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Carver Park and Strickland Center Redevelopment

Context

Plan to replace the aging Reggie Strickland Center at Carver Park (a 1940s brick-faced metal building) with a new community center of about 5,000 sq ft containing a 1,500 sq ft multipurpose room, relocated to the middle of the park because of a floodplain restrictive covenant (100 and 500 year). Design followed community surveys and focus groups run by Corey Tobin's department. Funding is a CDBG Neighborhood Revitalization grant plus an earlier $950,000 appropriation; the build is expected to be phased. Details come from auto-captions.

Status

Council accepted CDBG-NR grant 20-d424 ($2,246,138.70) on September 14 and set a project ordinance of about $3.7 million; administration is by the Piedmont Triad Regional Council of Governments (second agreement of $60,000). Staff say the grant must be fully spent by August 2027 and reported by November. A $365,480 design and construction management contract with CPL was approved 6-0 on October 12.

Concept design was presented to council September 21 (about $2.9 million building plus $1.7 million site; soft costs excluded). Council also added restrictive covenants for floodplain and wetlands protection on the site (July 20).

Log

  • 2026-10-12 - Council Briefing - CPL design and construction management contract ($365,480) approved 6-0; staff presented the Kern Street options in the same meeting.
  • 2026-10-06 - City Council - Personnel and Finance Committee moved the $365,480 CPL design and construction management contract for action at the October 12 briefing; $4.6 million building and site estimate excludes soft costs; construction start pushed to February to meet the state funding deadline; staff are collecting historic photos and film for a history wall.
  • 2026-09-21 - City Council - CPL presented the concept design to council: new event building, parking up from about 33-35 to about 55 spaces, playground moved toward Salem Street, floodplain meadow left undeveloped, building about $2.9 million and site about $1.7 million; 190 survey responses.
  • 2026-09-14 - Council Briefing - Budget amendment P3-01 supplies the city match (recreation reserve plus fund balance); project ordinance, CDBG-NR grant acceptance and PTRC administration agreement approved at the briefing.
  • 2026-09-09 - Personnel and Finance Committee - Design cut from about $6 million to about $4.6 million; members willing to spend roughly $1 million of fund balance beyond the grant; project ordinance (about $3.7 million), CDBG-NR acceptance and PTRC contracts sent to briefing for action.
  • 2026-08-04 - Personnel and Finance Committee - Design update from Corey Tobin: concept, floorplan, floodplain-driven site changes, phased build, grant timeline.
  • 2026-07-20 - City Council - Item 6C added to the agenda: restrictive covenants for floodplain and wetlands protection on city-owned Carver Park property (outcome not captured; transcript gap).