Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Berghall Parks Foundation seeks county support for splash pad at Bishop Rayford Hankins Memorial Park
Summary
The Parks Foundation and Bergall town representatives asked the Pender County Board March 10 to consider contributing in future budget planning to a privately led fundraiser to install a recirculating splash pad at Bishop Rayford Hankins Memorial Park; foundation leaders said the project hopes to combine local fundraising, corporate sponsorships
Representatives of the Berghall Parks Foundation asked the Pender County Board of Commissioners on March 10 to consider supporting a community-led fundraising effort to install a recirculating splash pad at Bishop Rayford Hankins Memorial Park.
Cody Suggs, parks and recreation director for the town of Berghall and executive director of the Berghall Parks Foundation, said the splash pad was the second-most-requested amenity in the town—s master plan and among the top requests in Pender County—s parks master plan for the western part of the county. Suggs said the site selected—across from C.F. Pope Elementary School—was chosen for existing utilities (1-inch water, three-phase power) and bathroom facilities and because it allows room for expansion.
Suggs said the foundation has launched a community fundraising effort and has secured corporate sponsors including Duke Energy, Novant Health, GAF and Civic Bank. He said the fundraising plan calls for the foundation to raise approximately half of the project cost locally and to apply for a matching grant from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund to cover the remainder. He estimated the project timeline, if grants and approvals align, could see construction between roughly 2026 and 2029.
Sydney Lewis, chair of the Parks Foundation and a Berghall business owner, said the splash pad would provide a family-friendly amenity that could increase local visits to shops and restaurants and help attract younger families to the area. The foundation said no county tax dollars have been spent on the splash pad to date and asked the commissioners to consider a contribution as part of future budget planning rather than seeking funds at the meeting.
Commissioners asked questions about operation and maintenance and were told the town would assume ongoing operation after construction. The presenters stressed the project is a public–private partnership and that the foundation intends to use corporate sponsorships and private donations to leverage state grant funds.
