[Durham INC] Fw: Community Awareness - Parkwood Rec Center -- we need your help...
Melissa Rooney
mmr121570 at yahoo.com
Wed Feb 18 16:05:34 EST 2009
Please see the attached document from the president of the Parkwood Neighborhood Association, regarding the nearby (soon to be vacant) site of the Parkwood Library. The text is also cut and pasted below for your perusal.
This case/issue is not unlike the Lakewood-Tuscaloosa neighborhood's concern regarding their YMCA. Parkwood was once an award winning neighborhood, and it now faces serious decline because of the dilapidated state of the central buildling/location from which the Parkwood Library will soon move. This area is the fastest growing in Durham, yet it has no rec center, no YMCA, and soon no library. Please help these neighbors (and all of this area of South Durham) to achieve the community center they deserve and desperately need.
Thanks!
Melissa (Rooney)
Community Awareness Co-Chair
________________________
Community Center in Parkwood?
As you may know, Durham Parks and Recreation is interested
in placing a new community center at the Parkwood Shopping Center. They have
money in their current budget to spend on acquiring land, but the present
economic situation caused the city management to decide not to pursue this
project.
The City Council is just starting to write the next
fiscal-year budget (which starts in July). Now is the time to convince the
Council to fund the purchase of the shopping center and start down the road for
a Parkwood Community Center.
Southern
Durham has grown rapidly since the opening of the Streets at Southpoint.Southern
Durham is underserved for community center services.Citizens
of our area have partially filled this gap withSports
programs at the Parkwood ball field and swim club (users not limited to
Parkwood residents), andReading,
craft, chess, children’s and ESL programs at the county library in the
Parkwood Shopping Center.The
Parkwood library will close in 2010. Some programs may reappear at the new
South Regional Library, but most people will not be able to reach them on
foot or by bicycle.A new
community center is needed to replace those services and to provide many
others, especially for our youth and retired citizens.The
Parkwood Shopping Center is an excellent candidate for a new community
center with existing parking and utilities. The building can be used for
some programs now, although a substantial investment will be needed for it
to reach its full potential.The property
is available for sale now but will not be available forever.The
Parkwood area was designated among the “Priority Areas for New Community
Centers” in the Durham Parks and Recreation Master Plan 2003 - 2013 (See
page 88 in the document referenced under Adopted at http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/parks/parks2.cfm)
What can you do? Contact your city council members. Their
email addresses are: Bill.Bell at durhamnc.gov, farad.ali at durhamnc.gov, Eugene.Brown at durhamnc.gov, diane.catotti at durhamnc.gov, Cora.Cole-McFadden at durhamnc.gov, Howard.Clement at durhamnc.gov, & mike.woodard at durhamnc.gov. Their mail address is
101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, NC 27701. The city hall phone number is
919-560-4333.
The message is that the time is right for a community center
in Parkwood. You may want to use some
of the points mentioned above.
If you are interested in doing more, contact Dan
Oldman at d.oldman at verizon.net or 544-2686.
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