Plans to renovate Baldwin Park, including new fitness upgrades, were presented during a recent Martinsville City Council work session.
Council members reviewed two proposed layouts, each offering a different vision for the design of Baldwin Park. The project is part of the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Outdoor Recreation Plan, a 15-year regional initiative that includes Martinsville, Henry and Patrick counties.
Baldwin Park plays a significant role in the plan, with much of the funding for the project from grants awarded by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. The design is being developed by Destination by Design, a firm based in Boone, North Carolina.
The first plan includes a paved driveway and sidewalk connection, two paved parking lots, a ¼-mile surface loop, converts the existing tennis courts into basketball courts, a stage, and space for art exhibits or food trucks, transforming the park into an event space.
“One thing we heard from you all, as well as others, was that access to get down to the field was kind of difficult,” said Tim Johnson, the design firm’s director of Outdoor Recreation Planning. The first plan includes a driveway and sidewalk leading into the middle of the field. “This is a very simple design; we are not doing a whole lot of stuff.”
The second plan features a single parking lot near the courts, with an additional overflow parking area in the field. “We have an off-street parking lot for 22 cars with a drive aisle,” Johnson said. The basketball court in this plan is rotated sideways, with a playground next to it.
However, the second plan would require leveling part of the park, which raised concerns. Rain could make the ground too soft for accessible parking.
Mayor LC Jones said, “You have to think of the handicap accessibility with parking in wet, damp areas.”
Another key factor in the redesign is the spring deadline for installing new outdoor exercise equipment, which was purchased with grant funding.
“It’s required to be installed by the end of May,” Public Works Director Greg Maggard said. The placement of the fitness pad in the second design could make grading the area difficult.
The second plan includes a cardio path leading to four separate fitness equipment pads, while the first design separates the exercise area from the basketball court with a fence.
“We’ve already made commitments with the location and placement of the fitness pads, so we would probably be looking at some version of the first option,” said Jones.
While current diagrams include space for the fitness equipment, the city has not finalized a plan. Maggard will send the dimensions of the equipment pads to the design firm, which may revise the proposal accordingly.
