The main concern I hear from my fellow Durhamites, who express hesitation about a state park solution for preserving Black Meadow Ridge, is a fear that the state might reduce accessibility and curtail existing popular programs at West Point Park.

I want to assure all concerned citizens that the Friends of West Point Park have done their homework. N.C. State Park officials on every level have informed us that under state management they see no reason to terminate any of our unique programs.

There are countless examples of contracted programs providing services for N.C. State Parks. As the city council has now directed our city manager to negotiate with the state, it is up to Mr. Bonfield to request and secure a status quo agreement for West Point's traditional programs.

When I was 1 year old, my parents took me camping at Hanging Rock State Park and carried me to the top of its highest peak in a nap sack. Since that day I have visited and camped in most of the parks in our state system. I find our state's style of management to be most amenable to the human spirit that seeks relief from the often wearying mandates of modern urban culture.

Our state parks are not overdeveloped as Virginia's are with manicured lawns, cement pools and high user fees. N.C. State Parks allow the visitor to walk back in time and experience a life well connected with nature and our rural roots. I find N.C. State Parks staff to be courteous, middle-of-the-road folks, functioning as both outdoor educators and law enforcement officers. Our state facilities are distinguished by an aura of simplicity and cleanliness from the cookout grill and the picnic table to the restroom and the visitors center.

Through my lifetime of meaningful interaction with N.C. State Parks, I have developed an implicit sense of trust that I now heartily commend to my fellow citizens of Durham as we consider the transfer of the management of West Point on the Eno from city to state. I encourage all citizens of Durham to drive out to the Eno River State Park headquarters at the end of Cole Mill Road and explore the range of opportunities that are offered to the public.

Make an appointment to speak directly with the superintendent Dave Cook if you have a nagging question ( 383-1686). You will discover well maintained trails and efficient garbage and recycling programs. Ask yourself if the state rangers you meet, all of whom have both education and law enforcement training, are the kind of staff that would best serve you at West Point on the Eno.

I have observed that the proper management of large tracts of park land require the resources that a municipal government generally does not command. The citizens of Durham would best be served by allowing the state to manage the large tract of West Point on the Eno and remandating our city government to focus its resources on raising the quality of it's needy 60 neighborhood parks and burgeoning greenway trails system.

If West Point is indeed the "jewel" in the crown of Durham's parks as many say, it will continue to be so under state management. There will be no loss for us as citizens. Our opportunity now is not a "takeover," but instead a transfer, an upgrade of care and management. N.C. State Parks stands ready to help protect our jewel from a potentially calamitous development on the adjoining Black Meadow Ridge and then polish our West Point jewel to a higher degree of shine and luster.