Method Road community residents say their time is now

Method Road Community CenterPhoto bySynclaire Cruel/Tribune

By Synclaire Cruel

Correspondent

RALEIGH – Two historic buildings in Raleigh’s Method Community Park neighborhood are set to be renovated, but not without receiving input from those who live there. It’s just one of 20 other sites in Raleigh being upgraded through the 2022 Parks Bond. $14.7 million has been allocated for the improvement project.

City officials hosted a design workshop last weekend where residents submitted feedback about the changes and improvements they wanted to see at the Berry O’Kelly/Harveleigh White Community Center and the Pioneer’s Building in southwest Raleigh. They were given large white maps of the grounds and different colors of paper to represent the things that could be added or moved like staff offices and bathrooms. Each table created a blueprint of how they saw the space being better utilized and then presented it to the group.

Residents advocated for adding more bathrooms and moving the mechanical rooms to spaces that would make them more accessible to first responders. They suggested moving the offices of the center’s director and staff to the front of the buildings so that community members can better interact with them. They also want more streetlights added, and better acoustics in the gym, so they can host live entertainment. Additionally, they want speedbumps, pedestrian walkways and signs added to the area to slow drivers down.

John O. Goode Sr., a longtime resident, community advocate, and president of the Method Boys to Men mentorship program, said he feels like the city is finally open to hearing their needs. “This community has done without [for so long]. We’ve always been left out, but our ancestors fought so many years to maintain this community, and today’s meeting is a start, and they’re listening,” Goode said.

He explained that initially they weren’t a part of the process to decide how much money would be used for community improvements or how it would be spent. “They didn’t ask us before what we wanted, but now they are coming on the backend to do so, and they’re very interested. It’s one of the reasons this meeting is being held, so they could show us some of the sketches and what they’re planning to do with the $14.7 million, so we’re getting there,” he said.

“The key word for the Method community is sustainability,” said Karen Bethea-Shields, a resident and North Carolina attorney. “With help from Dr. James Johnson, we came up with a plan for how Method would be sustainable for all aspects of this community, and upgrading this area is a part of it.” Johnson is a William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at UNC’s Kenan-Flager Business School.

Bethea-Shields helped lead the successful defense of Joan Little in 1974, and was one of the first Black women to graduate from Duke University’s School of Law and one of the first women elected to the bench in Durham County.

The southwest Raleigh community was established in 1872 by freed Black men and women after the Civil War. It was one of 13 villages built around the city at the time. Presently, the Method Community Center sits on the grounds of the former Berry O’Kelly Training School, the first rural high school for Black students in North Carolina. The Pioneer’s building is also on the grounds and is one of the original school buildings.

Lauren Reid, City of Raleigh capitol projects manager, said one of the main components of the renovation project is making sure that the community center and Pioneer’s buildings are ADA compliant since they are designated historic landmarks.

To do this, Reid said some of the doors will have to be replaced, along with the windows in the Pioneer’s building. The restrooms will be renovated, and some historic windows in the community center will be refurbished. Both buildings will get new flooring and be repainted. The Pioneer’s building will receive new HVAC systems, and existing systems in the community center will be upgraded as needed.

The $272 million Parks Bond is one of Raleigh’s largest ever parks and greenway bonds. “The process started at the end of 2019 but was postponed in 2020 because of the pandemic. In 2021, City Council provided direction to Parks staff to renew work on the Parks Bond,” Reid said.

City officials will reveal drawings of the proposed changes to the community during a meeting on Sept. 5. As of now, both the community center and Pioneer’s building will be closed at the same time for construction. They will remain open until a contractor has been selected and under contract for the project.

The neighborhood will host Method Day on Aug. 24. It’s free and open to the public.