Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011

MLK park moves toward expansion

City hires original designer to help with planning for large groups of visitors.

Before moving forward with an expansion of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial garden, the city will bring back the park’s original designer to guide planning.

McNeely Associates came up with the layout for the southeast Raleigh memorial, which opened in 1990 and has been described as the first public park in America dedicated solely to the memory of King and the civil rights movement.

Now the landscape architecture and planning firm will draw up another round of blueprints, this time to help the park better accommodate large numbers of visitors. Supporters want to add a covered pavilion, restrooms and parking.

For Dennis Pitts, the project conjures up old memories.

Back in the 1980s, Pitts was a young landscape architect eager to find success in his career. He worked on the original park design for free.

Now 60, he’s president of McNeely Associates and has worked on dozens of schools, libraries and public buildings.

Pitts kept a folder in his office with faxes from the early days of the MLK project. There was no email back then.

“When the project was designed, it was just a dream,” he said. “Just getting that piece of property was amazing.”

Raleigh officials bought 1.4 acres of neighboring land to make room for the expansion of the park at the corner of MLK Boulevard and Rock Quarry Road.

Advocates have pushed for improvements since 2004, saying the memorial needs basic amenities to serve students, tour groups and civil rights veterans.

“This is a showcase, and people are putting that garden on their itinerary when they come from out of town,” said City Councilman Eugene Weeks, who represents southeast Raleigh.

Long-term plans call for an interactive display showing significant dates and events in the freedom movement.

The city’s five-year building plan sets aside $385,000 for an expansion, though the current budget designates only $10,000 to begin planning.

Pitts recalls the band of volunteers who came together to pursue the MLK garden. Southeast Raleigh activists Bruce Lightner and Ralph Campbell led the group.

A memorial wall boasts 2,500 named bricks recognizing individuals, businesses, churches and organizations that supported the development of the site in the 1980s.

Three decades later, Pitts said he still gets a thrill when he sees visitor groups tour the grounds.

The upcoming work, he says, will make sure the park is equipped to welcome future generations.