Woodfin – It’s not often a family can turn a tragedy into a tribute, especially when it’s the loss of a child. The King Family was able to name a portion of Roy Pope Park in Woodfin after their daughter, Avery, the little 23-month-old girl who was killed by a driver in Atlanta, Georgia in May 2006.
Now, the Hunt family has been selected by the Town of Woodfin to honor their son, Taylor, with the naming of the Blueway Wave whitewater feature at Tuesday’s council meeting. Taylor’s Wave, as the feature will be known, is being named in honor of Taylor Hunt, who died in a kayaking accident in Ecuador in December of 2015.
“The town received a nomination submitted by RiverLink, one of our local non-profit partners, and that nomination was to name the whitewater wave, that is currently planned for Riverside Park, Taylor’s Wave, in memory of Taylor Hunt and in honor of the Hunt family, Woodfin Town Manager Shannon Tuch told the town council as she presented the nomination at their October meeting.
According to the Woodfin meeting agenda notes: The Hunt and Potts families are Western North Carolina natives with strong ties to the French Broad River and a history of philanthropy and volunteerism in the region. Marc and his wife, Cat Potts, wish to honor their late son, Taylor.
Marc, who was accompanied by his wife, Cat, his son, Collin, and Collin’s wife, Amy, addressed the board after accepting the nomination, saying, ” We are so honored, and I want to offer some thanks, and then I want to say a couple of words about Taylor.” He mentioned several people who helped with the project and the naming, including the former board and former town administrator, Jason Young, along with the current board and staff of the town.
“Taylor was a whitewater kayaker. He died doing what he loved doing, paddling a kayak. He especially loved surfing on the waves,” expressed Marc. “His spirit of adventure and having fun with others, creating community was just enormous and when he died, in just a few days, we, our family thought, wouldn’t it be great if he could be honored in something like this…so when we think about this park element will be, this special whitewater feature will be, it resonates so strongly with who Taylor was and how his spirit continues on.”
Taylor, who was 22 when he died, learned to love kayaking from his parents, Marc told the Tribune later. Marc said about his son’s loss, “It is enormously painful and continues to be…We have our grief, but Taylor was a kind, loving son. He especially loved outdoor adventure and challenges and white water kayaking…especially surfing on waves. In the sport, we call that play boating or freestyle.”
Marc stated that “…if Taylor were still with us, this [the new wave feature] would be the kind of place he’d be at a lot.” Taylor was “sort of an adjunct teacher” for the French Broad River Academy. “So he had a close connection with that area in Woodfin.”
What is the naming process in the town
The “town’s naming rights policy, a property, facility or park may be named in honor of an individual or group who has made an exceptional non-monetary contribution to the community, or for a significant donation of land, money or facilities to the town.”
According to Woodfin staff, “…the Hunt family not only qualifies under all five of the criteria listed for non-monetary contributions but also qualifies under the donation of money to the project. More specifically, Marc
Hunt has invested significant (hundreds) of hours into assisting the town with the planning, design and fundraising for the whole of the Woodfin Blueway Greenway, including the Whitewater Wave.
The notes go on to say that Hunt’s work included, but is not limited to:
• Drafting the 2017 TPDF application that resulted in the initial $2,250,000 award
• Spearheading the local advocacy group, Friends of the Woodfin Greenway and Blueway, which kept the community engaged and which raised more than $50,000 in individual and in-kind donations…
• Providing dozens of WGB site tours to locally elected officials (NC, County, and Town), staff members (County, RiverLink, Town), and many other critical stakeholders
• Brokering an in-kind donation of materials estimated at approximately $330,000
• Advising project managers about the project upon request
In addition, the Hunt/Potts family have committed $200,000 toward development of the Wave with $27,273 already spent in 2016-2017 to help with the preliminary design and engineering costs. The remaining funds ($172,727) are held in trust with the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina until the Wave is complete.”