By Abby Cavenaugh
Duplin Journal
Residents of the Wallace area got a chance to look over a master plan outlining the future of Clement Park over the next eight to nine years during a public forum on Wednesday night, March 20.
“We’ve worked very hard on a parks master plan for Clement Park,” said Benjamin Simpson, a senior project manager with Benesch, a firm that helps towns and cities design and build projects like parks, as well as bridges, roads, and community developments. “These plans show a vision for the changes and the modernization of the parks that we would want for the future.”
Since Clement Park is arguably the most used park in the town, Simpson said the master plan reflects that, and the proposed changes and upgrades are in line with the town’s expected growth over the coming years.
The two major changes coming to Clement Park as part of the plan are the addition of an inclusive playground, and moving and upgrading the tennis courts.
In addition to the overall master plan for the park, the forum also featured two grant projects that may be approved — one, through the North Carolina Accessible Parks Grant Program would create the inclusive playground, and the other, the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF), would go toward the tennis courts.
“We will apply for both,” Simpson said. “The likelihood we can do both if we get approved for both is very high.”
Parks and Recreation Department Director David Bizzell explained that the idea of an inclusive playground came about after talks of putting in a handicapped-accessible swing on the current playground. “Now, it’s turned into doing a whole renovation of the park,” he said.
An inclusive playground means it’s accessible to any kind of handicap, Bizzell explained. There will be more walking trails and areas where wheelchairs can be pushed if the town receives the appropriate grant funding.
“With the population increase, it’s very well needed,” Bizzell said. “There is no inclusive playground anywhere in Duplin County. It would definitely give the special needs community something to do, and that will be great.”
In fact, the closest inclusive playground to Duplin County is in Wrightsville Beach, Wallace Mayor Jason Wells said. “We want our town to grow, and we want to grow our parks as well,” Wells said. “They’ve all done a great job laying out the plan, and reviving this old park.”
Wells added that he played on the playground at Clement Park as a kid, and he’s excited to see future generations continue to use the playground at the park for many years to come. “The park needs a little updating, that’s for sure,” he said. “It’s been the heartbeat of our Parks and Recreation for many years.”
Mayor Pro Tem Francisco Rivas-Diaz also said it’s important to keep Clement Park relevant. “The location of the park makes it very accessible to the community,” he said. “It’s nice to have it in a place where there are neighborhoods.”
The tennis courts are also heavily used by the local community, and could draw in folks from other communities as well. With the tennis courts moved and refurbished, the park could become a Mecca for tennis players around the region.
The existing basketball court will also be refurbished if the PARTF grant is approved.
The Campbell Center at Clement Park is currently undergoing a renovation, but Simpson said it’s so heavily used by the community that another community center may be built in town, possibly at the new Farrior Park. But that is a future project that hasn’t even begun yet.
Former Mayor Charley Farrior, the namesake for the town’s newest park, said he’s very excited for the plans that are already in place. “I’m just excited about what we have planned,” he said. “We’ll be utilizing land we haven’t used yet, which is just very exciting.”
The next step in the process, Simpson said, will be for the town council to approve the plans at a future meeting.
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