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By Erin Smith
The Tory Hole Park in Elizabethtown was buzzing with excitement as town leaders gathered to cut the ribbon on the newly renovated park on Monday morning. The renovations to the park took place in two phases.
Elizabethtown Mayor, Sylvia Campbell, welcomed the guests, and Town Manager, Eddie Madden, updated the crowd on the progress that has been made at the park.
“We were able to actually do more than what we had originally planned. We had this phased into two separate projects,” said Madden.
Madden credited Elizabethtown Parks and Recreation Director, Rod Fritz, and Assistant Town Manager, Pat DeVane, with assisting with the managing the renovations in a manner that allowed the town to complete 100 percent of both phases of the plan.
John Elliott, with Duke Energy, spoke about Duke Energy’s involvement in the project.
“Duke Energy is proud to partner with the town of Elizabethtown on this magnificent redevelopment project,” said Elliott.
Elliott noted Bladen County has many beautiful scenic waterways. Duke Energy has established a water resource fund through which the town received a grant.
John Clark, Chairman of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, spoke about the effort from the NC Wildlife Commission to assist with the project.
“At the Wildlife Commission, our goal is to provide access (to recreation and waterways) to the residents of North Carolina,” said Clark.
Clark pointed out to those gathered, that with projects such as the Tory Hole Park renovation, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission can offer bird watching, fishing and more.
Improvements which have been completed include the installation of new playground equipment, a disc golf course, a complete renovation of the amphitheater and new restroom facilities. The original playground equipment for Tory Hole Park has been relocated to the MLK Park.
Elizabethtown has also constructed a section of boardwalk, which carries hikers across the Bald Cypress wetland. The boardwalk measures a couple hundred feet in length, and begins at the picnic shelter and ends in a T-head, which presents guest with the choice of continuing on the walking and nature trail, or taking the other trail ending at the parking lot.
The parking lot has also been upgraded, and can now accommodate up to 50 vehicles. It has been leveled, gravel installed, and new parking stops have been added. A new sidewalk has also been installed in the parking area leading to the picnic shelter. There is also a sidewalk leading from the parking lot to the new restroom facilities.
Renovations to the amphitheater include the installation of all new electrical services and new seating as well. The upgrades to the playground included logs for toddlers to crawl through, swings, a rock climbing wall, and a fort. The swings also include one ADA compliant swing, and a parent and child swing.
The renovations also included work such as cleaning up storm debris and fallen trees, as well.
The renovations were funded with a $250,000 from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the land served as the town’s match, according to Fritz. The town also received $125,000 from NC Fish and Wildlife and $100,000 from Duke Energy.
The park was closed to the public for a period of time to allow workers to remove fallen trees and storm debris, as well as remove the old playground equipment, and perform demolition work on the restroom facility and construct the new one.
Following the ribbon-cutting, town officials led those gathered on a walk of the boardwalk and nature trail.
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