"Weddington is the only town of its size in the state that doesn't have a place for residents to come together and have events," Mayor Jim Bell told the Enquirer-Journal this fall. He pointed to the 12 to 15 parking spaces beside Town Hall, where the town has held Food Truck Fridays and its annual Christmas tree lighting for years. In his words, "we simply have outgrown the small parking lot."
Over the past year, Weddington's gatherings got bigger before any park was approved. The town now has a proposal on the table that is estimated to cost about three times its annual budget, a petition with more than 500 signatures against it, and a second public meeting on Monday, October 19. The gatherings already exist. What the town has to decide is how much permanent space they need, and how far the money it has identified can stretch.
What Already Fits Beside 1924 Weddington Road
Food Truck Fridays are the town's most regular gathering. The 2026 series ran on May 1, May 8 and May 15, each from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Town Hall, with music, games and a DJ the town lists as DJ Fannie Mae. The May 8 lineup shows the kind of mix those Friday evenings draw:
- Cafe Rose
- ITOT, the International Truck of Tacos
- Carolina Smash Truck
- Flourhouse Bakeshop
- Americana Beer Co
The Christmas tree lighting is the other fixture, and it's growing too. At its September 15 meeting, the town's Park and Events Board was planning four food vendors, a DJ, and Mr. and Mrs. Claus for this year's lighting. The minutes don't give a date, and the board's remaining 2026 meetings were set for October 5 and November 2. Five trucks, four vendors, a DJ and Santa all have to fit into roughly a dozen parking spaces.
A Committee That Drew Hundreds Before There Was a Park
The clearest sign of demand came in midsummer. Weddington's new Park and Events Committee held its first meeting on June 1, 2026, with its full board present. Council Member Ellen McLaughlin noted that the six-member board kept one seat open for a student from Weddington High School or a local youth council.
The committee's first event was "Weddington's Revolutionary Legacy and Camp New Providence," held July 31 and August 1 to coincide with the nation's 250th anniversary. According to the committee's report to Town Council, the two days drew hundreds of attendees. The program included living history presentations, period military demonstrations, historical speakers including the author of Cornwallis in Charlotte, and a connection to the Museum of the Waxhaws. Congressman Mark Harris attended and offered to help identify federal grants for future commemoration of the site. After that turnout, the committee turned its planning to an expanded Christmas event.
The history behind the event is substantial. The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources says Continental and militia forces regrouped at Camp New Providence between October and December 1780, after Cornwallis retreated following Kings Mountain. The camp held roughly 1,300 to 2,600 troops and included Horatio Gates, William Smallwood and Daniel Morgan. A strategy meeting there on November 25, 1780, shaped the decisions that led to the Battle of Cowpens. Town Council minutes describe the camp as the site across from Town Hall at Hunter Farm. The state historical marker places the encampment just west of the marker at Providence Road and Six Mile Creek. The exact footprint is still an open question, but the camp's history belongs to this stretch of Providence Road.
What LaBella & Associates Drew for 3.3 Acres
The town's own announcement calls the proposed park Weddington's "living room," a central gathering place for residents and families throughout the year. Plans obtained by the Enquirer-Journal describe a 3.3-acre lot next to Town Hall with:
- an amphitheater
- a building with public restrooms and a meeting room
- a pavilion and playground area
- a park trail and pollinator garden
- perimeter fencing, lighting and security cameras
- parking
- sites for two possible future town buildings
The estimated cost is $10 million. In a council packet, the mayor also reported finding an uncovered well on the property and asked for low-cost interim steps to secure it while the county decides what proper closure requires. Council agreed.
The Money, Line by Line
Much of the debate has centered on funding, and the town responded with a clarification from the Mayor and Council that lays out what it could put toward a park.
| Source | Amount the town cites | Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| ARPA reimbursement funds | About $1.6 million | Available for lawful town purposes; not subject to expiration |
| NC State Capital and Infrastructure Fund | About $665,000 remaining | Infrastructure purposes |
| OSBM Park Grant | About $270,000 remaining | Park-related purposes |
| Additional notified grant | $100,000, not yet received | May be used for park improvements |
| PARTF grant | Up to $500,000 in matching funds | Only if the town applies and is awarded |
The ARPA line is where much of the confusion came from. Weddington received $1,663,187.50 through the federal recovery program. The money had to be obligated by December 31, 2024 and spent by December 31, 2026. The town says it met those requirements by reimbursing itself for eligible law enforcement, administration and development costs already in its budget, so the roughly $1.6 million left is no longer tied to the 2026 deadline.
All in, the town says it could potentially assemble about $3.2 million for park and infrastructure improvements. Against a $10 million estimate, that covers about a third of the cost. That gap explains both why supporters see an opening and why opponents see a long-term obligation.
Where the Disagreement Sits
More than 500 people signed a petition asking the town not to approve the park. One signer told the Enquirer-Journal that the project would cost three times the town's roughly $3 million annual budget, and that grant money would not come close to covering construction or future upkeep. The mayor said he has heard that opposition, and has also heard from residents who want "a small place to gather and to connect with other residents."
Council has also disagreed about the process. At the July 13 meeting, Council Member McLaughlin backed doing community research before design work. She noted that the town's 2018 survey never asked residents about specific park amenities. Mayor Pro Tem Tom Smith said two earlier park meetings had been poorly attended, raised concern that repeated surveys could delay action indefinitely, and argued that a park is a basic municipal function Weddington has gone without for decades. The council voted 2–1 to approve the LaBella agreement without the Phase 1 public engagement survey and to move to Phase 2, with the redesign led by Council. McLaughlin voted no.
Public input continued after that vote. On Saturday, September 19, the town held a four-hour open house visioning session at Weddington Middle School, 5903 Deal Road. It included an ideas pin-up and round-table charrette discussions. LaBella showed renderings there. According to the Enquirer-Journal, residents who asked for construction and maintenance cost estimates, even ballpark figures, did not get them at that meeting. The mayor told the paper that nothing has been decided and that the town "definitely wants community input on this."
October 19, and the Tree Lighting After It
The second public engagement meeting is Monday, October 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 1924 Weddington Road. It will also stream live on the town's YouTube channel. The agenda covers updates since the first meeting, community feedback and priorities, design concepts and possible next steps. All residents are welcome, including anyone who missed September. Written feedback goes to [email protected].
Three days later, on Thursday, October 22, NCDOT holds an open house on the Rea Road Extension from 5 to 7 p.m. at Weddington Methodist Church, 13901 Providence Road. It's a separate project, but it falls in the same busy stretch of the town calendar.
Whatever the park plans look like after October 19, the next gathering on the calendar is the expanded tree lighting. The Park and Events Board has booked four food vendors, a DJ and Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and is planning for a space the town says it has already outgrown.
If you're weighing how a project like Town Hall Park, or the road work along Providence Road, could shape everyday life in Weddington over the next few years, I'm glad to talk it through, whether or not a move is on your horizon. Rhonda Taylor follows these local decisions closely and enjoys sharing what she learns with neighbors. Let's Connect.
