Weddington residents will get another chance to weigh in on a proposed town park at a public engagement session Monday, Oct. 19.
The session runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Weddington Town Hall, 1924 Weddington Road, according to a notice posted by the town. LaBella Associates, the consulting firm hired by the town, will lead the meeting. A quorum of the Weddington Town Council may be present, but the notice states no council action will be taken.
LaBella will present feedback collected at a September public meeting and gather additional input on a potential park within the town.
The session comes after the council voted July 13 to skip LaBella's Phase 1 public engagement survey and move directly to a council working group approach for park redesign under Phase 2 of the firm's contract, according to meeting minutes. Mayor Pro Tem Smith made the motion. It passed 2-1, with Councilmember McLaughlin dissenting.
McLaughlin had argued the proposed LaBella contract lacked sufficient detail on survey timelines, postcard distribution and methods to ensure one response per household. She supported conducting community market research before committing to design work, noting that a 2018 community survey did not ask residents about specific park amenities or priorities.
Smith countered that two prior community meetings on the park had been poorly attended. He said ongoing surveying could delay action indefinitely and argued a park is a basic municipal function Weddington has gone without for decades. He pointed to grant funds that may expire, sufficient reserves and potential sponsorship contributions to offset costs.
Councilmember Ladner raised concerns too. She questioned what action would follow survey results and whether the process risked repeating past inaction.
The quorum notice does not explain what changed between the July 13 vote to skip public engagement and the September meeting where LaBella collected feedback. A brief discussion at the July meeting also touched on whether future office space needs should factor into park planning, with Smith noting that current conceptual plans leave open space for any future facility.
