St. David Street Park

HISTORY OF ST. DAVID STREET PARK

Compiled by Janet Haseley, April 2000, updated February 2003, from personal recollections and documentation of yearly accomplishments listed in Grifton Shad Festival souvenir brochures

1951 (approximately)

·      Land donated on St. David Street by Mrs. Jean Williams and Mrs. Murle Nelson about the time this section of town was being developed in housing lots to accommodate new people coming to work at DuPont plant.  DuPont began construction in 1951 and opened the plant in 1953.

·      Mrs. Janie Mae Mewborn persuaded Barrus Construction Co. to build tennis courts at the park.

1960

·      First summer recreation program for children held at park.  Part-time staff paid for by Sam Nelson the first year and possibly additional years.

1978-1979

·      Jaycees tore down old park building, began building larger one.  Funds from Town, Shad Festival, Jaycees, private donations.

·      $29,000 NC Heritage and Conservation grant awarded, to be matched with local funds for parks and outdoor recreation equipment, primarily tennis facilities.

1980-1981

·      Added picnic tables and playground equipment (curly slide, rocket climber, and bouncy animals) at St. David Street Park.

1981-82

·     Picnic shelter built at St. David Street Park.

·     Completed four-year project to make capital improvements to recreation facilities.

·      Improvements funded jointly by Town of Grifton and Federal Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.  Grant application written by Janet Haseley on behalf of the Town.

1985

·      St. David Street Park tennis courts renovated: resurfaced, built chain-link fence around them (previously had chicken wire).

1986-1987

·      Cracks patched at St. David Street Park tennis courts.

1997-98

·        Town appointed Parks Committee and made improvements to parks: painted playground equipment and replaced swings at St. David Street Park.

2001-2002

·      Planning for improvements at St. David Street Park led by Pam Pilkington, who conceived the idea and researched funding possibilities as a planning project for a class she was taking, and assistance from the Park Committee, and Town Staff.  Successful grant application to the Perkins Trust provided major funding ($32,000) with contributions in labor also coming from the NC Baptist Men (debris removal, landscaping, and replacement of the shingles on the shelter).  The Grifton Shad Festival also contributed $2,000 towards additions in the park.

2002

·      Large new playground unit installed at St. David Street Park, one-quarter-mile paved walking trail added around the park grounds, six new decorative lights installed in place of above ground lights, added three new grills, four new picnic tables and four new benches, installed a donated flagpole at the front of the park (bench frames, grills, and flagpole donated by the Ayden-Grifton High School metals shop), and the landscaping was redesigned (with the removal of over 50 trees, mostly pine trees at the front of the park).  Mr. Johnny Moore also donated some small shrubs and assisted the local Brownie Troop in learning how to plant shrubs.

2003

·      The Town of Grifton received an Urban Forestry Grant for $5,000 and spent $3,000 on 84 new tree plantings around perimeter of St. David Street Park. Mr. John Sugg (certified arborist) educated several Grifton School students on the importance of trees and how to correctly plant them.

·        Rededication of St. David Street Park scheduled for early Spring.

Copyright 2003 - Town of Grifton - All Rights Reserved