Jam spot could move down street
By Matt Caulder
Published in News on August 23, 2013 1:46 PM
News-Argus/DENNIS HILL
The Embers closed out the Downtown Jam summer concert series Thursday evening. From left, guitarist Jeff Grimes and horn players Wayne Free and Stephen Pachuta help belt out a number. The series of shows, sponsored by the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp., might be moving down the street to the Cornerstone Commons area next year, officials say.
Future expansion plans for Cornerstone Commons could see Center Street Jams eventually moving about a block away to the space that could double in size and be utilized as a downtown park, city officials say.
While the project to expand Cornerstone Commons and move the concert series there from the Waynesborough House parking lot are not at the top of the city's priority list right now, Parks and Recreation Director Scott Barnard says it is "a close fourth or fifth."
"To say Parks and Recreation would be taking over would be an overstatement," Barnard said. "It's not cumbersome for them, but if something doesn't work there is no mechanism for them to immediately deal with it."
Barnard said that Parks and Rec is set up to handle those types of situations on weekends because they have an on-call person who is already working.
"He's not at his house, he's working and ready to go," he said.
Barnard is not sure what additions would be made to the park, but envisions a playground or water splashpad being possible additions to the space in the future.
"There has been a desire for a downtown farmers market shown," he said.
He said the goal of the Streetscape and projects like the expansion of Cornerstone Commons would be to get more people downtown and keep them there longer.
"I mean it's no secret that we want to grow the downtown area, and a farmers market could keep people down there longer," Barnard said.
The project is not being looked at as part of the possible bond referendum that has been discussed to cover greenways improvements, the construction of a multi-sports complex, the new W.A. Foster Center and renovations and improvements to Herman Park and Herman Park Center, and unless another funding source is found, a timetable on any expansion is fuzzy at best.