Photo Credit: Donnie Roberts of The Dispatch
At a time when our nation has seen deep divides over race, a small city in North Carolina has worked to bring its community together despite all of the odds. Although Lexington city officials knew that spending money on parks and recreation had the potential to generate economic activity, improve the quality of life, and indirectly increase property values, there was also a realization that financial barriers were not the only obstacle they faced in fixing their aging facilities.
A Tale Of Two Pools
For years, the city had struggled with its recreation plan. One of the main problems was the need to find the right approach to gain buy-in from the community. City Manager Alan Carson embarked on the plan initially as a way to address some major issues with the city’s two swimming pools. The pools were not being used, they were in need of repair, and, worst of all, they were racially isolated by location. Carson wanted to create a new pool that was not only state-of-the-art but would be welcoming to all residents. To do that, he needed to remove the pool in the historically black community. “It was in really bad shape, and I didn’t want to pour money into something no one was using,” Carson explains. The other pool, in the historically white neighborhood, was only four feet deep and completely inadequate. “This was something former city managers and council members had tried in the past, and they were not successful,” says Carson. When it was initially announced that the pool in the black community needed to be removed, it was not well received. “People were lined up outside the city council chambers, upset that we were taking away the pool. It was pretty bad. I had to build some trust within the community. People were told for so long that they were going to get a recreation center and other things, and it never happened,” Carson notes.
Middle Ground
That is when Carson looked to the Parks and Recreation Facility Development Master Plan. The study showed there was community interest in having a splash pad. The study also showed interest in a skate park. “So I decided to remove both pools, to be fair, and build the splash pad in one community and the skate park in the other,” says Carson. “It was easier to give city council members a vote in favor of adding something positive in the community, rather than a vote to tear something down.” Still, there was a problem. The community needed a pool, and it could not be located in either neighborhood for the sake of fairness that the city manager vowed to uphold. Fortunately, the city had a pool gifted to the community. That gift has been revamped and is now known as Lexington Aquatic Park. Both the park and the splash pad are significant attractions for families. Through this process, the city was able to repair its relationship with the community, and now it looks ahead to build on recent successes. “The citizens’ thought process before was ‘it’s not great, but we’re just Lexington.’ Well, everything we’ve done so far has been first-class, and I think that’s really important,” says Carson.