Design‑build team outlines Swepsonville Town Park overhaul, highlights flood protections

David Wilson, the integrated project leader for Auto Construction, told the Swepsonville Town Council on Wednesday that his firm’s design‑build team has completed initial due diligence and schematic designs for a proposed overhaul of Swepsonville Town Park.

“We’ve gone through and done a lot of diligence on the site itself,” Wilson said, summarizing topographic surveys, wetland delineations and floodplain work the team used to shape early concepts. He said the project team prepared a high‑level cost budget and is working with a landscape/civil firm named in the packet.

Wilson said the plan would add a new wiffle‑ball field, a pickleball court, expanded outfield space, playground areas and a larger multipurpose community building that preserves the park’s existing character while referencing the town’s milling history. “We want to do this once, and when you do it, you want it to be a legacy that everybody’s going to get benefit and enjoyment out of,” he said.

Why it matters: Council members and residents flagged recent high‑water events as a priority. Wilson said the team has moved proposed buildings out of the 500‑year floodplain and used surveyed 100‑ and 500‑year flood lines to guide where structures can be sited. He described erosion‑control work, temporary sediment basins, silt fences and a biocell grading strategy intended to filter and treat runoff before it reaches the river.

Timeline and cost controls: Wilson outlined schedule targets: the team hopes to reach an approval milestone by an April 1 target, complete roughly four months of design‑development, then finish construction documents and submit permits. The plan is to take the project out to bid before the end of the year and begin construction in winter or early next year if permitting allows; Wilson estimated about 10 months for the construction phase. He emphasized ongoing budget checks during design development to avoid cutting critical features.

Neighborhood questions: Residents and councilmembers asked about how far cleared areas and courts would approach private property, whether courts would be lit for night use and what noise mitigation would be used. Wilson said exact locations and lighting details are not finalized and will be refined in the next design stage; the current concepts locate courts and parking below the new building and offset them from property lines with a drive and landscaping buffer.

Next steps: The council said the schematic drawings will be posted on the town website once there is a consensus and the design team will proceed to the next phase. The council approved a separate consent agenda at the start of the meeting but did not take a formal vote on the park plan at this session.