Revdevelopment of Union Point Park

Put your mark on the Park Campaign

Union Point Park shown in this
circa 1990s photo

Union Point Park today

For the past 60 years, Union Point Park has been an important public resource.

The Park’s prominent location and close proximity to the downtown area made it a keystone in the on-going redevelopment of the waterfront and revitalization of the downtown. In the mid eighty’s, the city appointed a Swiss Bear Union Point Task Force to study and make recommendations on how the site should be developed. Through its efforts, Texaco’s donation of the adjacent three acres of property was used to expand the park. The winning entry in a Task Force sponsored design competition calling for the creation of a sheltered harbor, river center and removal of the boat ramps generated controversy that eventually killed the project.

In 1990, the city and Swiss Bear co-sponsored development of an urban design plan to provide guidelines for the growth and development of downtown and Five Points. In public meetings for citizen input, the consensus on improvements to the Park included cultivation of green spaces, relocation of parking to the northern edge , relocation of the Women’s Club  building to a more central location in the park, boat ramps, and a promenade/riverwalk at the water’s edge.   

In 1995, the city made the decision to allocate the Sheraton’s last payback/payment of the 1984 federal Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) loan along with a Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) for Phase I improvements (new bulkhead, railing and promenade) to Union Point Park. The 1984 $1.9 million UDAG grant, designed for projects that otherwise could not take place was essential to moving the Sheraton project forward. Under the terms of the grant, the loan with interest was paid back to the City by the developer and the City was required to use the money for other economic development projects.

The Park project was jeopardized when bids came in $300,000 over the City’s original estimate, exceeding the payback amount. If the city put the project on hold, our fear was the money would be used for other projects and it would be many years before the City would have adequate funds to redevelop the Park.

In response, on August 17, Bill Ballenger, Alderman and Swiss Bear board member, asked Swiss Bear “to initiate a fundraising campaign that he and I would co-chair…a grass roots effort was needed to show the elected officials, the community wanted the park re-developed”. The goal, enlist the community’s financial support to avert losing the CAMA grant and re-directing of the Sheraton loan payback for another use.

We organized a committee with a goal of raising $300,000. Committee members were Mike Avery, Mary Conover, Denise Willey and Angela McDaniel which soon grew to include a corps of 53 volunteers.

The campaign slogan Put Your Mark on the Park invited individuals and businesses to sponsor a brick, granite panel, paver, section of railing, a street light, even the overlook, ranging from $50 to $75,000. Contributor’s names, permanently inscribed on the bricks and other items would be a tangible record for future generations and a testimony of the community’s commitment. A $5,000 contribution from the City was used to print brochures, posters and cover advertising expenses.

With resolutions of support from the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations and contributions from businesses, civic organizations, nonprofits, county and city elected officials, school children and citizens-at-large, by May 1996, a $10,000 Weyerhaeuser Foundation grant put the campaign at the halfway mark.

The outpouring of community support led to the City’s hiring of Allison Platt & Associates for design work and construction drawings for the promenade, bulkhead, railings and pedestrian walkway under the bridge and, T.D. Eure for construction of Phase I improvements and purchased bulk heading materials to save $27,000.

The contributions continued to grow. The corporate board of First Citizens Bank, the FCB New Bern Board of Directors and friends contributed $75,000 to name the overlook at the confluence of the two rivers, the John Harold Talton Overlook in honor of his long service to the bank and the community. Metromedia Cablevision contributed $25,000. Nancy and Pete Deichman, board members of the Mary Whiting Ewing Foundation, presented the committee with a $30,000 check to be used for lighting because the Park was near and dear to them.

In July, Hurricane Bertha created havoc and delay with no serious damage to the on-going construction of the bulkhead, but did further weaken the structural integrity of the Women’s’ Club building. In September, Fran slammed New Bern. The park emerged relatively unscathed, however the roof on the Women’s’ Club building was ripped off and the back wall collapsed.

By January 1997, construction of the bulkhead was completed and railings were being installed. The City opened bids for the construction of the promenade in the spring with L.R. Thomas and Sons the low bidder at $518,000. 

When the campaign closed in February 1997, exceeding its goal by $50,000, thousands had contributed, many from outside New Bern and out of the state.

In spite of its deteriorated condition, the Woman’s Club building was a controversial topic.  Its relocation estimated at $40,000, was a concern for many and the cost of restoration estimated at $100,000 was seen as a waste of money by others. In February 1998, the report from a structural engineer hired to evaluate the feasibility and cost of restoring and bringing the building up to code led to the City’s decision to demolish it. 

On June 28, 1998, City and County officials, Swiss Bear representatives, Put Your Mark on the Park Committee members and hundreds of residents gathered at the waterfront park to celebrate the dedication of Phase I improvements.  Within the year, Phase II improvements were completed including new bathrooms. The total cost for the project; bulkhead, promenade, railings, footbridge, boat ramps/docks, restoration of wetlands and restrooms was $1,640,000, 10% over the original estimate of $1,500,000.  

The redevelopment of the Park, like so many other downtown projects, was made possible by the support and generosity of the community.