SURF CITY — A $1 million project in Surf City is coming to fruition with a grand opening slated for phase one of the new Earl G. & Inez Batts Recreation Complex.
Located at 380 J.H. Batts Road, the park is 45 acres, next to the Surf City Community Center. It will offer a skatepark with pump track, inclusive playground, sand volleyball courts, picnic shelter and restroom facility, walking trails and parking.
Phase one is opening, with the town hosting a ribbon cutting on Saturday, Oct. 5th, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There will be food trucks and family-friendly activities.
“This is just the beginning for the Earl G. & Inez Batts Recreation Complex, and we can’t wait for the community to experience all it has to offer,” Surf City Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director Jodi Shepard said in a press release.
The town received grant funding from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, as well as donations from Surf City residents to make the park a reality.
“A special thank you to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and the Skatepark Design Team who helped mold this beautiful piece of property into what it is today,” Surf City Town Manager Kyle Breuer said in the release.
The town paid half-a-million dollars for land acquired from the Batts family in 2020.
Mayor Teresa Batts — who is lifelong friends with the Batts family and according to previous PCD reporting “is in no manner associated with this transaction and received no financial benefit” — said the park is part of the town’s master plan.
To learn more about the project, click here.
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