"Weddington's 'living room.'" That is how the Town describes the open space next to Town Hall. The Town wants it to be "a central gathering place where residents, families, and visitors can connect, celebrate, and enjoy Weddington throughout the year." Town Hall itself sits at 1924 Weddington Road. Council has been debating the park since June. Across those meetings, the case against the park has mostly dropped out of the record. What's left is a narrower and more practical question: which features go on the site, how residents get a say in choosing them, and how the town pays for them.
Next door, the Village of Marvin holds a ribbon cutting for Houston Ross Park this Saturday, September 26, at 1 p.m. Marvin's minutes show how that park took shape. Nearly every feature was a separate decision, driven by a grant rule, a donation or a survey result. That same set of decisions is now in front of Weddington.
How the Decision Got Here
The debate over the Town Hall park has mostly played out in the fine print of meeting minutes. In order:
- June 8, 2026. Council tabled a public engagement proposal from LaBella Associates, the Town's consultant. Councilmember Ellen McLaughlin had raised questions about its methods and timeline.
- July 13, 2026. McLaughlin said the Town should do market research before committing to a design. She noted that the 2018 community survey never asked residents which park amenities they wanted. Mayor Pro Tem Tom Smith said two earlier community meetings about the park had drawn few people. He warned that ongoing surveys could delay action indefinitely, and he called a park "a basic municipal function that Weddington has gone without for decades." Council voted 2–1, with McLaughlin dissenting, to approve the LaBella agreement without the Phase 1 survey. Council would handle the Phase 2 redesign itself through a working group.
- August 10, 2026. McLaughlin repeated her position. She said her concern was not opposition to the park but "ensuring that the town understands what features residents actually want and will use." Mayor Jim Bell answered that public input sessions were planned for the coming weeks.
- September 19, 2026. The Town scheduled an Open House Visioning Session at Weddington Middle School, 5903 Deal Road, from 1 to 5 p.m. The agenda included a pin-up board for ideas and priorities and a round-table design discussion, known as a charrette. The Town's notice says LaBella ran the session and that Council would take no action there.
One comment from the August meeting captures where things stand. Resident Anne Marie Cruz said she agreed with what she called a broad consensus that residents want a park and that the current site is the only one available right now. She then urged Council to research what residents actually want, naming amphitheaters, playgrounds and gathering spaces as examples. The debate has moved from whether to build a park to what to put in it.
The Money, as the Town Describes It
Cost is where that question gets concrete. After a meeting on the park property, Mayor Bell and Councilmember Smith published a clarification listing the funding sources the Town says it could use:
| Source | Amount the Town cites | Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| ARPA / SLFRF reimbursement funds | About $1.6 million of an original $1,663,187.50 award | Available for lawful Town purposes; the Town says they don't expire |
| NC State Capital and Infrastructure Fund, or SCIF | About $665,000 remaining | Infrastructure purposes |
| OSBM Park Grant | About $270,000 remaining | Park purposes |
| Additional park grant | $100,000 | Awarded but not yet received |
| Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, or PARTF | Up to $500,000 in matching funds | Only if the Town applies and is awarded |
The Town's letter puts the potential total at about $3.2 million for park and infrastructure improvements. It also says the goal is to find funding "without burdening the town financially."
Residents who spoke on August 10 set different numbers beside that total. One resident said LaBella's cost estimate for the park was about $10 million. He said informal contacts had suggested a revised figure closer to $4.5 million, which by his math still left a gap. He asked Council to commit to not using the Rainy Day Fund to cover it. Another resident said PARTF had confirmed to him in writing that the Town's grant application was never submitted. The Town's letter describes the PARTF money as conditional on applying and being awarded. None of the published materials settle the status of that application.
Put those figures side by side and the amenity list becomes the budget. A design near $3 million and a design near $10 million are different parks, and the difference comes down to which features Council's working group keeps.
What Marvin's Park Shows About Where the Decisions Sit
Houston Ross Park sits beside Marvin Village Hall at 10006 Marvin School Road. In January, the Village Council approved a $32,000 change order for additional plants, lighting along the path through the park and a concrete pad for an ADA bench. The March minutes add an event lawn, pergolas for covered seating and pollinator plantings. That's a modest list. The minutes behind it show why each item is there.
- The pergolas came from a grant rule. At a March 2, 2026 joint meeting, then-Village Manager Christina Amos proposed pergolas to meet PARTF's covered-seating requirement. She noted that the design also handles stormwater requirements while adding shade. Marvin's Public Works department builds them.
- The water feature came from a donation. Brad Blocksom of Pondscapes of Charlotte presented a water feature valued at $130,000. It would cost the Village about $32,000 in materials, and Pondscapes would donate installation and maintenance. The contractor describes it as a 5,000-gallon rainwater-harvesting pond with a waterfall and stream, and says construction began July 27, 2026.
- The lawn came from a board recommendation. A Parks, Recreation and Greenways board member recommended fescue over bermuda grass for the event lawn because it tolerates shade better and spreads less.
- The event calendar came from a survey. Marvin's community survey found strong support for farmers markets and holiday markets over expanded recreational amenities.
The name took its own process. Marvin's Historical Society proposed it while the park was under construction. A Houston descendant told the Village that Mittie Belle Houston was raised by the Ross sisters, who left her more than 760 acres. Local reporting identifies the sisters as Maggie and Sallie Ross and records Houston as a founding member of Marvin A.M.E. Zion Church. In March, Mayor Pro Tempore Martin said she would move ahead with a working group with Houston Ross descendants and the Historical Society to recommend how the park should tell the family's history. Saturday's shuttles leave from the Marvin AME Zion Church Annex at 9422 New Town Road.
Marvin's park came together one item at a time, and each item was settled in a public meeting. Weddington is at the same stage. PARTF shows up in both towns' plans, and in Marvin it directly shaped a design choice.
What Hasn't Been Published Yet
The Town pages reviewed for this post show no session summary, revised concept or construction timeline for the park yet. The Town's concept-plans page links to a shared folder but gives no revision date. The September 14 Council agenda listed only a general update from the Park and Events Committee, with no separate park action item. Residents can still send ideas to [email protected], and the Town offers a printable "My Park Story" sheet for written feedback.
In the meantime, the grounds around Town Hall are already hosting events. The new Parks and Events Advisory Board held its first meeting on June 1, 2026. Its first event, "Weddington's Revolutionary Legacy – Camp New Providence," marked the site across from Town Hall at The Hunter Farm where the Continental Army camped after the Battle of Kings Mountain. At the August meeting, a 20-year Waybridge resident praised the event as educational and engaging. The board has said it hopes to make the event an annual tradition, in a growing partnership with the Museum of the Waxhaws.
Dates on the Fall Calendar
Friday, September 25 through Sunday, November 1. The Hunter Farm's fall season opens at 13624 Providence Road, across from Town Hall. It has a pumpkin patch and wagon rides to the petting barn, with Tuesdays limited to the pumpkin patch. Farm Fridays with live music and food trucks are scheduled for October 9 and October 23.
Saturday, September 26, 1 p.m. Houston Ross Park ribbon cutting at 10006 Marvin School Road.
Tuesday, September 29, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Meet the Mayor and Town Planner in Weddington, with Town Planner Ryne Ratti.
Monday, October 5, 6 to 7 p.m. Park and Events Advisory Board meeting at Town Hall.
Monday, October 12, 7 p.m. Regular Weddington Town Council meeting.
Friday, October 23, 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m. to noon. Marvin's Trick or Treat in the Park and Arbor Day, both at Marvin Efird Park, 8909 New Town Road.
Friday, November 20, planned. The Parks and Events Board's August work-session agenda lists the Christmas tree lighting for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Town's November calendar doesn't show it yet, so check for a confirmed date and time closer to the event.
The October 5 board meeting and the October 12 Council meeting are the next public meetings where the park could come up. Council's working group still has to decide what the Town Hall site will hold.
If you're weighing how a future park beside Town Hall could affect the streets around it, or you just want to talk through what's happening in town, The Alexander Realty Group keeps track of the details that shape life in Weddington. Let's Connect.
