Exploris pupils lobby for a park

RALEIGH -- Sixth-graders at Exploris Middle School asked the Raleigh City Council on Tuesday night to turn a vacant lot where they play after lunch into an urban park.

The sliver of land is in the 400 block of Hillsborough Street between West and Edenton streets.

Once the site of Brantley Pharmacy, the lot has been empty for more than 30 years and until recently has been filled with beer bottles, soda cans, rocks and broken pieces of fencing.

Tired of tossing footballs and playing capture the flag amid the trash, the students at the public charter school decided to clean up the play area on their own.

What began as a class project has turned into a cause.

"It's a shame to see such a good space put to such bad use," said Wil Swiger, 11, who sent e-mail messages to the mayor and council members.

The council sent the youngsters' request to a budget committee for study Tuesday night but not before giving Wil a chance to plead his case.

"This is an opportunity to color a little bit of the heart of the city," he told them.

Sixth-grade teacher Andrea Wallenbeck said she had encouraged her students to think of ways to improve their lives, but the idea to clean up the lot came from them.

"We have been studying innovation and seeing things they would like to change in their environment and then change them," Wallenbeck said.

After cleaning up the trash and smoothing the ground as best they could, the students planted wildflower seeds.

"We'd love to put in some benches," Wallenbeck said. But they don't want to do too much without permission from the landowners. Tax records show the land is actually three parcels, she said. One is owned by the state Department of Transportation; the other two are privately owned.

Lawyer on their side

The children's efforts attracted the attention of Raleigh lawyer David Permar, whose office is across the street from the school. Permar said he recalls when the city knocked down the old pharmacy to angle Edenton Street to connect with Hillsborough, creating the small triangle of land.

He said the late John Brantley, the pharmacy's owner, was devastated by the city's condemnation of his building.

"Mr. Brantley went to his grave mad about what the city did to his pharmacy," Permar said. "He loved his pharmacy, and he loved that building."

Permar said he hopes the city will be receptive to the idea of turning the space into an urban park.

But he's realistic about the time it may take and said the sixth-graders at Exploris will be getting a lesson in civics, one that may last into their high school years.

"They might attend a lot of meetings over the next three years to discuss the issue, but I'd say three years is a good timeline to get a definite commitment. That's what it takes to get a park."

Staff writer Sarah Ovaska contributed to this report.