From public charging stations to skate park renovations, Durham will experience some upgrades soon, thanks to thousands of community members.
Through Durham’s participatory budgeting process, City Council has awarded $2.4 million to six winning projects selected by residents ages 13 and older who live or attend school in Durham. First started in 2018, this marks the program’s fourth cycle. Implementation will begin this spring.
Carmen Ortiz, the program manager, has been involved in the process since its inception.
“Hearing from residents how this project has changed their lives, how they did not believe in government, they did not believe that all this was actually going to work,” Ortiz said. “Seeing that it was voted and funded and is happening has restored their trust.”
Here’s a look at the six winning projects:
- At $1.2 million, a renovation of the Durham Skate Park on 505 Rigsbee Ave. is the top-funded initiative. This project had been submitted in multiple previous cycles and was one of the most popular proposals among voters this time, especially among youth participants. The city plans a total renovation and reface of the park, utilizing suggestions and advice from Durham’s skater community.
Manifest Skate Shop on Broad Street was one of the project’s biggest advocates. Owner Mike Johnston said he cried happy tears when he found out the skate park renovations had won.
“Essentially, we’re going to have the chance to build our dream park from the ground up,” Johnston said. “The current skaters can have input on what they want to see in the new park, rather than just being stuck using an old one.”
- Another outdoor recreation project will bring repairs to Bethesda Park, including a new playground featuring ADA-compliant equipment designed for children with limited mobility, among others.
- A different project aims to bolster digital access throughout Durham. This $100,000 undertaking will install public charging stations with multiple electrical outlets and USB ports in high-use community spaces at the Black Wall Street Gardens, Central Park, and Raynor Street bus stops. Intended mainly to support unhoused residents, these outlets will ensure that all individuals can charge their phones or laptops.
- The city will also create a public restroom in downtown Durham. The facility is meant to serve residents, visitors, and unhoused individuals while alleviating strain on surrounding businesses.
- Additionally, in an effort to brighten the city, the Neighborhood Stories in Art project will create eight murals in neighborhoods with limited public art. The specific neighborhoods are not determined yet, but sites and artists will be selected with community involvement. The murals will ultimately honor each neighborhood’s culture and identity, for example commemorating Black history or the Durham LGBTQ community.
- Lastly, a sixth project focuses on improving safety. New security cameras and lighting will be installed at Oxford Manor, a public housing community managed by the Durham Housing Authority.
In past budget cycles, similar security measures for Housing Authority facilities drew controversy due to some residents’ concerns about over-policing predominantly Black communities.
However, Oxford Manor residents overwhelmingly supported the security additions, Ortiz said. “Their biggest concern is not beautifying projects like we sometimes do, but making sure their kids are safe,” Ortiz said.
This year’s projects derived from a pool of 964 submitted ideas — a 52% increase from the last funding cycle. A fifth of the submitted ideas came from students, mostly high school and college-aged.
Previous winners utilized their funds in imaginative ways. Book Harvest, a youth literacy organization based in Durham, was awarded $40,184. Using those funds, the group hired parents to work as ambassadors, which led to tabling events that allowed parents to connect with one another and build community.
Other previous participatory budgeting winners were El Futuro, a North Carolina nonprofit that provides mental health services for the Latino community and the Durham LGBTQ+ Youth Center.
As this year’s cycle moves into the implementation stage, the real impact of the community’s involvement will start to take shape.
Ortiz said, “This touches people’s lives first hand.”
Above: Mayor Leonardo Williams weighs in on projects under consideration during the participatory budgeting process. Photo courtesy of the City of Durham
olivia prusky
