Henley Park debuts new playground

Youngsters have a newly upgraded place to play following the grand opening of brand new playground equipment at William Henley Sr. Park.

City officials and community members gathered at the park for a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the enhanced equipment.

Park and Recreation Director Darrell Thomas said the upgrade is part of a larger effort to give back to the local community.

The comprehensive project represents an investment sourced entirely from the city’s tourism budget.

“The total cost we’re looking at, I think it was a little bit over $70,000 for this here,” Thomas said. “It took about a week to get all this together, to get it cleaned out, installed, and put the new equipment in here.”

Thomas expressed hope that the city’s financial commitment would inspire neighborhood residents to take pride in the facility.

“It’s going to mean to show them that we truly believe in our community and are investing in this park,” Thomas said. “It’s showing that we want you guys to be invested as well, and also protect and take care of the investment that we’ve tried to put and gift to our park.”

Before cutting the caution tape to officially open the playground, Holly Springs Mayor Charles Terry reflected on the historical evolution of the property, noting it was originally known as College Street Park before being renamed in honor of the late alderman and educator.

“I don’t know if all of you all know about the history of this park,” Terry said. “I used to live on that hill up there, and this was not Henley Park, it was just called College Street Park.”

The mayor emphasized that the Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to approve the equipment replacement, viewing it as a necessary enhancement for the city.

“I want to say about the improvements that we’ve made here today, it’s something that the mayor and Board of Aldermen saw as needed and approved for the city and for this park,” Terry said. “Also, I think we need to take this opportunity to rededicate it to William Henley Sr. for what he did when he was here in the city serving as an alderman.”