Asheville approves Jones Park playground rebuild; Push to rename to honor Candace Pickens
ASHEVILLE - The Jones Park Playground will be rebuilt in North Asheville after a final vote from City Council Sept. 27, the culmination of more than a year of community efforts and an interlocal agreement that involves city, Buncombe County and Asheville City School commitments.
The playground, a popular spot near Ira B. Jones Elementary School just off Kimberly Avenue, was torn down by ACS in September 2021.
In a unanimous vote, Asheville City Council authorized City Manager Debra Campbell to enter into an interlocal agreement with the Asheville City Board of Education regarding the maintenance of donated playground equipment at Jones Park.
But the conversation became about more than the rebuild − and the motion that was passed, made by council member Antanette Mosley, included an addendum that the park be renamed after Candace Pickens, the 22-year-old woman who was murdered at Jones Park in May 2016. Nathaniel Dixon was sentenced to life in prison for her murder.
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Pickens' then 3-year-old son, Zachaeus, was also shot, losing his left eye and surviving.
"For a significant part of our community, when we hear Jones Park, we think about Candace," Mosley said. "And her little boy."
Ultimately, the decision of the park's name will fall to the school board as the owner of the property. At its Sept. 19 meeting, the board indicated if the city passed the agreement, the school board would begin the process of renaming the playground.
Keesha Martinez, mother to Pickens and grandmother of Zachaeus, gave a heartfelt speech during public comment, hoisting a photo of her daughter and grandson, that brought many of the city council members and audience to tears.
She advocated for the park to be named in honor of Pickens, and said it was a place she used to take her children when they were young and, in turn, where Candace took her own son.
"We loved that park, it broke my heart when I heard that they tore it down," Martinez said. On May 11, 2016, the day Pickens was killed, she had taken Zachaeus to the park to celebrate his 3rd birthday.
"The park still has good memories for me, and it will always be an honor for myself, family and friends to keep this park in Candace and Zacchaeus's memory in renaming it after them. I still go to that park because that's where she was at last, and it gives me unbelievable peace."
The school board approved their piece of the interlocal agreement at a Sept. 19 meeting. Per the agreement, ACS owns the land and holds the private donor funds to pay for construction, Buncombe County oversees bidding and construction and the city of Asheville will maintain the playground equipment.
Mayor Esther Manheimer said she wanted to highlight that the rebuild effort was a challenge from a logistical standpoint, but also an "incredible opportunity for the city to work closely with the county and the school system to come up with a memorandum of understanding."
She said when asked why this process was taking so long, she reiterated it was a challenge, and "paved the way for future partnership."
Mere weeks after the playground was demolished, North Asheville resident David Rodgers had raised $311,000 for the rebuild of the playground, with money pledged by October. He was in talks with the city, school system and county by November.
That was supposed to be the hard part.
But eight visits to City Council, several school board meetings, 1,700 signatures, 2,625 letters and more than a year later, the fight is only now over, Rodgers said.
“I thought it would just be a smooth idea, that you have the funds and just get it rebuilt," Rodgers said. "So that was my learning moment."
Constructed in 1999, for two decades the playground was a popular North Asheville spot, and despite sitting on land owned by Asheville City Schools, sharing a parcel with Ira B. Jones Elementary School and a ball field, it functioned as a community park.
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In September 2021, ACS tore down the playground, citing an "unsatisfactory safety inspection" in a Sept. 20 email to parents, with the intent to rebuild when funds were available.
Later, it backed out of that promise — noting that the school board has no obligation to operate a playground that serves largely as a public park and discussing concerns of liability and funding at a April 4 meeting.
At its June 30 meeting, the school board revisited the conversation. Ultimately, the board voted to authorize negotiations with the city and county regarding proposed terms and conditions for an interlocal agreement that would address construction, use and maintenance of the park.
Adoption of an interlocal agreement
The interlocal agreement between the city and ACS will allow for construction and ongoing maintenance of the playground. Construction will be managed by the county, and the land will continue to be owned by the school system.
The cost of construction will be funded fully by private donations, though Rodgers said since months have passed since the initial estimates, prices will have climbed even further − and there may be more fundraising left to do.
With the Sept. 27 approval of the agreement, the city agrees to oversee maintenance and repair of the playground equipment for a period of 20 years, or until the end of its useful life.
Any maintenance required for this playground equipment will be funded from within the existing Parks and Recreation operating budget, according to the staff report.
According to Parks and Recreation spokesperson Christo Bubenik, the department estimates annual maintenance to be around $1,500-$2,000 for the first few years and then increase as the equipment ages.
The city's liability will be limited to any damages resulting from use of the playground, and it maintains authority to jointly approve the playground design.
ACS will continue to be responsible for mowing, trash removal and mulch replacement.
"We're happy to share our decades of trusted experience as the playground equipment maintenance partner and play a small part of bringing this community vision to reality with City of Asheville Schools," said D. Tyrell McGirt, Parks and Recreation Director, in a Sept. 27 statement.
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Following its approval, Rodgers has 30 days to provide the school board, county and city with a design proposal for the project for joint approval.
The design proposal shall include an estimate of the amount of donated funds to be provided for the playground, and proposed specifications for construction and installation of playground equipment at Jones Park within the project budget.
The county, as an agent for the school board, will use the design proposal to solicit bids for construction.
A beloved community asset
For many, the Jones Park Playground was a landmark in North Asheville, what some families say was one of the few playground offerings in the area.
According to Rodgers, there are three playgrounds north of I-240, Tempie Avery and Magnolia, both in Montford, and Weaver Park off of Merrimon Avenue.
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Below I-240 are a dozen playgrounds in the core of the city, he said.
It was one of the reasons his family moved to the neighborhood in 2008, so his then 4-year-old would be able to walk to park without crossing a busy street, a place his family would enjoy as they watched their children grow up.
Its demolition was devastating for many, he said.
"Really, this is the value of parks and how they change people's lives," Rodgers said. "I just want to see it get rebuilt for everybody."
Several public commenters spoke in support of the rebuild and of honoring Pickens' memory.
Mike Lewis, who had a hand in helping build the park in 1999, said the playground was the first place his grandchildren wanted to go when they came to visit.
“Right the wrong. Accept the gift. Restore the park,” Lewis said, calling it an asset for children all across the community.
"Government should be able to do something as simple as accepting a quarter of a million dollars from its constituents."
Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville City Council approves Jones Park playground rebuild
