PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Board of Commissioners approved two improvement plans for parks on opposite sides of the county with an estimated $7.8 million price tag by a 4-1 vote last week.
Improvements to Earl Thompson Park in Bynum and Southwest District Park in Bear Creek were at the top of the county’s Parks & Recreation Department’s to-do list after a countywide parks master plan was approved in February.
“Those were the two parks that we constructed first in the county, and it was one on each end of the county,” said Tracy Burnett, director of Chatham’s Parks and Recreation Department. “The overall approach was to leverage the results of the Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan and facilitate additional public open houses specific to the parks.”
Earl Thompson Park
Located in Bynum, Earl Thompson Park currently houses a single light softball field with restrooms as well as a small playground. At three public open houses in the area, Burnett said, community members said they wanted more nature trails and walking opportunities and asked officials to prioritize environmental preservation.
The proposed and approved master plan would dramatically alter the park’s footprint and amenities offerings. The softball field would become a 70,686-square-foot multi-purpose “event lawn” for picnics or kids kicking a soccer ball around or throwing a frisbee. Natural surface trails, a natural amphitheater, a “place of pause” that would include a labyrinth and an all-inclusive playground would all be installed.
But the big ticket item on the plan is a 4,300-square-foot arts, nature and history center, which Burnett said would “tell the story” of Bynum.
“With this center, this is a way to bring out the history of Bynum,” she said. “This is a place where artwork can be displayed as well as the programming that will take place.”
Burnett added that the department hoped to aid the annual ClydeFEST in Bynum by providing more space for activities.
The total projected cost, as of now, is $2,802,638.95.
Southwest District Park
Located next door to Chatham Central High School in Bear Creek, Southwest District Park has more amenities currently than Earl Thompson — softball/baseball and multi-purpose fields, a half-mile walking trail, a playground and sand vollyeball court among them. In three public input sessions, community members expressed a need for outdoor aquatics options more than any other amenity.
According to the new master plan, the sand volleyball court would be replaced with a 5,000-square-foot splash pad, which Burnett described as an “alternative to a swimming pool.” The gravel trail around the park would be expanded by three-quarters of a mile and a basketball court and two tennis/pickleball courts would be constructed.
The plan also includes a 7,700-square-foot community building that could serve as a community gathering space and house parks offices. Burnett said the building would house various programming, often in conjunction with other organizations such as the Chatham Council on Aging or Chatham Arts Council.
Other than the new splash pad, most of the new construction would take place on land behind the current park that is currently undeveloped. The total projected cost of the expansion and improvement is $5,088,393.73.
Paying for It
Most of the commissioners expressed approval of the plans, but questions were asked about how to pay for the projects. The county currently has several major capital projects — including two schools and an expansion to its animal shelter — on the books, with more schools coming down the road.
County Manager Dan LaMontagne said the county’s goal was to start with individual pieces — the splash pad at Southwest District and the inclusive playground at Earl Thompson, for example.
“We really want to make impact as soon as possible on these parks and we need to also make sure that they’re happening somewhat simultaneously,” he said. “I don’t want the community groups that offered this input that’s very valuable to us to see this just languish.”
The splash pad and inclusive playground — on a line-item basis, not including additional fees — would cost $300,000 and $160,000, respectively.
The county currently collects recreation fees — $926 per lot in the Eastern District and $548 per lot in the Western District — when a final plat is submitted for approval. Currently, counties are only allowed to use that fee for land purchases under state law, but cities and towns can use such fees for any parks-related business. If that could be changed, LaMontagne said, it would help the county.
“We have the land that we need for a lot of our district parks,” he said. “It’s the improvements is where our real need is. We have a lot of potential on these properties.”
Burnett said the county could also explore private donations by community groups, available grants and selling naming rights for individual amenities like the basketball court or nature trails.
Commissioner Andy Wilkie cast the lone vote against the plans. He did not explain during Monday’s meeting why he voted no, but told the News + Record by email that he was concerned it would affect his constituents’ wallets.
“We have citizens in the Southwest district who voted for the water district 15 years ago and still don’t have county water,” Wilkie wrote. “I think the people need water more than a upgrade to the parks. The parks are there — it is a upgrade that will cost us taxpayers $8 million. There is a limit to what western Chatham can afford in property taxes and we are getting there fast.”
Property tax revenue was not a suggested funding source for the improvements, and there was no set timetable for when the projects needed to be completed. Approving the plan was just signifying that this was the board’s intention to do all of these projects in the future.
Reporter Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.