Park Bond 2024

On November 5, 2024, Durham Residents will have the opportunity to make a community-changing investment in Durham by voting YES for Durham’s Parks.

The proposed bond of $85 million will fund the new Aquatic Center at Merrick-Moore Park and the transformative renovation of Long Meadow and East End Parks.

East End and Long Meadow Parks

A new pool, play areas, athletic fields and courts, and other improvements at Long Meadow and East End Parks on Alston Ave. This historic project would connect and make major improvements to two neighborhood parks rooted in segregation.

In 1932, the land for both parks was donated to the City of Durham. Long Meadow Park was initially segregated, accessible only to whites. The next block over, East End Park was established simultaneously for African Americans. While the parks have been desegregated for decades, this project would symbolically unite these two parks, creating a single park corridor along the R. Kelly Bryant Bridge Trail, featuring the latest innovations in park design, chosen by our community through a months-long engagement process that was completed last year, including playgrounds, athletic courts, and trails connecting the community and improving safety. 

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New Aquatic Center at Merrick-Moore Park

If funded, the Aquatic Center would be the newest and most inclusively designed public water park in Durham. Designed directly from residents' feedback gathered through Durham Parks and Recreation’s Splash & Play Project, this park and multi-pool aquatic center will feature state-of-the-art design and fun features, including zero-depth entry, a lazy river, and pool space for recreation swimming for all ages and abilities.

It will be located next door to Wheels Roller Rink at Merrick-Moore Park, activating this section of East Durham and completing the transformation of Merrick-Moore Park from once vacant land and abandoned buildings to a recreational complex serving a historically underserved area of Durham and the region as a whole.

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FAQ’s

  • If the Park Bond is approved, it could add 1.47 cents per $100 of assessed value to the city property tax rate starting in 2026, and slowly dropping off over the next 20 years. For a property valued at $300,000, this would cost about $44 per year.

  • To pay for infrastructure, governments typically finance projects with bonds. Bond funds are borrowed as needed for projects and repaid overtime as installments. This puts less stress on the City's annual budget compared to cash funding projects.

  • Durham residents will also vote to support the Streets and Sidewalks Bond. The $115 million investment will add fund new sidewalks, fund sidewalk repairs, and pay to pave dirt and gravel roads in Durham.

  • If the bond is not approved, the site of the proposed Aquatic Center at Merrick-Moore Park would be secured and utilized for storage.

    Already funded portions of Long Meadow and East End Parks would continue as planned. The community-supported renovation would be funded "piece-meal" over multiple years, perhaps over a decade, through Capital Improvement Program requests of separate projects. The park corridor would experience continuous construction of various projects and ultimately cost more money over time.

  • You can see concept plans of the two parks and learn more about the projects on the Durham Parks and Recreation Splash and Play Project site.

  • Fill out our Contact Us form and we will connect with you about ways you can help.

  • Bond-funded park improvements combined with Capital Improvement funding will be done in a way to satisfy all safety concerns in accordance with NCDEQ guidelines at East End Park. For more information, visit Durham Parks and Recreation's Soil Property Testing webpage.