The city of Mebane, North Carolina's industrial past was bolstered by the implementation of a central rail line in the mid-1800s. The forms of rail lines and switching yards served as inspiration for the pavement forms and spaces for the main plaza and program areas of the new Mebane Community Park. Varying integral colored concrete bands accentuate these forms, define programmatic spaces, and highlight the main pedestrian promenade that leads park patrons from the main parking area to the park pavilion structure and entrance to the athletic field complex. The project also strived to embrace the brand standards recently adopted by the town leadership. Brand colors and forms were implemented into the playground surfaces, and concrete pavements in the central plaza areas.

Design and Master Planning Process
The planning process began with a collaborative stakeholder engagement that included numerous meetings with the selected Mebane Community Park Steering Committee. The committee consisted of city staff, recreation and parks staff, council members, and citizens. This diverse group provided the design team with valuable perspective on proposed master plan options. The city and design team also facilitated community meetings to gain input from citizens on program elements, site materials, and site layout to ensure that the community's vision aligned with the preferred plan. Information gathered from these meetings was summarized and served as the foundation for the proposed preferred master plan option. A major component of the preferred master plan option was to provide a park design that kept vehicular and service areas at the perimeter of the park allowing for pedestrian connections between central program spaces to be unencumbered by vehicular traffic.

Program and Park Elements
The design team was challenged with providing a diverse arrangement of park elements that appealed to all ages and walks of life, while also filling the towns critical need for more active recreation fields. A splash pad, playground, park pavilion structure, multipurpose lawn, and lawn amphitheatre were integrated into the main central open space. Additionally, a network of perimeter walking trails provide a 1/2-mile park perimeter loop greenway. The park design balances both passive and active recreation. The design team collaborated to provide a park design that provided pedestrian and park spaces uninterrupted by parking, service, and entry drives. The park design also includes critical infrastructure improvements including a main park entrance design to the highway to the south and a new connection to an adjacent residential area and downtown to the east.

Located on the west side of downtown Mebane, the park serve's as a destination and event center for city events and festivals. The splash pad was designed to be adjacent to the lawn amphitheatre on the upper end of the lawn to provide additional seating for larger performances and also to provide accessible seating areas for wheelchair patrons. The splashpad has minimal permanent above ground features thus can function as an open event plaza for performances and festivals when turned off.

 

Adjacent to the athletic fields and splash pad, the playground is centrally located and in close proximity to the park pavilion structure as well as the parking area. Providing adequate shade was a key outcome from the community engagement process. The playground design includes four main play elements and three shade structures. Canopy trees are planted in structural soil around the playground perimeter to provide additional shade long term. A poured-in-place rubber surface provides safe, and easily maintainable play surface throughout the playground.

The athletic field utilizes a synthetic grass surface with shock absorption pad underlayment. During the public input process, concern was expressed by citizens about the temperature of the fields during the warmer summer months. The project provides a natural infill material that reduces the overall temperature of the field and provides a safe play environment throughout the year. The athletic fields accommodate numerous sports and programs. The design team worked closely with recreation and parks staff to develop the field size and striping layout that accommodates play areas for multiple age groups and sport types.

A main feature of the central park space is the pedestrian promenade. The hardscape area provides pedestrian connection from the parking area to the main park elements while also allowing for fire apparatus, service, and emergency vehicle access.

A Bosque of American elms anchors the western edge of the central open space and park pavilion. Moveable hammocks are placed in and around the trees to provide a shaded and unique park experience.

Surface 678 and Alley Williams Carmen and King collaborated on the design on the park pavilion structure. The buildings provide restrooms, park offices, concessions, covered picnic space, and utility rooms for IT and lighting controls. An open-air portal was designed through the structure to connect the central axis between the athletic fields to the multipurpose lawn area.

Planting Design
The planting design considers the use of native and drought tolerant plant material that reinforce the overall conceptual forms of the park design. The plant list was developed with maintenance in mind and plant selections were closely coordinated by city and recreation and parks staff. A perimeter park buffer and earthen berm was heavily planted to provide privacy for surrounding residential neighborhoods.

Team:
Alley William Carmen & King -Civil Engineer
- Design, materials selection, and grading of all vehicular areas. Utility infrastructure design for the entire park.
Alley William Carmen & King - Architect
- Design of park pavilion structure and maintenance buildings
Surface 678, PA - Landscape Architect
- Design, materials selection, grading, and planting for pedestrian and athletic field areas.
Sole Source Engineering - MEP
- Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing design for the park pavilion structure and site.

As seen in LASN magazine, March 2021.