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Apr 18, 2023

Former North Asheville Jones Park playground rebuild set for October

ASHEVILLE - In 1999, hundreds of volunteers came together on a sloping plot of

ASHEVILLE - In 1999, hundreds of volunteers came together on a sloping plot of land below Ira B. Jones Elementary. There, they built Jones Park Playground, a turreted wooden structure that was beloved for decades until it was abruptly torn down in September 2021.

Now 24 years after its construction, history is repeating itself. Come October, hundreds of volunteers will descend on the field to rebuild the playground in North Asheville. Though it will bear a new name, many of the major players are the same — including the playground designer, a core team of volunteers, and the twisty politics of the interlocal agreement that necessitated the construction.

Susan Roderick, former executive director of Asheville GreenWorks, was the coordinator of the original build. GreenWorks, then known as Quality Forward, was one of three partners, along with Asheville City Schools and the city, that partnered during the original playground build.

Roderick recalled the work with exuberance. She remembered early mornings, late nights and people coming from all over.

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"It brought in everybody," she said. The playground was so successful, GreenWorks would go on to partner on several similar projects, including playgrounds at Leicester and Pisgah elementary schools.

"It brought together so many different people in the community. It wasn't just the parents at that school, and it wasn't narrow. They were building it for everybody. They wanted everybody to be able to use it," Roderick said.

Mike Lewis, another volunteer from '99, called Roderick the "godmother" of the original build. She managed funds, organized volunteers and coordinated food donations.

Lewis said the playground was a "community asset," which was always a tenet of the original build — though it shared a parcel with the elementary school, on land owned by the Asheville City Board of Education, it served the community at-large.

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One of the original head volunteers, Tom Knoebber, slept in a motorhome in the Jones parking lot just to be there every morning by 7 a.m.

"It was a great community experience," he said. "That last night, we said ‘OK the park is open,’ and … the kids (came) screaming and running in. It was nonstop for the next month. Always, there was someone there."

In the days of the first build, Lewis remembers packing his toolbox, his circular saw, hammer and tape measure and heading over to the site where he would spend days working on its construction. "It was a sad thing to see it go."

Two decades later, both Lewis and Roderick plan to be at the coming build, too, which needs 500-700 volunteers.

The new playground will be named in honor of Candace Pickens, the 22-year-old woman who was murdered there in May 2016. The renaming was advocated for by Pickens' mother, Keesha Martinez, who said it was a place she used to take her children when they were young and, in turn, where Candace took her own son.

Recruitment of volunteers for the Oct. 4-8 build is ongoing. People can learn more at rebuildjonespark.org.

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ACS tore down the playground in September 2021 citing an "unsatisfactory safety inspection" in a Sept. 20 email to parents, with the intent to rebuild when funds were available.

Later, it backed out of that promise — noting that the school board has no obligation to operate a playground that serves, largely, as a public park and discussing concerns of liability and funding at a April 2022 meeting.

The demolition initiated a meandering and, for some, frustrating series of events that began with North Asheville resident David Rodgers, who in a month, raised more than $300,000 to rebuild the playground. Despite having pledged funds, getting local governmental agencies to sign on proved more difficult than he anticipated.

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But a year later, in September 2022 a final vote from Asheville City Council cemented an interlocal agreement that involves city, Buncombe County and Asheville City School commitments.

Per the agreement, ACS owns the land and holds the private donor funds to pay for construction, Buncombe County oversees bidding and construction and the city of Asheville will maintain the playground equipment for 20 years or the useful life of the equipment, whichever is longer.

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In the months that followed, Playgrounds by Leathers was hired to design and supervise, the same role they played back in 1999. Both then and now, Leathers will be onsite every day of the build. They were also responsible for the playgrounds in Carrier and Jake Rush parks.

Rodgers said the new playground design is "very similar" to the old, with a few modifications to meet updated safety requirements and regulations. Dubbed Candace Pickens Memorial Park, plans show a sprawling, wood-like structure, made of composite materials instead of actual wood, with similar turrets, slides, swings and a small play airplane reminiscent of the former structure.

The contracted price for Leathers' services and materials is $345,000. Additional funds are needed for tool rental, storage trailers, lights, tents, tables and food.

The project is being fully funded by donations and no tax money is involved, Rodgers said. Donations are received by Asheville City Schools Foundation, and are still being accepted.

Betsy Bramley, 37, lived a block away from the former Jones Park playground. When she and her family moved there in 2018, she said the park was a huge draw. With a 1-year-old, Teddy, at the time, it's where she went almost daily, meeting neighbors, friends and creating community.

Now, Teddy is 6 and her youngest, Will, is 2.

"It was such a big asset to the community here," Bramley said. "We’re excited to have it back."

When the playground was torn down, she said there was no communication about it and most answers, if they came at all, were via word of mouth.

"I was shocked. I think we were all shocked," she said. "I felt like it was going to be where my kids grew up."

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Also involved in the park's design is Jenny Pickens, Candace's aunt, a freelance mixed-media artist, who will head up art and special features for the playground. Though this wasn't the playground where she brought her children who grew up in Asheville, she knew she wanted to play a role in the build.

"Having that park, it's not only a memorial for (Candace) and her son, but it's families coming together," Jenny Pickens said.

Candace's son, Zachaeus, was also shot that same day in the park, lost his left eye but survived.

Pickens said she conferred with Martinez, Candace's mom, to guide some of the influences for the playground. There is a picture of Candace and Zachaeus that will be incorporated, as well as the color yellow, among Candace's favorites, and a dove, symbolizing a tattoo of Candace's.

"When that happened, heartbreaking," Pickens said of Candace's death. "To have something like that happen, it was just really hard ... I can't wait to see community and people becoming friends and coming together ... and honoring my niece."

Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email [email protected] or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.