By Charlotte Smith
The weather was perfect for the Dedication and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Greene’s Lake & Conservation Park. Community members, business leaders, and elected officials all gathered together on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at three in the afternoon to mark the opening of the new public recreation place.
Town of Elizabethtown Mayor, Sylvia Campbell, welcomed all in attendance. Mayor Pro Tem, Rufus Lloyd, gave a heartfelt invocation.
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Mayor Campbell thanked Mary Greene, who was in attendance, and explained that Greene and her late husband, Ben Greene, granted the land, including a lake, for the town to develop the park.
Town Manager Dane Rideout thanked the people involved in accomplishing the goal. He started with recognizing the former Town of Elizabethtown Manager, Eddie Madden, for his vision for the project and the current Assistant Town Manager, Pat DeVane, for all his work in completing the project.
Rideout thanked Cape Fear Vineyard & Winery owner Alex Munroe for allowing the park access to his private property to complete the walking trail. He asked all those in attendance to give the Town of Elizabethtown staff members a round of applause for their hard work behind the scenes on the park’s beautification. Before closing, Rideout thanked the Town of Elizabethtown Town Council for their support and work as well.
Sage Design and North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund were thanked by Mayor Campbell and Manager Rideout for assisting in the construction and funding.
Sara Burroughs with Sage Design and Charlynne Smith with North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund also commented on the project during the ceremony. The Town of Elizabethtown received a $500,000 matching grant from the State of North Carolina through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The park address is 270 Ben Greene Industrial Park Road in Elizabethtown, N.C. There is another entrance to the park behind Cape Fear Winery and Distillery with an address of 337 Aviation Parkway. There is a total trail loop of 1.32 miles which is approximately a 30-minute walk.
The park is open to the public from sunrise until sunset.
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