Wrightsville Beach will hold a public forum April 18 to solicit input on projects, like a multi-use path, for which the town can seek state grant money. To receive a grant for this budget cycle, town staff is trying to meet a May 2 grant application deadline.
Preliminary designs show the pedestrian and cyclist path stretching from Causeway Drive to Salisbury Street around the backside of Wrightsville Beach Park, which is town property. The project would also include replacement of the softball field fence, parks and recreation program supervisor Katie Ryan told the parks and recreation advisory committee during an April 4 meeting.
Replacing the tall fence could cost as much as $75,000, Ryan said, but some parts of it “are in desperate need of replacement.”
The path would be made of concrete, like the John Nesbitt Loop, but it could include features like a boardwalk overlooking the marsh and an observation deck, which would incorporate an educational component, town staff said.
Other projects for which the town could receive grant money are tennis court lighting and exercise equipment around the loop. But since the multi-use path is so expensive — roughly $400,000 — the town might explore alternate funding sources for the other projects.
In addition to seeking guidance from the parks and recreation advisory committee, town staff is presenting the projects to the Harbor Island Garden Club and the Wrightsville Beach Foundation. The Wrightsville Beach Foundation, which holds several major fundraisers throughout the year, has expressed interest in donating money for the tennis court lighting, Ryan said. The total cost of that project is $55,000.
In the interest of making the multi-use path their top priority, parks and recreation committee members were in favor of possibly moving the fitness equipment project to a future grant cycle. Installing each fitness station around the loop is between $2,000 – $3,000, Ryan said.
The town already has fitness equipment in the park, and the new inclusive playground, when finished, will give people even more fitness options. It will include two elliptical machines facing the playground, so parents can work out while watching their kids, and plyometric boxes. The park already has several of the boxes, Ryan said, and they are very popular.
Ryan expects to receive the inclusive playground equipment April 12 and installation should take about three weeks, during which time the playground will be closed.
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