Greenville Park receives $500,000 modernization

GREENVILLE, NC (WITN) – Jim Blount owns several apartments on Woodlawn Ave., directly across from Woodlawn Park, and is excited about the planned improvements to the park.

“In the last decade, since they introduced the greenway system here, the area has really come into its own. It’s become incredibly vibrant and popular with the students, young professionals and young adults who live here,” Blount said.

Blount and others were pleased to hear that the City of Greenville plans to continue that progress with a $500,000 accessible parks grant from the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation.

“The playground equipment is from 1996, and you can see that the other facilities here are showing their age,” said Mark Nottingham, manager of projects and development for the city of Greenville.

Nottingham says new playground equipment, renovations to the basketball courts and new play areas will be more accessible for disabled visitors.

“Pathways through the park as well as a concrete slab for some of the other improvements, like table tennis and table football,” Nottingham explained.

Blount says this will help the neighborhood and encourage future ADA investments.

“I think we would be open to exploring building handicapped accessible units on the ground floors if we were to purchase another property,” Blount said.

Nottingham said planning for the improvements will take about nine months to a year, followed by construction, which will take another nine months for the new park.

All rights reserved.