Pender County Agenda Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 6:30 PM Pender County BOCC Meeting Room 805 S Walker Street Burgaw, NC 28425 Presenter Page 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. ADOPTION OF AGENDA 4. ADOPTION OF MINUTES 4.1 1/21/26 Meeting Minutes 5. ITEMS FROM ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS 6. PUBLIC COMMENT 7. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 7.1 Approval to Submit a 2026 Parks and Recreation Trust Zach White Fund Grant Application for the Abbey Nature Preserve Trailhead 7.2 Update on the status of the Long Creek Community Zach White Park 8. NEXT MEETING DATE 8.1 5/19/26 Hampstead Annex Hampstead, NC 9. ADJOURNMENT Page 1 of 6 Pender County Agenda Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Regular Meeting Wednesday January 21st at 6:30 PM Hampstead Annex 15060 US-17 Hampstead, NC 28443 Presenter Page 1. CALL TO ORDER: 6:30pm by Ray Rosso 2. ROLL CALL: Ray Rosso, Brandi Odom, Heather Whitley, Chris Gerlich, Zach White, Elizabeth Dancy. 3. ADOPTION OF AGENDA: Motion made by Heather Whitley 2nd made by Cynthia Tart, Carried by All 4. ADOPTION OF MINUTES: Motion made by Cynthia Tart 2nd made by Heather Whitley, Carried by All 4.1 11/18/25 Meeting Minutes 5. ITEMS FROM ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Ray Rosso: “How is the ban on e-bikes going?” 6. PUBLIC COMMENT - None 7. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 7.1 2026-2027 Department Budget Request Zach White: Motion made by Cynthia Tart 2nd made by Chris Gerlich, Carried by all. • Sand Pro: o Heather Whitley: Burgaw Diamond Youth has been told they are not allowed to use their tractor to drag the fields in the upcoming season due to the laser grading. Many participants are concerned about how this will affect their field quality. o Zach White: If there are issues with the quality of maintenance of the fields the Burgaw Diamond Youth board are encouraged to reach out to make us aware. o Cynthia Tart: Will the current Sand Pro be surplused? o Zach White: It would be kept as a back-up option • Athletic light replacement: o Chris: Does changing to LED allow for fewer number of poles/lights Page 2 of 6 o Zach White: Yes, based on the assessment fields such as DDT and Pierpan could share a pole at the overlay areas. • Misc comments: o Cynthia Tart: You are not looking to add any other positions this budget year? o Zach White: We were hoping to add an Irrigation Technician but will wait to see how the workload is affected by the new parks/buildings openings. Also looking to add an additional park turf technician and a Special Events Coordinator. o Cynthia Tart: Look into contracting the irrigation technician position out. 7.2 Future Parks and Recreation Capital Projects Ranking Zach White: Motion made by Chris Gerlich 2nd made by Heather Whitley • In no particular order the top capital projects proposed by the advisory board are Land Acquisition in Maple Hill, Long Creek Community Park, and Hampstead Kiwanis Park Phase V and VI. Misc comments: • The advisory board will make talking points to present to the county commissioners about the top concerns and opportunities for each district. 8. NEXT MEETING DATE 8.1 March 17, 2026 BOCC Meeting Room in Burgaw, NC 9. ADJOURNMENT: Motion made by Cynthia Tart 2nd made by Brandi Odom, Carried by All, adjourned at 7:41pm Page 3 of 6 Pender County Approval to Submit a 2026 Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Grant Application for the Abbey Nature Preserve Trailhead Update TO: Parks & Recreation Advisory Board FROM: Zach White DATE: March 17, 2026 SUBJECT: Approval to Submit a 2026 Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Grant Application for the Abbey Nature Preserve Trailhead SUMMARY: The proposed Abbey Nature Preserve Trailhead will be developed on a 7.59-acre parcel at 90 Heart Pine Avenue in Wilmington, NC 28411. This new trailhead will establish permanent public access to the 62-acre conservation easement known as Abbey Nature Preserve. Planned amenities include a picnic shelter with restrooms, a playground, a wildflower meadow, on- site parking, and a connector trail providing direct access into the preserve. The site design also incorporates an extensive landscaping plan to create a seamless and immersive transition for visitors entering Abbey Nature Preserve. This project aligns with the 2022 Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan and advances the community’s goals for expanding access to natural areas and outdoor recreation. To date, $335,998 has been approved and allocated for the project. The County intends to pursue a 50 percent matching grant through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) to support development costs. The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) is an annual, state-funded program that provides dollar-for-dollar matching grants up to $500,000 for land acquisition and the development and improvement of parks and recreation facilities. ACTION REQUESTED: Consideration for approve to submit a 2026 Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Grant application for the Abbey Nature Preserve Trailhead. Page 4 of 6    H F E I A C G park pavilion and restrooms. D B A Park Pavilion & Restrooms B MAIN MULTI-USE PATH PAVED C PARKING LOT ~64 spaces D CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND E CONNECTION TO ABBEY PRESERVE F Stormwater pond G WILDFLOWER MEADOW H SECURED PARK ENTRY & TURNAROUND I DOg park KIDS playground to incorporate more nature based play reflective of the natural environment of abbey nature preserve. Recycled wood structures for climbing, natural slides built into hills, tunnels using recycled/donated piping. Page 5 of 6 Pender County Update on the status of the Long Creek Community Park Update TO: Parks & Recreation Advisory Board FROM: Zach White DATE: March 17, 2026 SUBJECT: Update on the status of the Long Creek Community Park SUMMARY: Staff will provide an update on the status of the Long Creek Community Park plan. ACTION REQUESTED: None. For update and discussion only. Page 6 of 6