Hey Durham, Let’s Splash & Play!

From replacing playgrounds to developing new parks to repairing trails, Durham Parks and Recreation (DPR) is continually making strides to enhance recreation and play through various capital improvement and construction projects around the City of Durham! One of the newest long-term undertakings is the Splash and Play Project, a culmination of the City of Durham’s effort to develop park projects, especially related to outdoor aquatics, for East End Park, Long Meadow Park, and the former Wheels Fun Park site.

The primary intent of the Splash & Play Project is to evaluate and assess these three pre-identified park sites with the focus of identifying opportunities to implement recommendations included in the City’s 2013 Parks and Recreation Master Plan and the 2017 Aquatics Facilities Master Plan. The project prioritizes consideration of the former Wheels Fun Park for the development of a large outdoor aquatics facility and other programming possibilities, as well as consider solutions and potential for new recreation and aquatics features to address the aging aquatics facilities at East End and Long Meadow Parks. The project will also consider how new amenities complement the future R. Kelly Bryant Bridge Trail and soon-to-open Merrick-Moore Park (new park on Hoover Road).

The planning for this project is a group effort! Along with DPR, the City of Durham General Services Department is managing this project with design team, RATIO and participation from Neighborhood Improvement Services to ensure equitable community engagement. We will seek input from the community through pop-up engagement events, community workshops, and community conversations. The public’s interests, feedback, and concerns will be heard and considered along the way, and will eventually be reflected in design recommendations for the parks. To guide and contribute to the planning and engagement process, a Residents Committee of local stakeholders, representing the diverse interests and demographics of Durham has been established.

We welcome your input too! The project team is holding pop-up engagement events now at community events and selected DPR programs, asking for feedback on features you want to experience in the future of these three parks. A calendar of pop-up events, as well as more information about the Splash & Play Project, including Site Analyses, Existing Conditions documents, and frequently asked questions, are available on our website.