It was about 13 years ago when Danville City Manager Ken Larking — who was in the deputy position at the time — saw a master plan for the River District.
It was a time when the city was starting to claw back after historic mainstays of tobacco and textiles vanished. With a river running through the downtown, attention turned to capitalize on the waterway.
Visions started to flow to reimagine the area.
On the cover of the master plan was a downtown park, but it wasn’t nearly as “spectacular” as what was dedicated on Friday morning.
“And so I’m glad that after a plan that was envisioned 13 years ago that we have now got this great park in place that’s even better than what they expected,” Larking said to applause from a few hundred people gathered on a somewhat chilly Friday morning to celebrate what’s viewed to become a new focal point of downtown.
The invitation-only event came hours before the public party that brought hundreds out, jamming downtown traffic and leaving all park spots within sight occupied.
The $14 million Riverfront Park took three years to complete — two years behind schedule — and was funded through multiple partnerships, including the Danville Regional Foundation and a settlement with Duke Energy after a 2014 coal ash spill in neighboring Eden, North Carolina.
The park is on about four acres of land sandwiched between the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge and Dan River Falls, a redevelopment of the iconic White Mill building from the days of Dan River Mills.
It’s designed to be a gathering spot for the community, mixing children’s activities with outside concerts.
A 14-foot otter dominates the children’s play area that was bustling with energetic young ones when the space officially opened on Friday evening. Beyond the critter, where kids can venture into and slide down, there are other climbing features like a wall and net system.
Over to the side near the bridge is an area known as “The Springs” with 52 jets creating an urban spray garden. A new overlook gives a new view of the Dan River looking west toward the White Mill next door and the Danville Family YMCA on the other side.
And there’s a mammoth 30-foot-tall art piece that’s drawn intense criticism from the social media spectrum. It’s designed to look like a needle and thread, a nod to the textile history.
The beams are made of corten steel, which gives rust-like patina that never needs painting.
“This is a very special day in Danville, not because we’re cutting a ribbon, but because we’re opening a place that’s meant to bring people together, and all you gotta do is look around,” Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones said Friday morning. “That’s what Riverfront Park is all about.”
He was joined by other members of City Council, all wearing the same T-shirts sporting Riverfront Park on the front, and other local leaders like Danville Public Schools Superintendent Angela Hairston.
“And I think what makes this park so exciting is how many ways people can use it,” Jones said, as he started to list of the uses.
He first pointed to the spray garden with shooting water, giving a refreshing cooldown on a hot summer day.
“You can also catch a concert on the lawn and take a long walk on the Riverwalk Trail, or just meet up with friends and hang out,” he said.
The Danville River Walk trail now extends to the park and has a spot unlike any other where folks can walk right up to the edge of the water. Normally, there’s a steep bank preventing an up-close look.
“More importantly, this park is what comes next,” Jones explained. “It’s about the kids growing up with a place like this.”
Generations ago, there were no such spots as this in Danville.
As is tradition to celebrate a new space, city leaders cut a ribbon to mark the moment. Council members then ventured to a brick structure that serves as the restrooms.
“Council members haven’t seen this yet,” Jones said, pointing to something covered with a black cloth.
Vice Mayor James Buckner and Sherman Saunders, a longtime council member, yanked on the fabric to reveal a plaque to dedicate Riverfront Park. The black and gold item lists members of City Council and Danville department heads who played a role in the park’s creation.
By evening, the park was formally open, welcoming hundreds who walked around the new space or sat in a grassy area to listen to music.
“So my hope is simple, and people use it a lot,” Jones said. “Bring your kids, your friends and neighbors … and to our visitors to our hometown, we welcome you as well.”
Original Article Here (Charles Wilborn, Danville Register and Bee)