Gastonia Times

City of Mount Holly issued the following announcement on Sep 24. 

Through public involvement meetings and citizen input over a period of years, the Mount Holly City Council identified park projects of high importance to the community, including the expansion of the downtown Veteran’s Park.

At the start of this project, the City of Mount Holly owned a little less than 2 acres of park land in the downtown area. If all goes according to plan, the City will purchase approximately 5.6 additional acres and make this park into a destination, constructing such amenities as an amphitheater, a splash pad, picnic shelters, and additional parking downtown.

Additional amenities, including stream restoration, a maintenance facility, playground equipment, and an expanded memorial to veterans are planned for future phases not included in the park bond.

The City Council is sensitive to the fact that this park expansion plan includes the purchase of residential properties, and takes seriously the fact that the expansion of this park will lead to some downtown residents moving from their homes.

Out of the ten properties to be acquired, two are owner-occupied residences and two are multi-family properties. For this reason, the City Council has directed its staff to negotiate a purchase from property owners, which is a process that has taken considerable time.

The process began in 2019, was paused in 2020 due to COVID-19, and resumed in the spring of 2021. Staff has met with property owners in person, exchanged letters and emails, and participated in lengthy phone conversations with property owners to learn about the needs of each owner and report that information to the Council.

Council members have carefully considered each property and the needs of the owners to arrive at thoughtful offers and counteroffers. The City of Mount Holly has already closed on the purchase of two of these properties after coming to a satisfactory agreement with those property owners, and the City Council intends to continue this process with the remaining property owners.

Written offers made in April 2021 to multiple property owners were based upon a broker’s opinion of value and the City used the services of a local broker who has over 40 years of experience in Mount Holly. As a result of market conditions, offers made were higher than tax value. Also, offers to property owners who live in the properties included additional funds for relocation expenses. At this time, negotiations are still ongoing with multiple property owners.

The Parks Bond Package on the November ballot is the culmination of years of consideration for future parks projects and directly furthers Mount Holly’s Strategic Vision Plan and Parks Plan. The identification of these projects resulted from citizen participation throughout the process in public involvement meetings, in addition to feasibility studies, Parks and Recreation Commission recommendations, and discussions at City Council meetings.

Questions, comments, or concerns! We are happy to talk to you. Please contact Public Relations consultant, Mary Blomquist at Mary.Blomquist@mtholly.us.

 Original source can be found here.