The newly renovated Brad Ragan Park in Spruce Pine officially reopened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a host of community activities. Parks and Recreation Director Michael Wood outlined the extensive updates made to the park, emphasizing the significant improvements.
“We’ve added new signage for the park, resurfaced all the tennis courts, and repurposed one into a pickleball court. We now have two dog parks, one for large dogs and one for small dogs. There is a new trail called Mineral City Mile, a new water slide, updated playgrounds, new sidewalks, updated basketball courts, and all buildings have been painted,” said Wood.
“We’ve also added five pieces of exercise equipment that are wheelchair accessible, and even a wheelchair swing,” he added. “We’ve got so many local contractors to thank, it’s been many years since we’ve done upgrades. We’ve now seen a big increase in people using the parks.”
Town Manager Darlene Butler also spoke about the collaborative efforts involved.
“It’s taken about two years to complete everything,” said Butler. “Thanks to everybody that’s contributed, between town staff and local industry.”
The grand reopening event featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a group hike, free pizza, prizes, and free pool admission. Mayor Phillip Hise expressed gratitude to the many contributors who made the park updates possible,.
“We’ve done a lot of work, and we have a lot of people to thank,” said Hise. “This didn’t just happen; it took work.”