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Spencer aldermen hear public support for proposed Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
Summary
At a Feb. 6 public hearing, staff described a proposed five-member Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to guide park projects and grant-seeking; two local residents with Parks & Rec backgrounds urged adoption. The ordinance will return for a vote Feb. 11, 2025.
The Spencer Board of Aldermen heard a staff presentation and public testimony Feb. 6 on a proposed ordinance to create a Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to advise the town on park improvements, grant applications and implementation of adopted recreation plans.
Staff described a five-member board with staggered four-year terms that would meet monthly and work with town administration to implement the parks and recreation master plan, the Creating Outdoor Recreation Economies plan and the Towne Spencer and East Spencer bicycle and pedestrian plan. Staff cited ongoing projects that the board would help coordinate, including the startup of Spencer Town Park, an adaptive-reuse feasibility study for the Carter property on 11th Street funded by a Robertson Foundation grant, the Grama Creek Blueway trailhead and a pending application for the Rocky Branch Loop Trail through the Sandback Educational Forest. Staff said the town is also pursuing a regional “active living coordinator” position with the Piedmont Triad Council to help deliver programs; hiring was expected in March or April 2025.
Two residents who said they have long professional experience in parks and recreation urged the board to adopt the ordinance. Bob Pendergrass, a longtime Rowan County parks employee, said parks ‘‘can bring a lot to a community’’ and praised staff’s work advancing trail and park projects. Vivian Kuntz, a former Salisbury parks event coordinator and long-term Spencer resident, said she was ‘‘fully in support’’ and highlighted recreation’s broad community benefits.
The board closed the public hearing by motion and will consider adopting ordinance 25-03 at its Feb. 11 meeting. No vote on the ordinance occurred on Feb. 6.
If adopted, the advisory board would be empowered to recommend facility additions and changes, pursue grant opportunities in coordination with staff, and adopt bylaws to support the town’s recreation goals.
