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Groups brainstorm ideas for new park
by Debra A. Golden, Wake Weekly Staff Writer
This is second in a series about Rolesville's new town park.
Preserve the rocks, pave the walking trail and make sure bathrooms are accessible. Those were just a few of the suggestions made at the Rolesville park charrette, or workshop, held Monday night at the Rolesville Fire Station. The evening was a culmination of months of work by the town's Park Development Committee and gives the engineering firm specific ideas for designing Rolesville's newest park. Since the spring, Town Manager Matt Livingston and members of Rolesville's Park Development Committee have met every two weeks to talk about the new town park, which is bordered by South Main Street (near Wiggins Monument Company) and Scarboro Street. Last Thursday, Mayor Nancy Kelly and Park Development Committee members walked the property and discovered a huge granite rock as well as one small stream. Official maps show one, maybe two, streams on the property and four sizable granite rocks, said engineer and park designer Mike Crowley. Those natural features will affect park development -- existing streams must have 50-foot buffers on either side, and the park committee would like to preserve the rocks if they can. In Monday night's workshop, participants were seated in groups and given an overview of the history surrounding the park, and then directed to place various elements on their own map of the park. They also had survey results which indicated what residents and visitors would like to see developed on the site. Each group had a little more than an hour to place ball fields, tennis and basketball courts, an arboretum, bathrooms, a volleyball pit, picnic areas, playgrounds and parking on their maps. Each design was then presented to the entire group. The original working design Crowley came up with had ball fields near the Scarboro side of the park, and the arboretum and picnic areas were closer to the new gazebo on South Main Street. Rolesville residents attending a brainstorming session Monday night agreed on several key components for the town's new park. Crowley's plan, designed before the park walk-through, showed a ball field close to the largest granite outcropping, a feature he hopes to preserve. Several groups placed the arboretum close to that rock, and most participants agreed that the biggest parking lot should be placed at the back of the site. They would also like to see the biggest rock outcroppings on the land preserved, perhaps by placing the planned arboretum nearby; they want a paved path for walking and cycling around the perimeter; they favor a family picnic area close to the Main Street entrance, and they don't mind mixing competitive sports with quieter pursuits. Crowley said he learned a few things from the workshop. He had envisioned a 35-acre park divided into two sections, with picnic areas near the Main Street side and ball fields in the back. Participants made it plain, though, that they did not mind combining elements. One group which included Rolesville commissioner Pat Wharton strongly suggested that the walking trail be paved. Designing a trail with a gravel surface would not serve mothers with strollers and those with disabilities, Wharton said. Her group also wanted to place the arboretum and an amphitheater near the largest rock, and planned for a handicap-accessible playground near South Main Street. Wharton's group also wanted to place the arboretum and an amphitheater near the largest rock, and planned for a handicap-accessible playground near South Main Street. Groups were also encouraged to come up with a name for the park. "No name," exclaimed Wharton. "We're waiting on that million-dollar donor." Currently, the park is called the Main Street Park. Another group debated about how many bathrooms the park should have and where they should be located. One participant favored bathrooms in the middle of the park. "We'd rather go with one less bathroom and a lot more pavement (for the walking trail)," he said. When that design was presented, an outcry was heard from the mothers in the room. "Mommy, I gotta go!" was Terry Marcellin-Little's imitation of a youngster visiting the park. Another group included a small parking lot near the South Main Street entrance along with a volleyball pit, two covered picnic areas and bathrooms up front. Basketball courts, a soccer/football field and a concession stand were placed on the northeast corner of the map. Crowley will compile the information from the workshop and come up with a new park design. He will present his findings in another workshop to be scheduled in late October. The Park Design Committee has until Dec. 31 to come up with a workable design for the park, which must be approved by the town board.
Last Updated On: October 2, 2003
Copyright 2003 The Wake Weekly