LAUREL PARK - Laurel Green has reopened after a year-long closure for an extensive stream restoration project and a thorough cleaning of its popular playground.
Laurel Park officials closed the town’s park and playground facility in May 2023 to begin the project. A grand re-opening was held in May 2024 with a ribbon cutting officiated by Mayor Carey O’Cain and Republican N.C. Sen. Tim Moffitt.
“We wanted to reopen it before school let out,” said Interim Town Manager Cara Reeves.
"The park equipment has not changed but was given a deep clean," Reeves said. The bigger undertaking was the stream restoration, and a town YouTube video about the project in 2021 explains that the stream had been a growing concern over the years.
“The section of the stream through Laurel Green Park suffers from severe bank erosion, channel instability that threatens infrastructure and worsening water quality,” the video’s voiceover says.
Town staff and landscape consultants wanted to stop the degradation and improve water quality, stormwater runoff and wildlife habitat. In 2019, an engineering firm studied the causes and determined ways to improve the stream.
They found that the stream had been negatively manipulated through straightening and culverting, the natural riparian buffer had been removed and replaced with lawn, and important in-stream morphology — such as steps, pools and riffles — were lacking.
This caused erosion, unstable banks and unhealthy habitat, the video said. Land-use changes throughout the watershed were identified as the cause, so the town commissioned a study of the area upstream of the park.
The Laurel Park Watershed Improvement Study showed that without restoration, streams in the town would continue to erode. The portion of the stream through the park was identified as a “restoration keystone,” or prime opportunity for improvements due to its location and use by the public.
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The town also considered the future impact of the Ecusta Trail, which is under construction and borders a portion of the park.
“A beautifully restored stream could be a showpiece for the town and create another reason for people to stop and enjoy the amenities and businesses of Laurel Park,” the video says.
The town had three goals for the restoration project: improve water quality, improve wildlife habitat and improve human interactions with the stream. A team of engineering and landscape architecture firms was hired to develop a conceptual design that would help the town apply for grants.
The stream’s redesign includes step-pool structures that provide intentional access points, including near the playground; re-graded banks; boardwalks; floodplain activation areas that take on water during high flows; wetland habitat; and a riparian corridor to strengthen root systems that slow erosion, filter pollutants and provide cover and food for wildlife.
Work was done by Robinson Design Engineers, Watermark, Roots First and Conserving Carolina and was funded with the help of grants.
A portable toilet was also added for public use, Reeves said, and should remain through the fall.
Families have flocked back to the playground since its reopening in May. One of the most popular features is a giant castle with a spiral staircase children can climb and a sandpit underneath.
Hendersonville resident Sharon White watched her grandchildren, 2-year-old Banks Beckwith and 4-year-old Harrison Beckwith, bury a toy horse in the sand Aug. 12, saying they love being outdoors. Family members walk to the park often and attended the grand re-opening.
“I think it’s beautiful. They did a great job,” said White. “There’s great tree cover. The kids call it the ‘Lighthouse park.’”
Reeves said she’s heard a lot of similar feedback from residents and visitors. “The park is very, very busy. A lot of people have complimented it and are happy about it being open for the summer,” she added.
The park’s use could increase after the Ecusta Trail fully opens to the public.
“We’re working on figuring out how to work with the Ecusta Trail,” Reeves said. “That’s going to bring a lot of activity to the park.”
For now, the goal is to focus on maintenance of the “refreshed” park.
“I think it’s beautiful," Reeves said. "Park Technician Bryan Hensley did a fabulous job working side by side with the Conserving Carolina folks and the engineers that helped out. It’s all done, but we’ve got to keep it looking that way.”
A YouTube video about the project can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=wE8QW0lvVkk .
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This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Laurel Green Park and playground reopens after year-long stream restoration
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