SPENCER — Many residents and travelers who pass down Salisbury Avenue in Spencer are familiar with the paved parking lot in front of what is now town hall and the Spencer police department, but in the 1920s, that pavement was a beautiful, green park.

Now, the park is coming back to Spencer, at least in part.

Initially created as a place to gather, relax and enjoy community time for those across the street at the Southern Railway, now the Transportation Museum, the original park was a community effort. A Sept. 7, 1927, article in the Salisbury Evening Post said a section in each of the four corners of the park was put in the care of four different churches in Spencer — so the park had Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist corners. The five-acre park also had a central monument dedicated to the “heroic dead employed on the Southern system.”

“Originally this area this entire block was the Spencer Town Park, funded and built by community churches…and it really was a crossroads for folks coming to and from the Spencer Shops,” Mayor Jonathan Williams said in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new park Tuesday night. “We really felt a need to bring that green space back to our community and provide a link between the Transportation Museum and downtown Spencer.”

Bringing back the park was not an overnight decision, either.

In both 2014 and 2022, the Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plans included community desire for a new park, but rising costs for other projects got in the way.

“When we moved into our new town hall building, when we put that project out to bid, obviously that was when construction prices started to escalate, and the price for doing the upfit was more than we had anticipated, and we had to cut out the planned park,” Williams explained. But the leadership was determined to make the park happen, and because of the grants and use of a variety of fundraising sources, there is “minimal town investment.”

After more than two years of efforts to put together monies from a variety of sources, the town has at last committed to constructing the new park. Following Tuesday’s groundbreaking, construction began in earnest on Wednesday.

The park will cover about one third of the current parking lot, directly in front of town hall, and the work will be done by Ike’s Construction, Inc. It will include an expansive lawn, a paved walking loop, a multipurpose open air pavilion with a stage where Williams says concerts and other events will be held, and an interactive water feature for children. There will be restrooms, picnic tables and built-in infrastructure for events like Winterfest. The plan is also for the park to eventually connect to the greenway at the Yadkin River Park and other portions of the trails in and around Spencer.

The total cost of the park will be $2,175,700, but much of that has been covered by outside funds. The town has secured two grants from the N.C. Department of Commerce totaling $1,175,000 and a $500,000 grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, known as PARTF. Between the three grants and the town’s initial budget, there is still a $385,000 shortfall.

The project also kicked off with a $100,000 donation from Fred and Alice Stanback that paid for initial planning cost and some money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has also been allocated.

According to the town’s website, the “project aims to further advance downtown revitalization and offer new amenities to locals and visitors to the N.C. Transportation Museum, the N.C. Museum of Dolls, Toys and Miniatures, and other local destinations.” The museum of dolls and toys will be expanding into some of the open space in the plaza as well.

There is still a $385,000 shortfall, however, because the money the town initially budgeted was not quite enough to cover the projected cost, even after the town and construction company worked through some cost reductions. But the town has begun a capital campaign to raise the gap funds.

There are giving opportunities that include the cost of particular items in the park, from $75,000 for a pavilion all the way to brick pavers for $100. Donations from community supporters of $25 are also welcomed. Special Projects Planner Joe Morris, whom Williams calls “the rainmaker of Spencer” because of his energetic and successful work in securing much of the funding for the park, is in charge of the campaign, and anyone can get more information from the town’s website at https://spencernc.gov/makeyourmark/. Visitors can also see the planned designs for the park alongside an image of the original Town Park.

“This project is possible because of the vision and leadership of our mayor and board of aldermen, support of our community, hard work of our staff and the involvement of great partners,” said Town Manager Peter Franzese in a statement about the project. “In addition to our current and future funding partners, we’re thankful to have the expertise of Jeff Ashbaugh and his team at Benesch, insight of local architect Pete Bogle and the Bogle Firm, and know-how of Andy Messmer and his crew at Ike’s Construction contributing to our park.”

“This is a dream come true for our residents, our children, grandchildren and other future citizens and visitors for years to come,” Williams said.