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Observations
October 10, 2019 |
 |
 Wingate Lassiter |
Probably not the best location
for a million-dollar amphitheater
I'm proud of the development of Smithfield's Town Commons since our Bicentennial celebration in 1977. The 1777 charter for the town set aside 50 acres of John Smith Jr.'s land beside the Neuse for "commons" that was neglected until Smithfield's leaders used the Bicentennial as a rallying point to turn it into the park we enjoy today.
The current amphitheater --- added in 1987 --- is one of the key ingredients attracting folks to our historic Town Commons.
It has held up well over the past 32 years,
withstanding record-setting floods from hurricanes Fran in
1996, Floyd in 1999, and Matthew in 2016. But it's old and
it's in need of repair (notice the patched roof with a
divot in the photo at right).The Johnston County Visitors Bureau and Smithfield's Parks and Recreation Department are championing a plan to replace the wooden amphitheater we've got with a brick-and-mortar structure and seating that's much hardier and nicer than what we've got.
The price tag: $980,923, according to preliminary estimates.
Smithfield's elected leaders like the idea, but they're concerned about spending that much money in that location, which is bound to flood time and again in years to come. They're also wondering if the new amphitheater will be used frequently enough to justify the expense.
Good questions.
But is there a better place in Smithfield for this kind of outdoor performance venue, which the Visitors Bureau says is high on a list of local recreation wants based on a recent survey?
Probably not. Perhaps a reasonable compromise would be to spend less than the $980,923 on repairing and upgrading the existing structure --- and then marketing its use for more events attracting folks to our unique riverside park.
Wouldn't "Ava Gardner Parkway" be better?
I'm glad the Town Council voted (barely) to rename the widened and extended east-west portion of Booker Dairy Road in honor of Ava Gardner.
I wish they had chosen "Ava Gardner Parkway" instead of "Ava Gardner Avenue."
The new road
looks like a "parkway" with its soon-to-be-landscaped
median separating the main lanes of travel. And, it
provides the only road access to Smithfield Community
Park, truly one of our town's showcase places."Avenue," on the other hand, brings to mind wide, busy city streets like New York City's Fifth Avenue. Smithfield is no city, thank goodness, so why should we have a citified name like "Avenue" for what's more like a highway than a street to begin with?
By the way, there's an "Avenue Road" that runs from Brogden Road east of Smithfield to Grabtown Road. I think it's named that because folks down there used to call it "The Avenue" before the county gave it an official name. And guess what: The intersection of Avenue and Grabtown roads is the site of Ava Gardner's birthplace!
You would think the Brogden community's road would be the true "Ava Gardner Avenue."
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