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Durham staff report progress on $200 million 2024 bond; sidewalks and parks lead early work
Summary
Staff told council the 2024 general obligation bond (approx. $200M) has advanced shovel‑ready sidewalk repairs (~50% of the first phase), sidewalk construction (12.4 miles across projects), street repairs and phased park projects (Merrick Moore, Longmeadow, East End), with community engagement and environmental testing ongoing.
City staff on Oct. 23 updated Durham City Council on progress delivering projects funded by the 2024 general obligation bond, including sidewalk repairs, street repaving and major park renovations.
The two‑question referendum approved by voters totaled about $200 million: roughly $115 million for streets and sidewalks and $85 million for parks and recreation, staff said. Sidewalk repair work advertised late in 2024 began in early 2025; phase‑one sidewalk repairs are slightly more than 50% complete, and a second cycle is in procurement with work expected to start in January 2026 and finish in 2027. Staff said they expect the combined efforts to reach the program’s target (~20 miles of sidewalk repairs) using a mix of removal‑and‑replacement and bonding approaches to stretch funds.
Sidewalk construction projects total about 12.4 miles across 11 projects in different locations; some are federally funded and others are city‑funded. Street repair funding covers roughly 100 miles of streets and is being delivered in phases; pavement preservation and repaving began in spring 2025. The unpaved‑roads program continues, with roughly nine miles remaining in the city; phase 1 award recipients will start winter 2025 with phase‑2 procurement planned for late 2026.
Parks projects include the Merrick Moore aquatic center, Longmeadow and East End park renewals. Merrick Moore’s concept work is moving into schematic design with a proposed opening targeted for Memorial Day 2029; Longmeadow and East End will proceed in phases with Longmeadow’s larger portion expected to open by October 2028, while elements north of the signal shop are contingent on environmental data from the state. Staff warned that some parks remain partially closed because of historical landfill‑impacted soils and are awaiting additional state testing before reopening more areas.
Council members asked for public dashboards and stoplight reports that show project status and mapped locations. Budget staff said quarterly stoplight reporting will include RAG (red/yellow/green) status for projects once they move into active construction stages, and maps and individual project pages are available on the bond website. Staff committed to provide community meeting dates and soil‑shop schedules to update residents.
What happens next: Staff will continue phased procurement and construction and return quarterly status reports; they will publish and maintain project maps and stoplight updates, hold community soil‑shop meetings, and include equity considerations in prioritizing project delivery.
