A park is being built in Salemburg for the very first time.
“Everybody’s been wanting one, and everybody’s so excited about this park,” Mayor Joseph A. Warren exclaimed during a recent interview.
The park was made possible by Earl McDaniel, a man who attended the military institute in Salemburg back in the day when the Justice Academy was Edward’s Military Institute. There, he was told he wouldn’t amount to anything, explained Salemburg town clerk Teresa W. Smith.
“He amounted very well,” she chuckled.
She explained that McDaniel has been giving the Town of Salemburg $10,000 or $20,000 a year for the last several years. McDaniel no longer lives in Salemburg, but Smith said he never forgot about the town. He travels back to visit Salemburg from time to time.
Smith added that town council members began discussing building the park two to three years ago, but didn’t necessarily have a plan until last year.
That’s when, she said, they made plans to apply for a PARTF grant, where matching funds can be provided to local governments to assist with public parks and recreation projects. PARTF stands for the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
“When he (McDaniel) came last year, we were telling him we wanted to start planning a park, and we were going to apply for a PARTF grant, “and he made a $100,000 donation right then,” Smith attested.
With the aid of McDaniel’s donation, town officials applied for the grant and was matched for around $84,000, leaving the town with around $200,000 to go towards the park project.
The park will be named the Love McDaniel Memorial Park, one of only two stipulations McDaniel had in making his contribution.
The first was that the park be named after his grandfather, Love McDaniel. Second, the park would also act to pay homage to Love McDaniel’s wife, who performed in “orchestras and symphonies,” Smith said, “so there’s going to be some little musical things out there.”
Barr’s Recreation is handling all of the park equipment and set-up.
“They’re down there now putting it together,” Warren said.
“Once they get the equipment in, there’s some electrical work and stuff like that has to be done, and the park is going to be ADA-compliant,” Smith stated. There will be paved handicap parking, as well as a paved walkway. There will also be a picnic shelter and grills, she said.
Warren said that it will be decided sometime this month if the town will also receive the acre beside Love McDaniel Memorial Park from the Justice Academy.
“If we do, we are really going to expand. We’ve just got a $20,000 donation for it, and a $10,000 donation. That’s other than the $100,000 that Mr. Earl McDaniel gave us, so we have been so blessed,” Warren exclaimed.
Warren also mentioned the possibility of someday having a walking trail all the way around the park.
A grand opening will be held for Love McDaniel Memorial Park, with a date yet to be determined, based on installation completions. Earl McDaniel is expected to attend the grand opening.
Warren acknowledged again that Salemburg has been blessed, and he’s going to find out what people really want next.