Board discusses park names, moves ahead with plans for Old Post Office
b>By Christie Barlow
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The Harrisburg Parks & Recreation Board met on Monday and among the topics for discussion was a name for the park on Joe Sims Parkway and the continued development of the Old Post Office.
There were two applications for possible names for the park. Suggestions included Harrisburg Town Park and Joe Sims Park. Because the street the park is on is already Joe Sims Parkway, and the park is commonly referred to as Harrisburg Park, the board decided on a variation of Harrisburg Town Park and recommended Harrisburg Park as the official name. The decision was unanimous and the name will be submitted to the Town Council at its next meeting.
“Everybody has been calling it Harrisburg Park and it’s easier to keep the name,” said Steve Sciascia, a member of both the Parks & Recreation board and the Town Council.
Also up for discussion were plans for the development of the Old Post Office. The log cabin intended for the area hasn’t been moved on site yet, said board member Bill Williams. Organizers are still waiting to hear about a grant from the Cannon Foundation that would help with funding for the cabin. However, concrete foundations for both the log cabin and a shed already on site have been laid, said Ted McCahern, who is working on the project.
While they wait for news on the grant, volunteers have started to lay tracks for the miniature steam-powered trains. About 150 to 200 feet of track have already been put down, McCahern said. When completed, McCahern anticipates there will be about a half-a-mile of track for the trains to run on.
“The train is coming along,” Williams said. “They’re working pretty consistently on that.”
There is no set date for when the tracks will be completed and the trains will be running because all the work is being done by volunteers, McCahern said. Typically, work takes place on Saturdays but there is never a guarantee about the number of volunteers.
McCahern hopes that the addition of the log cabin, shed and the train will help add to the history of Harrisburg. If the area continues to develop, it could bring more attention and activity to the history of Harrisburg, McCahern said.
“It’s been a long process and we’re still not through,” McCahern said. “It’ll bring in a whole lot more total people. There may be small children here that might start to pick up on some of the history”
• Contact Christie Barlow at [email protected] or 704-789-9140.