Public invited to Thursday Friends of the Parks meeting

The public is invited to attend the Mount Olive Friends of the Parks’ first meeting of the year at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, at Pizza Village, 500 N. Breazeale Ave.

New officers will be installed as the organization continues its efforts to attract new members.

“I want to welcome everyone to come to the Pizza Village on Thursday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. for some good fellowship and to learn what they can do to be a part of our team and be a part of continuing to keep our parks safe, maintained and fun for people of all ages,” FOTP President Tony Martin said. “All ages are needed to be a part of the Friends of the Parks

“When it comes to help and donations, every little bit helps, and donations can come in all forms. We are all very excited about the renewed energy and all the new faces we have at our meetings.”

Martin added, “It’s awesome to see a room full of faces at our meetings and to have people in our community reaching out to the Friends of the Parks wanting to help and wanting to be a part of the great things that our Friends team are doing in our parks and with our now famous Pickle Train.”

Founded in 2000, Friends of the Parks (FOTP) help maintain Nelson Street and Westbrook parks. However, a combination of older members who have aged out or have passed away, along with COVID restrictions, have taken a toll on its membership.

There is no charge for membership even though the charter calls for a $15 fee; that fee has not been enforced in many years, Martin said.

The organization provides leadership, conducts the business of, and promotes the financial support for the FOTP through a board of directors; helps develop the guidelines for the parks and playgrounds as well as govern the rules and regulations of the parks in cooperation with the town’s Parks and Recreation Dept.

It supports the growth and upkeep of the parks and sponsors events and socials in the parks. It also works with other organizations, nonprofits and individuals in promoting their purpose, goals and financial success

New officers are vice president Karen Statler of Grantham and treasurer Amberly Davis of Mount Olive.

“Karen is old-school Friends from back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s,” Martin said. “She was on several of the committees that were organized to build Kids World. She has a lot of memories.

“Davis is in management with Southern Bank in Mount Olive and is also Kids World old-school, but was on the children’s committee helping with the design, fundraising and work days in conjunction with Carver Elementary.”

A secretary is still needed to complete the board of directors, he added.

Martin has been a part of the FOTP since it was created in 2000 and has been the president since 2011.

The Pickle Train is currently the Friends primary fundraiser. It is available for in-park events such as birthday parties, celebrations, as well as parades and events in and around the community and throughout the county.

The train is also available for the same kind of events at Nelson Street Park.

To reserve or hire the train contact Mount Mount Olive Parks and Recreation Director Josh Phillips at Mount Olive Town Hall or message Friends of the Parks on Facebook.

“One of our top goals right now is to extend the George Fulghum Train Depot to better accommodate the Pickle Train and, I may not have mentioned this, but to also reconfigure the depot so it can also be used as a concessions stand for park events,” Martin said.

“Our hope is to make the depot multi-functional, and by that I mean that when groups are serving any type of food and beverage the depot will provide them a clean and controlled environment that will provide electrical and water as well as a serving window to serve their goods.”

There many ways to help the Friends, Martin said.

“We’ve have had people and businesses donate money, tools, landscaping materials, building materials, professional services, food for events and work days, and most importantly time, all of these types of donations are what has kept the Friends of the Parks going now for almost 25 years,” he added

Along with raising money for the train depot expansion, FOTP is also planning and funding the much-needed improvements on the walking trail at Westbrook Park.

The walking trail is a favorite for many people and also serves as the track for the Pickle Train, Martin said.

The plan is to focus on some of the most unlevel areas by resurfacing those areas.

“We hope to raise at least $5,000 for the walking trail improvements,” Martin said. “The Friends hope that once we have the issues with our walking trail at Westbrook Park taken care of we can start laying down the footprint for a walking trail at Nelson Street Park.”

Another project is planning and funding the total mulching of all the Kids World playground to help provide a safe and clean play area for the children and visitors in our parks, Martin continued.

“In the past, we have done refills and topping the mulch in low areas, but our hope now is to hit the mulch hard and heavy throughout the play area to create a thick consistent layering of mulch,” he said.

The cost to renew the mulch in Kids World will be around $5,000.

Nelson Street Park was done this past summer by the Rotary Club of Mount Olive.

Another goal is to install service poles and/or 4×6 posts around Westbrook Park to help safely secure the lighted orbs around the park.

This will be done in cooperation with the Mount Olive Beautification Committee.

“The Friends of the Parks appreciates all the support we get,” Martin said. “If a person or business wants to make a donation toward one of our specific projects they can indicate at the time of the donation where they wish for their donation to go to and that money will be used for that project only.

“As we always say, ‘We do what we do for the children.’”

For more information, contact Martin at 919-273-1057 or Phillips at 919-738-2602.