Information Contributed by Johnston County Public Information
After years of planning, coordinating and hoping, the vision of some dedicated members of the Cleveland Community is finally coming to fruition.
Work is officially underway on Johnston County’s first-ever county-owned park. Crews have begun construction at 444 Matthews Road in the Cleveland community, marking the start of Johnston Regional Park — an 82-acre, amenity-filled recreation complex located in one of the fastest-growing areas of the county.
“Work has started and is going very well so far,” said Adrian O’Neal, head of the county’s Parks and Open Space Department. “The pond is being excavated and all of the protective measures for construction are in place.”
Although a groundbreaking celebration that was supposed to take place in December had to be cancelled due to inclement weather, a ribbon cutting ceremony will instead be held when the first phase of the work is complete later this year.
Construction of Johnston Regional Park will be in phases, with four pickleball courts, two basketball courts, a fishing pond and parking up first. Later phases will bring multi-use fields, walking trails, a playground, dog park, disc golf course, skate park and amphitheater.
The county bought the land in 2020 from a group of Cleveland residents who had banded together to purchase 70 acres as a way to ensure that their fast-growing community would have parkland for its residents.
Denton Lee was among the five residents who bought the land initially.
“The first phase of the park will help address the need for open space, recreational space and off-road walking trails for the more than 45,000 citizens who live within 5 miles of the park,” Lee said. “We will have a park where children and adults can safely be outdoors and enjoy recreational opportunities on public land. For me personally, the ground-breaking is a satisfying benchmark in a long effort to see this beautiful 82-acre property become a park.”
A mix of grant and county dollars will fund the $4 million cost of phase one construction, O’Neal said.For updates on the park’s progress, follow along at www.johnstonnc.gov/parks.
