal jurisdictions, and preparing a design development plan for conversion of the corridor into a multiple-use trail.

Citation: The American Tobacco is one of North Carolina's National Millennium Trails, as designated by the White House. The project is also the first designated leg of the 3000-mile East Coast Greenway, through North Carolina.

---

Las Vegas Open Space and Trails, Nevada

Chuck Flink lead a multi-disciplinary team that provided an Open Space and Trails Master Plan. The study area encompassed one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. Chuck and his team provided a full range of planning services to the City, including an analysis of existing open space and trail facilities, GIS-based mapping, public opinion polling and demographic evaluation, community workshops, design standards and facility recommendations, and an action plan for implementation. conducted a Needs Evaluation for Las Vegas which looked at the City’s parks and open space facilities, compared this with other western communities and recommended a Level of Service (LOS) that would meet future needs. Community involvement was key element of the planning process. Chuck worked with a Citizen Advisory Committee and a Technical Working Group, as well as numerous special interest groups to prepare the plan. The recommendations contained within the final plan were based on a citizen survey and public open house meetings. These recommendations ensure that an interconnected system of open space, trails and parks will serve the residents of the Northwest region for years to come.

Award: 2005 Award of Excellence, Nevada Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects

---

Susquehanna River Greenway, Pennsylvania

Chuck Flink lead a national consulting team to prepare an Action Plan for the Susquehanna River Greenway. The project extends more than 500 miles from the New York border to the Maryland border, and extends through 22 Pennsylvania counties, nearly one-third of the Commonwealth. Chuck and Greenways Incorporated, as the lead planning firm, was responsible for preparing an implementation program for the Greenway project. To accomplish this, Chuck worked closely with a client team that was made up of local, state and federal agencies. The team conducted public forums and workshops along the river corridor and completed an end-to-end field survey of the current project conditions. The strategic action plan focused on an overall vision, goals and objectives for the project, recommended an organizational framework for implementing the project, proposed marketing strategies to define the brand for the Greenway, and provided a step-by-step guide to key actions to be taken in the short term.

Award: 2006 Pennsylvania and Delaware Chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Honor Award

---

Floyd Lamb Park, Nevada

Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs is the “oasis” in the desert of Northwest Las Vegas, Nevada. This 2,300 acre park is home to the historic Tule Springs Ranch and filled with lush vegetation, lakes, a diversity of willdlife and afforded views of the Sheep and Spring Mountain ranges.

Chuck and his firm was commissioned by the City of Las Vegas to undertake the challenging task for developing a master plan for this park, and to work with the State of Nevada and City to transfer ownership of all lands associated with the park to the City. To complete this work, Chuck and his team conducted detailed site investigations of the park property, inventoried natural and cultural features, developed alternative build out scenarios for the park, conducted public workshops with the public and produced a master plan and implementation program.

The master plan included analysis and recommendations for operating, funding and staffing the park. Chuck also completed a financial model for the project that examine how user fees would be utilized to offset operations and management costs. Chuck provided the City with a detailed, step-by-step implementation, which included transfer of all lands from the State of Nevada to the City. The Las Vegas City Council officially accepted ownership of the park and associated lands on April 4, 2007. Phased implementation of the master plan recommendations has begun.

---

Northwest Arkansas Razorback Regional Greenway (2009 to Present)

Chuck, as President of Alta/Greenways (2011-2013), served as project manager for a 38-mile, $40 million regional greenway in Northwest Arkansas. This greenway is linking together six communities across a two-county region. The project is funded by a TIGER 2 grant from USDOT, FHWA, with matching funds from the Walton Family Foundation. Chuck has managed the efforts of an 11-member consultant team, comprised of engineering, real estate and landscape architecture firms. During the past four years, Chuck has been responsible for all facets of project management, including completing monthly progress reports for FHWA and client team, managing the design, real estate acquisition, bidding and construction for the project. Chuck has also led efforts to broaden the funding partnership, and to market and promote the greenway project.

The Razorback Greenway will link together the corporate campuses of WalMart, Tysons, JB Hunt and others. The greenway goes through the center of three downtowns: Fayetteville, Springdale and Bentonville. The greenway connects to 36 public schools, and the University of Arkansas campus. The Razorback Greenway is an investment in the future of NW Arkansas, serving to create more than 350 permanent jobs, and boosting tourism revenues in the region. The greenway is regarded as one of the most important economic cornerstone projects in NW Arkansas, along with the recently opened Crystal Bridges Museum to American Art.