Author: Brandia Deatherage | Published: January 21st, 2010

    This past Tuesday, in their second regular meeting since the election, the new Washington City Council leapt to solidify progress on an issue that has been haunting its board for a decade: How to develop the greenspace on the waterfront between the North Carolina Estuarium and the old Mayola Plant.

    A plan for this waterfront greenspace, called Festival Park, was presented by Washington Parks and Recreation Department Director Phillip Mobley and landscape architect Susan Suggs, and requested to be included as an amendment to the council's Master Plan for the development of downtown Washington.

    Two weeks ago, the Washington Parks and Recreation Department held a well-attended public input meeting about the Festival Park.

    "There seems to be strong public support for this park," Suggs told the council. "It enhances the Estuarium and it builds upon the success of the promenade," she said.

    In the past, encumbrances on the land, such as an easement by which the pump station can have service access, have hindered development.

    "We had to get down to the reality of where items could be located," said Suggs.

    The new design preserves the practical functionality of the land and opens it up for festival and performance uses. It allows for an inconspicuous drive for service vehicles, while strategically placing improvements such as a picnic shelter, restrooms, a stage, walkways and a great lawn for wedding receptions and other events.

    "It expands the existing utilization of the property," she said.

    At the council meeting, the room was full of supporters of the Festival Park design, who didn't want to let another couple years go by in indecision and inaction.

    "It's a long-standing goal for the community," said speaker Don Stroud, president of the Washington Area Historic Foundation, which fully endorsed the proposal.

    The City Council unanimously voted to amend the Master Plan to include the Festival Park, after aggreeing with a protective motion made by Councilman Doug Mercer that the architectural drawing be recognized as conceptual and subject to change.

    The Washington Parks and Recreation Department was also asking that the council amend the city's Capital Improvement Project to include a grant for the $590,000 projected cost of the Festival Park.

    During the public hearing, the Citizens for Revitalization Committee unanimously recommended, through their representative Rice Hammory, that the City of Washington support this 2009-2010 North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Grant.

    Some Washington residents are so ready for development that they are willing to contribute some of their own savings to the Festival Park.

    Members of the historic foundation and the foundation as a whole have pledged to help with funding to help ensure the enactment and realization of the new Festial Park plan, according to Stroud.

    Councilman Mercer expressed disdain at having to commit such a large sum of money to the Parks and Recreation Department.

    Councilman Gil Davis attempted to reassure him.

    "If this grant is not approved, this money will not be spent," he said.

    The motion to apply for the grant passed four to one, with Councilman Mercer voting "Nay" and the other councilmen voting in the affirmative.

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