Teens playing futsal

Happening Now

  • City Council unanimously approved a construction firm for this project at its November 12, 2024 regular meeting
  • Construction anticipated to start in spring 2025

Background

In the past decade, Roger Farmer Park’s user base has shifted from baseball and softball to include football, Ultimate Frisbee, and other open field sports. In 2022, the middle ballfield was converted to a multi-sport field. A new multi-sport court with lines for basketball and futsal, as well as access for other activities such as roller skating, is scheduled for installation in 2024. Other improvements to the park may take place over multiple fiscal budget cycles as funding is identified.

Increasing Safe Access

In addition to improvements within the park, the City of Asheville is working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to better connect Roger Farmer Park with surrounding neighborhoods through a new sidewalk along Johnston Boulevard between Patton Avenue and Johnston Elementary School at Iona Circle.

In the vicinity of Roger Farmer Park, the proposed sidewalk will be located on the southern side of Johnston Boulevard using approximately 0.08 acres of permanent easement from the 9.24-acre park. A retaining wall has been included in project designs to minimize the project’s footprint within park property. The permanent easement will not adversely affect activities, features, and attributes of the park.

For more on the Johnston Boulevard sidewalk, visit its project page.

Opportunities for Input

  • The community engagement phase is complete
  • For more on construction project flow, check out this article

Useful Links

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Project Prioritization

City of Asheville projects are evaluated and prioritized based upon many criteria including public safety, economic growth and sustainability, affordable housing and community development, quality of life, and availability of funding sources, among others.

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Determine Funding Sources

The City of Asheville approved $200,000 from the Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) general fund to expand recreation opportunities at Roger Farmer Park. This amount was later increased to $247,452.

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Community Engagement and Visioning

APR met with curent and potential park users to determine best future uses of the space.

During the process, a ballfield was converted to a multi-sport field for football, Ultimate Frisbee, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, and other uses. Dugouts, fencing, and the press box were removed and the infield was sodded and converted to natural grass to remediate runoff issues.

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Project Design

Profressional project managers translated community engagement and visioning into a design that incorporates environmental compliance, building codes, cost estimation, and other requirements to reflect the community’s views in balance with feasibility.

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Project Construction

City Council unanimously approved authorization by the City Manager to execute a contract for the project.

Projects often experience delays during the construction phase due to weather, unexpected discoveries, or supply chain and labor shortages.

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Project Completion

A new sports court opens.

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Maintenance and Operation

Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) executes a maintenance and operation plan to protect this new community asset for years to come.

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Additional Improvements

In addition to improvements within the park, the City of Asheville is working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to better connect Roger Farmer Park with surrounding neighborhoods through a new sidewalk along Johnston Boulevard between Patton Avenue and Johnston Elementary School at Iona Circle.

In the vicinity of Roger Farmer Park, the proposed sidewalk will be located on the southern side of Johnston Boulevard using approximately 0.08 acres of permanent easement from the 9.24-acre park. A retaining wall has been included in project designs to minimize the project’s footprint within park property. The permanent easement will not adversely affect activities, features, and attributes of the park.

For more on the Johnston Boulevard sidewalk, visit its project page

Asheville Parks & Recreation may include additional enhancements in the park as funding becomes available.

Contact Information

Pete Wall, Assistant Director

Asheville Parks & Recreation

pwall@ashevillenc.gov

(828) 259-5800