11/4/04

Ribbon Cutting to be Held for Stinson Paving and Womble Parking Lots
Project Included Paving of Street, Sidewalk and Parking Lots, Lights and Landscaping

The Town of Holly Springs will hold a ribbon cutting Tuesday, Nov. 16, for the completion of a Town project that included the paving of Stinson Avenue through Womble Park, the paving of a sidewalk along the road, and the installation of two parking lots, lights and landscaping at the park. The Nov. 16 ceremony will be brief and will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot closest to the Hunt Community Center; the public is invited to attend. The ceremony will include remarks by Holly Springs Mayor Dick Sears, as well as the ribbon cutting itself, and Town staff members who worked on the project will be recognized.

The paved parking lots with streetlights help organize vehicular traffic and create a safer park. The paved road segment with a curb and gutter, speed humps, crosswalks, and sidewalk also is both a safety and aesthetic improvement to the park. Before, the park contained one gravel parking lot and a gravel road that washed out onto nearby roads during heavy rains.

The paved parking lots and roadway complete another piece of Womble Park 's master plan, the original design for the park that was approved shortly after the park land was purchased in 1997. As money becomes available, different segments of the park's master plan are constructed. Tennis courts and additional paved walking trails are other parts of the park's master plan that could receive funding in upcoming years.

The new parking lots hold 135 vehicles. The Engineering Department, with assistance from the Town's Planning & Zoning Department and the Parks & Recreation Department, designed the road and parking lots. Stephanie Sudano, director of the Holly Springs Engineering Department, estimated that the Town saved more than $100,000 by designing and administrating construction of the project in-house. Construction on the $490,000 project was completed by Asphalt Experts. Holly Springs Engineering Department staff oversaw and administered construction inspections for the project.

“Paving the parking lots and the road that goes to them made this park an even nicer place to visit,” said Len Bradley, director of the Parks and Recreation Department. “With marked spaces, traffic is much more organized, and that makes this park a safer place to visit, too.”

For more information about the project or construction, contact Kendra Thompson, senior engineer with the Town's Engineering Department at (919) 557-3931. For more information about parks and recreation, contact the Parks & Recreation Department at (919) 557-9600.

Town of Holly Springs - PO Box 8 - 128 South Main Street - Holly Springs, NC 27540 - (919) 552-6221 - Holly.Springs@hollyspringsnc.us