Johnston County will soon begin building its first county park
Johnston County’s population has more than doubled since 2000, to more than 250,000 residents, as forests and old farms become subdivisions.
Now Johnston is getting its first county park.
Work on the 82-acre Johnston County Regional Park officially begins with a groundbreaking ceremony Dec. 5. The park, at the corner of Matthews and Polenta roads about 4 miles southeast of the 40/42 interchange, will be built in phases.
The first phase will include four pickleball courts, two basketball courts, a fishing pond and parking. Eventually, the park will also have multi-use fields, walking trails, a playground, dog park, disc golf course, skate park and amphitheater.
Johnston County has been slow to develop its own parks and recreation facilities. County residents have primarily used municipal parks and athletic fields, which the county has helped support financially.
The move to create parks in unincorporated areas began in 2015, with the crafting of a parks master plan by the Johnston County Visitors Bureau. The county established a parks and open space program in 2019, and the citizens group Friends of Johnston County Parks was formed in 2020.
That same year, the county bought the land that will become Johnston County Regional Park. The property had been assembled by a group of residents of the Cleveland community who wanted to ensure their fast-growing part of the county would have a place for public recreation.
“The first phase of the park will help address the need for open space, recreational space and off-road walking trails for the more than 45,000 citizens who live within 5 miles of the park,” said Denton Lee, one of the residents who bought the land. “For me personally, the groundbreaking is a satisfying benchmark in a long effort to see this beautiful 82-acre property become a park.”
Phase one will cost about $4.3 million. About $3.2 million will come from state grants and the rest from the county. The park is expected to be open sometime next summer or fall. It’s not clear yet when work will begin on the next phases.
