Ceremonies to mark renaming of park, public art on pedestrian bridge & greenway extension opening

October 31, 2008

CARY, NC – There will be three times the fanfare on Saturday, November 1 when the Town of Cary celebrates three milestones:  the renaming of Kids Together Park as the Marla Dorrel Park; the dedication of public art on the U.S. 1/64 Pedestrian Bridge; and the completion of the Hinshaw Greenway Extension connecting MacDonald Woods Park to the Marla Dorrel Park.  Beginning at 2 p.m., Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and former Council member Marla Dorrel will join local citizens at Kids Together Park, 111 Thurston Drive, to celebrate the three accomplishments; the event culminate with a “parade” to the U.S. 1/64 pedestrian bridge with musical ambassadors to help lead the way.

“Everyone is invited to be a part in this grand celebration to commemorate three very important milestones in Cary ’s history,” said Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht.  “We are very proud of the legacy that Marla has provided to current and future generations, and likewise, the public art enhancement and the greenway extension will contribute to a better quality of life for citizens and motorists for generations to come.”

On May 29, 2008 , the Cary Town Council adopted a resolution to rename the Kids Together Park as the " Marla Dorrel Park " and to name the playground the "Kids Together Playground" at the Marla Dorrel Park in recognition of Dorrel’s love for the community and dedication to the development and continued improvement of the park and the playground. 

The public art dedication comes on the heels of the completion of the U.S. 1/64 pedestrian bridge as part of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s project to widen US 1/64 corridor between Cary Parkway and Walnut Street .  On May 26, 2005 , Council approved an opportunity to have an artist create public art for the new pedestrian greenway bridge.  After much public input, the Town commissioned Michael Stutz to implement his design for artwork for the new U.S. 1/64 pedestrian bridge in early 2007.  The Cary Town Council approved the hiring of Michael Stutz for an artist’s commission of $165,000.

Also part of the U.S. 1/64 pedestrian bridge effort, the Town agreed to construct greenway trails to link with the bridge, once the bridge was complete.  Thus, the Hinshaw Greenway Extension project included paving approximately 3,500 linear feet of a 10 foot wide asphalt trail to connect to the pedestrian bridge over US 1/64.  The trail connects MacDonald Woods Park to Kids Together Park .  The greenway costs totaled $450,000. 

In September 2007, the N.C. Department of Transportation turned the U.S. 1/64 pedestrian bridge over to the Town of Cary as part of a joint $58-million U.S. 1/64 widening project to improve U.S. 1/64 from south of the I-40 interchange to the U.S. 64/Tryon Road interchange in Cary .  The two agencies split the estimated total cost for construction of the bridge – nearly $1.4 million.

For more about parks and greenways in the Town of Cary , visit www.townofcary.org.

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