Whiteville officials turned the ceremonial shovels Tuesday on a project designed to improve life downtown and help flooding.
The $1.3 million Madison Street Park will cover what was once the county’s first modern shopping center when it was built in the 1960s. The Lewis Smith Shopping Center complex was home to a variety of retailers before falling into disrepair in the early 2000s. The buildings were flooded three times – by a series of thunderstorms in July 2016, that inundated downtown, then Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. A major fire later sealed the building’s fate.
After months of negotiations, the city took control of the property and demolished the building. Since the structure is in the floodplain for Soles Swamp, City Manager Darren Currie said, it was unsuitable for commercial redevelopment.
Currie said the park will be constructed in stages. The park will also be flood-resistant, protecting as much permeable soil as possible to aid in stormwater absorption and controlled runoff. All construction in the park will be designed to withstand flooding.
“This is Phase One,” Currie said. “Basically all the infrastructure will be installed, the stage area, walking trail and stormwater pond. Once all of this is complete, we will be looking for more funding to complete the park.”
Funding for the first part of the park is coming from a $902,814 grant from the state Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources and the Land and Water Conservation Funding, said Madison Ward, Whiteville Downtown Development Director.
“We also received $380,000 from the Rural Transformation Grant from NC Commerce, and to date we have received $116,000 in local contributions,” Ward said. “This will be the money used to construct Phase One, and we will begin in the next few weeks on grant monies to go after Phase Two.”
Phase One of the project will include all the infrastructure, a walking path, lighting, a stormwater retention pond with crosswalk, amphitheater, and all the landscaping.
“Actual construction will begin the week of November 5, and we are looking for a six-month completion time of Phase One, so it will be finished around May hopefully,” Ward said.
Currie and Ward said memorial donations and sponsors are also welcome. Call 910.642.8046 for more information.
