Thirteen long volunteer workdays and over 450 hours of volunteer work went into finishing Phase Two of the downtown Roseboro Mountain-to-Sea brick trail.Over that span of time, 22 different individuals found time to help expand the brick path, laying down bricks, spreading and carrying sand bags, and grabbing equipment needed, while the spring heat began to ramp up during the beginning of April.
Among the 22 people who volunteered, was Roseboro Mayor Alice Butler,working alongside the volunteers and her husband, Greg. Wanting to honor the work that the volunteer group did, the mayor, alongside town board officials, voted in May to dedicate the trail, as not only a public trail, but to Ben Jones, Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail Planner and Architect.
“Whereas the town of Roseboro recognizes the importance of providing, safe, accessible and scenic routes for walking,” Butler read to the group of volunteers and Jones on the final volunteer workday. “The brick trail has been identified as a valuable community asset that will promote recreation, health environmental stewardship, and connectivity between neighborhoods parks and public facilities. Therefore, be it resolved by the Town Board of Commissioners of the town of Roseboro, that the brick trail is hereby dedicated to Ben Jones, trail planner and landscape architect for Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail for his part in advocating and committing to the creation of this public brick trail for all pedestrians. (As well as) the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail volunteers and their invaluable help in the construction of it.”
Butler praised the work that both Jones and the volunteers did in putting the brick trail together.
“This would have not been possible without this man (Jones) right here,” Butler continued. “But I also know, without y’all volunteers traveling from Wake Forest, Raleigh, Cary, some from Alamance County, some from the beach area that are not here today … this would not be possible, because it is the Friends of the Mountain-to-Sea Trail that helped Ben live out his dreams. He comes up with the design, and then it takes a lot of volunteers to make this all come together, that’s for sure. To see people enjoying Roseboro and all of them that come through here, they say ‘wow, it’s kind of like our yellow brick road.’”
Jones was emotional about the gesture, thankful, he stressed, to the mayor and the town for their own dedication.
“I’ve been working here in Roseboro … since I didn’t even know if I would work for Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail as an actual job,” Jones said. “It means a lot to me to see what it’s doing, and to see everyone who comes down here to help (with the trail), because it’s not like it’s glamorous work, but you guys (to volunteers and Butler) are incredible people. It’s really inspiring for me (because) when I first took this job, it’s not traditional landscape architecture. I worried that if I (would be) able to bring my skills fully to bear in the world and build things, I just didn’t know. Everything that’s happened since I took this job has been really amazing, I feel like I make more impact than I ever could anywhere else and especially places like this.”
Jones specified that it’s because of trails like the one in downtown Roseboro that makes him feel this way.
“It’s not that much trail right? But it’s the most visible trail we have in the place where it will make the biggest impact to people who don’t know who we are, don’t know what we do, ” he emphasized. “One of the coolest things is when we’re out here working, people come and stop by, see who we are, what we’re doing, and what we’re all about. I think that is the best way to spread our message. People see us working our butts off out here. It’s a total honor, Alice, and it couldn’t be done without you and your leadership and Greg’s as well.”
The work done during Phase Two of the brick trail equaled over $15,300 worth of donated labor, all done by the volunteers that helped work during the 13 volunteer workdays.