LELAND — As Brunswick County and its municipalities continue to grow the services provided to residents must also grow. That is why the Town of Leland is hoping to create a centralized hub for civic activity at its current Municipal Campus. The Town hopes to do this through expansion of the Leland Municipal Park and the adoption of the Leland Municipal Campus Master Plan.
The expanded park and municipal campus would include 6,300 linear feet of multi-use trails for walking/jogging, a covered amphitheater, a splash pad and a dog park – just to name a few items on the list.
The Leland Town Council will vote on a resolution approving the master plan during its Thursday night meeting in the Council Chambers. While there is no cost associated with approving the plan, if completed to specifications outlined in the report the project would cost more than $8 million in upgrades.
The Leland Municipal Campus is comprised of nearly 17-acres of land, and if approved and the town moves forward with the plans for property acquisitions, the campus size would increase to 20.75-acres.
Currently, the campus is home to the 8.5-acre Leland Municipal Park, the former Leland Town Hall, the Brunswick Center at Leland, Leland Town Hall, Police Headquarters, Leland Community Garden, The Friends of the Leland Library Magnolia House, and a shed used by the town’s operations department, according to the council’s agenda.
Operation Services Director Niel Brooks said the planning process for the Master Plan began in July of 2016 and town staff has divided expansion into five different areas. The different areas are prioritized according to staff’s recommendations of where to start, he said. Items like the addition of a new splash pad have been an item of discussion in the past that would be included in area one.
The Town Council would be solely responsible for implementing the plan and deciding how and when to move forward with the items if approved, Brooks said.
Area One
The first area of recommendation would include the addition of an amphitheater, a splashpad, an expanded accessible playground, a restroom building/picnic shelter/pavilion, a dog park, a veteran’s memorial, a natural play area, a multi-use trail and additional parking. Phase one is estimated to cost $2,798,559.
Area Two
Phase two would include a, “Covered Multi-Purpose Pavilion, outdoor basketball courts, Municipal Services Building, picnic shelter and expanded parking. The total cost for Area 2 is estimated at $3,137,740,” according to the plan.
Area Three
The third area would provide a multi-purpose athletic field, an expanded community garden, a picnic shelter/restroom facility, and expanded multi-use trail and is estimated at $512,300.
Area Four
The expansion of Town Hall Drive to the Town Hall parking lot entrance on Village Road would include on-street parking and a sidewalk along Town Hall Drive where amenities are not currently provided. It would cost an estimated $966,039.
Area Five
The final area included on the Master Plan would cost an estimated $796,113 and would include the extension of Perry Avenue to connect to Old Fayetteville Road and include on-street parking.
Leland Muni Campus Master Plan by Michael James on Scribd
Michael Praats can be reached at Michael.p@localvoicemedia.com
