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.

1990 Urban Design Plan - a catalyst for investment

Concept drawing shown of Union Point Park improvements

Concept drawing of streetscape improvements
in downtown New Bern

In January 1989, the Kellenberger Historical Foundation notified Swiss Bear their application for a $25,000 grant to assist with funding of an Urban Design Plan was approved with the condition the City would provide matching funds which the City agreed to do at an April Board of Aldermen meeting.

To insure broad representation of the community, nonprofit organizations and area businesses and each Ward, they appointed 23 people to serve on the Urban Design Plan Steering Committee and Susan L. Moffat was appointed chairwoman.

Throughout the next six months the Steering Committee researched and sent letters to twenty five firms requesting their participation (RFP). Of the seventeen replies, five firms were interviewed with a final requirement of a summary and fee. The Committee’s final selection was Land Design Research, Inc. (LDR) of Columbia, Md.

On Nov. 14, the Steering Committee presented their recommendation to the Board of Aldermen for approval. The recommendation led to a confrontation between board members. Robert Raynor, Don McDowell and Max Freeze voted against the committee’s recommendation, citing they felt their Wards weren’t represented adequately in the process, even though the representatives they appointed from their respective wards served on the committee. With a final four to three vote, the city approved hiring LDR for $50,000. Development of the Plan began in January 1990.

In March 1990, Swiss Bear discussed expanding the plan to take in the Broad Street corridor from East Front to First Street which included the Five Points commercial area. Encouraging investment in that corridor was important and the increased traffic flow downtown and across the two bridges, with continual opening and closings, was creating major traffic problems. If funding for a new bridge over the Neuse River required permanent removal of the Cunningham Bridge, the Broad Street corridor would be the primary access into downtown.

The additional cost ($11,000) to expand the Plan came from funds from the Union Point Project contributed by three local banks and Weyerhaeuser and $4,000 of Community Development Block Grant money.

To address the overriding concern that downtown should retain its distinctive “sense of place,”the LDR team spent a great deal of time extracting the elements that made downtown New Bern unique: many historic homes, a largely intact commercial area, its intimate scale, the close relationship to the water and Tryon Palace and worked to reinforce this traditional pattern throughout the plan.

The project/process received great community support and input beginning with a public meeting on Feb. 14 at the Sheraton Hotel, attended by several hundred people. Throughout the year, the process, one of openness, public forums and many meetings enriched development of the plan and refinement of the final product.

On Dec. 11, 1990, the city officially approved the New Bern Urban Design Master Plan as the official policy to be used in decisions on public/private development in the downtown and Five Points area. The packed courtroom,  cheered when the final comprehensive 56 page Urban Design Plan was presented and approved by the Board of Aldermen, the culmination of the efforts of many businessmen and women, members of various organizations and interested citizens.

Highlights of the Plan:

Plan recommendations were intended to guide development and redevelopment decisions by the public and private sector over the long term, providing a unified sense of direction for the future. The implementation and strategies recommended were meant to suggest appropriate and effective steps to ensure implementation of the plan, the final form might vary somewhat from the Plan’s recommendation, but should not be considered if it compromised the Plan itself or prevented it from being endorsed in principle.

The $61,000 spent on developing the 1990 Urban Design Plan leveraged millions of dollars of investment in new construction and rehabilitation projects. In the early 1990’s, projects in excess of $12 Million were underway, including two new waterfront hotels, a new court house annex, business expansions and the First Baptist Family Life Center. The Urban Design Plan was the catalyst for the momentum and completion of priority projects throughout the decade.

UDP Steering Committee members:
Michael Avery, Planning/Community Development; Julius Parham, Ward 1; Kermit Moffit, Ward 2; Pete Monte, Ward 2;  Nancy Bottorf, Ward 3 and Appearance Commission; Ray Downing, Ward 4; Frank Evans, Ward 5; Roland Hill, Ward 6 and Planning and Zoning Board. John Thomas, New Bern Preservation Foundation; Harold Talton, Swiss Bear; Gray Wheeler, New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce; Alex Donaldson, Craven Arts Council & Gallery; Josh Willey, New Bern Historical Society; Margie Holton, New Bern Civic Theater; Kay Williams, Tryon Palace; Bill Faulkenbury, Historic District Commission; Tom Faulkenberry, Downtown Business & Professional Association; Lonnie Pridgen, Mayor’s Appointment/Developer, John Wilson, Hotel; Ray Rogers, Banking; Stewart Smith, Real Estate.