EDENTON — Edenton officials are advising residents that “rough drawings” for several town parks now available online are just that — rough drawings. They’re not the final designs of the park improvements the town plans to make.
Edenton’s parks are scheduled to receive $500,000 in upgrades thanks to federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. The upgrades are designed to make town parks safer, more attractive, and more attuned to residents’ needs. Work is expected to start within the next two weeks.
But town officials described drawings of the park improvements made available recently as planning documents and “simple drawings of what the parks ‘could’ look like.”
“Not every amenity that staff has planned for was included in these drawings,” the town said in a press release. “After receiving these first three draft designs, the town staff determined that further resident feedback — in the form of public meetings at the parks — would be required so that this new input could be utilized for the final designs in the future. This input is absolutely critical in the overall process and helps us create outdoor spaces that are welcoming to all.”
Town Manager Corey Gooden said the public showed a lot of interest in picnic shelters, which can provide shade and meeting space for families and other groups who come to the parks. He noted that shelters were not shown in the drawings, but the town has received price estimates for them and contractors should start building them at Paxton Lane Park, Griffith Park, and Stratford-Hawthorne Park within the next two weeks.
“Contractors will move to the rest of the parks as materials are delivered or shelters are completed,” the town said in the release. “It should be noted that some shelters and pavement upgrades were not displayed on the initial drawings for these parks, as they are generalized outlines to assist with the planning and feedback process rather than hyper-localized final designs.”
Paving overlays are also planned to freshen basketball courts at the parks. Gooden said that work should also begin in the next two weeks.
“We would like to thank our residents, local stakeholders, partner firms, and all those involved with this process as we move forward and begin these upgrades,” Gooden said. “To say we are excited is an understatement; we are truly thrilled to provide improved ark facilities across Edenton — from Oak Hill to Old Hertford Road.”
Once the pavement upgrades and shelters are added, town staff will begin installing tables, backboards, and striping at each location to make them functional.
Once those improvements are made, the town will go back to the park designers to make final updated plans that will include all the planned amenities, including lighting, security enhancements, and other requests that were made during surveys and the public feedback process.
Gooden thanked members of the public for their patience.
Plans for the upgrades can be found at https://www.townofedenton.com/parksproject.
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