Cary is still getting its Downtown Park, but the price just went way up

Two summers from now, Cary residents will be able to take an outdoor painting class in a new park, or watch their kids jump around in a splashpad from an elevated walkway winding through the trees.

But first, the town is going to have to spend more than it planned on the future Downtown Park.

The Cary Town Council unanimously approved an additional $15 million this month to finish the park. First conceived in 2001, it will now cost close to $69 million.

The park spans seven acres and is bounded by South Academy, East Park, Walnut and Walker streets. The first phase of construction, completed in March 2017, included the one-acre Town Square, outdoor games area and large fountain by South Academy Street.

Doug McRainey, director of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, said new features added to the plans and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on material and labor costs increased the park’s price tag.

The council will appropriate $10 million from the 2019 Shaping Cary’s Tomorrow bond referendum and $5 million from Cary’s general fund balance to close the gap.

In 2019, Cary voters approved $113 million for transportation projects and $112 million for parks projects. The Shaping Cary’s Tomorrow parks bond originally included $50 million for the development of Phase II of the Downtown Park.

Council members say the additional $10 million appropriation won’t compromise other projects in the parks bond.

Changes made to original park plan

According to the town’s Downtown Park Funding Request, design drawings were completed in June 2020, when construction costs were estimated to be $40.5 million.

After that, the Town Council decided to change elements of the park — like adding a Gathering House, keeping an elevated Sky Walk and upgrading the pavilion — which significantly upped cost estimates.

Other costs include infrastructure to ensure the park could be a “smart park” and to preserve existing trees. A plan for incorporating technology throughout the park will be submitted to the Town Council at a later date, the request states.

In an interview, Stacey Teachey, the town’s financial strategy manager, said Cary expects to end the fiscal year with around $92 million of fund balance after appropriating the money for the park. In 2020, it ended the fiscal year with around $98 million. The fund balance, sometimes called a rainy day account, helps manage cash flow throughout the year and pay for unexpected expenses.

During last week’s council meeting, Mayor Harold Weinbrecht called the park “the crown jewel” of Cary’s downtown.

“We didn’t design this park to be OK, and if we have some overruns we’re going to start cutting,” Weinbrecht said. “That is not what this park is about. This park is designed to be the best it could possibly be.”

A transformative downtown park

Cary has over 30 parks and natural areas, according to the town’s website.

McRainey said the council wanted to invest in a transformative downtown park that could offer unique programming to the community, similar to Bryant Park in New York City, known as “Manhattan’s Town Square.”

The council especially wants to draw people from the surrounding area, he said.

“We want someone that lives off N.C. 55 to want to get in their car and come into the downtown, and maybe while they’re there, they’ll get a bite to eat,” McRainey said.

The expansion of the park has been a years-long process, beginning with land acquisition over the course of a decade. OJB Landscape Architecture was hired in 2018 to complete Phase II, which adds six acres to the Downtown Park.

Some of the Downtown Park features will include:

• Grab-and-go market

• Splashpad

• Pond/stormwater feature

• Children’s play area called “the Nest,” with two giant cardinals for kids to climb and slide down

• Bark bar, or a dog park

• Elevated Sky Walk

• Performance pavilion for events like small concerts, health and wellness classes, lectures

With Phase II construction, the current games area has been pulled up and the fountain has been temporarily taken offline to connect the new water features — when the park opens, the goal is for the two phases to look cohesive, McRainey said.

“There is this impact, and we simply can’t avoid it,” he said. “And I think that when we cut the ribbon in 2023, we’re hoping that most people will understand and embrace it the way they have embraced the first phase with the fountain.”

Some Cary residents have concerns

Mary Collins, who has lived in Cary for more than 20 years, has concerns about the development of the park. She opposed the 2019 bond because she felt there wasn’t enough specific information about how the money would be spent.

“So when we had to increase what I thought was a very large budget of $50 million by $15 more million, that really concerned me,” she said.

Collins, who was involved in initial surveys about the park, said she and others have jokingly referred to the new downtown space as “an amusement park.”

“It probably will look pretty. But is it the best or the only way this could have been done?” she asked. “I don’t think so, and certainly not the only way we could have created a park.”

She also fears removing trees at the site and new residential developments by downtown will have a negative environmental impact, specifically with the new park serving as drainage for flooding.

Cary residents have previously expressed concerns about development worsening drainage and flooding issues, particularly in the Maynard Road loop, which encloses downtown Cary.

McRainey said in an email that efforts have been undertaken to make the park environmentally sustainable, including using different surface materials and bioretention areas and rain gardens to limit stormwater runoff. The park will also include a regional stormwater management facility to serve the park and surrounding development.

The Downtown Cary website states that the town will be introducing more than 400 shade, evergreen and ornamental trees across 30 native species to replace trees removed from the site.

Council member Don Frantz acknowledged during last week’s meeting that some of the cost increase was the council’s “own fault,” with the addition of certain features. But he and other council members also said they believe the park will spur economic development and energize the downtown area.

“We know this is a big amount, but in context of the investment made and where we’re going, it just fits,” Council member Jack Smith said.

The town is hosting a series of events June 21-26, designed to offer a sample of expected programming in the park. The week of activities will culminate in the groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. June 26 on Academy Street.

Maydha Devarajan is an intern at The News & Observer, supported by the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund at the North Carolina Community Foundation.

This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 5:45 AM.