Efforts to form a Cleveland Parks and Recreation district are moving forward at a rapid pace. Last September, JoCoReport.com reported that the Cleveland community could be the first township in Johnston County to form their own Parks & Rec district. Since then a lot of work has taken place.
History
In February 2017, a local landowners Elizabeth Booker Lawson and Dewey Lawson offered Johnston County commissioners 12.7 acres of land on Polenta Road at Matthews Road, valued at $336,000, for free if they would turn the land into a park. The County studied the idea but rejected the park plan. Out of those meetings and discussions, Cleveland community leaders decided to try and form their own Parks & Recreation Authority.
Denton Lee, the unofficial chairman and spokesperson for the Cleveland study group, tells JoCoReport.com that a letter and brochure were mailed to all 27,000 Cleveland residents last week. “The brochure is intended to answer most questions and the letter is an invitation to two public meetings for those citizens who have additional questions, and to provide input regarding the public’s opinion of the new tax district,” Lee said.
Public Meetings
The first public meeting is Thursday, January 18th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at the Cleveland Fire Department at 9039 Cleveland Road, Clayton. The second meeting is Saturday, January 20th from 9:00am until 11:00am at C3 Church at 8246 Cleveland Road, Clayton.
Lee says is the community reacts favorably towards creating a recreation district, the committee will appear before Johnston County Commissioners in February asking for the board to adopt a resolution in support of the district and to formally ask the NC General Assembly to consider a local bill to formally establish the district. Local elected legislator Rep. Donna White of Clayton has said she would work closely with the organization.
If the General Assembly passes a bill this summer, the recreation group will ask for a voter referendum to be placed on the November ballot for residents in the Cleveland area to formally approve taxing themselves for the special authority to acquire land and build park facilities, Lee said.
“This community needs to begin self-governance and this would be a great starting point, ” Lee told WTSB News last year.
The group of Cleveland Community leaders included representatives of the Greater Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, the Cleveland Athletic Association, Pop Warner Football, the Cleveland Rotary Club, and the Cleveland Fire Department, as well as prominent community business owners, farmers, and developers.
Click Here To Read Letter Mailed To Cleveland Residents
Click Here To Read Brochure On Cleveland Parks & Recreation District
4 Cents Tax Would Help Acquire Land
If approved, the Authority would have the ability to tax the McLemore community to pay for parks and recreation services.
“The community is so far behind in acquiring park and recreation space, the majority of our funding will need to go toward buying available land and developing and maintaining facilities. By partnering with the Athletic and Pop Warner associations, they can continue to provide the programs while the new recreation district focuses on acquiring and developing facilities, and applying for grant monies that can supplement the taxes we will pay. As for recreational services, we would anticipate developing more athletic fields for these associations to use and to create passive recreational opportunities for families by building and maintaining playgrounds, walking/biking trails, picnic areas, and open space that you would find at any city park.”
The McLemore Fire District contains properties valued at $2 billion. For every penny of tax collected in a parks and rec district, it would create $200,000 in revenue. The suggested tax rate for a new parks district is 4 cents per $100 in property value. If passed, a home valued at $200,000 would pay an additional $80 per year in property taxes.
Parks & Rec Resources Lacking
Lee said the Cleveland community is so frustrated by the lack of recreational facilities he anticipates strong support for the new parks and rec tax district, even though it will mean paying a small additional fee.
“The County is not going to do it for us, so if we want it, we have to pay for it.”
Unlike most counties in North Carolina, Johnston County does not have a parks and recreation department. Johnston County has chosen to relegate the acquisition, development, and maintenance of parks and recreation to the incorporated towns within the county. As a result, unincorporated areas, like the Cleveland Community, are left with few sources from which to fund quality of life improvements like parks, walking trails, athletic fields, and open spaces. While the towns around Cleveland are investing millions in parks and recreation for their citizens, there isn’t a single public access playground, walking trail, or picnic table in the Cleveland Community.
“We are having to turn away children who want to play because we are out of places to hold practices and games”, said Scott Janes, Commissioner of the Cleveland Pop Warner Football Association. That sentiment was also echoed by Michael Knott, President of the Greater Cleveland Athletic Association. “This is an exciting opportunity for the Cleveland Community to self-determine its future direction for improving the quality of life in our Community.
