New Bern Housing Authority and the City of New Bern

CHOICE NEIGHBORHOODS PLANNING GRANT

Trent Court/Craven Terrace/Greater Five Points Neighborhood

Recreation/Open Space/Green Space Task Force

Tuesday, March 3 at 2:00pm

Meeting Minutes

Attendees:Thurman Hardison – facilitation

Lt. Chandler Powell

Kathy Adolph

Mike Avery

Nancy Gray

MaryAnn Horn

Linda Howells

Paul Mills

Cathy O’Brien

Kevin Robinson

Ben Carlson – team

Kathy Carton – team

Handouts: Parks and open space map and table

Discussion

  • Priority issues and opportunities among participants
  • Lt. Chandler Powell, New Bern Police: NBPD actively participates in sponsoring youth activities such as basketball; thus park & rec facilities and programming important to us
  • O’Brien: wants to improve general appearance of the study area (e.g. chain link fences around lot at Broad and 1st St should be removed)
  • Improving connections to/among physical park spaces: uptown, Walt Bellamy, etc.
  • Nancy Gray: Master Gardeners group gardening initiative for the community
  • Pursuing “edible schoolyard” project at JT Barber Elementary School, tied to nutrition and health curriculum
  • Have permission to create a children’s garden at Stanley White community center
  • Have permission to create children’s garden at Tryon Palace for summer program, using existing raised beds
  • Partnership with 4H club; aiming to partner with local chefs, Tryon Palace History Center
  • Want to add program with high school, putting a disused greenhouse into use, engaging with cooking classes
  • Maintaining community gardens at K Street and Veterans gardens
  • Desire to create community gardens at Craven Terrace where buildings will be removed along Cedar St. Could potentially add gardens at Trent Court.
  • Next steps for the task force
  • Ensure all task force members have CNI existing conditions document
  • Update existing conditions map to reflect current Parks & Recreation department planning, and city’s pedestrian plan; some information is missing. Thurgood Hardison to make Parks & Recreation plan available. Include attention to playground equipment and other facilities. Ben Carlson to verify pedestrian plan information.
  • New need more complete resident survey information on parks/open space wants and needs, correlated with age, employment status etc.
  • Adolf: at next meeting, let’s review plans that are in place (such as Gateway Renaissance Plan) and discuss what’s being done, what is no longer relevant, funding or other resources needed to advance priority actions, etc. as relevant to parks & open space.
  • Adolph: need to connect all info of all sub-communities; “talk and walk” place to place
  • Avery: bring “online” idea;create online space to post information and ideas; understand the “customer” needs for connectivity and rec

Next Meeting:Tuesday, March 17

12:00pm

Stanley White Recreation Center

Van tour around neighborhood, 12-2p

Review and wrap-up, 2-3p

DRAFT