GREENVILLE, N.C. - A busy season of improvements and repairs is on the horizon for the Greenville Town Common. The upcoming work is part of the Greenville Recreation and Parks Department's focus on the master plan for the City's "Central Park."

Over the next several months, there will be repairs to the park's Inclusive Playground, installation of a long-planned kayak and canoe launch, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Sycamore Hill Gateway Plaza, establishment of a picnic pavilion, and the construction of a bathroom in the park.

"This is an exciting time for our town's premiere green space," Recreation and Parks Director Gary Fenton said. "Good things are coming, but like all improvements, there are going to be some temporary inconveniences and growing pains."

The park will remain open, however, at times, access to some areas of the park will be interrupted. The first such interruption is scheduled to begin March 12 with repairs to the Inclusive Playground. The foundation of the playground's surface is in need of repairs. During the repairs, the playground will be closed. The work is expected to be complete within one month unless weather causes delays.

"During the beautiful weather last weekend, the Town Common and the Inclusive Playground were crowded with people. It was great to see everyone enjoying the park," Fenton said. "We regret the inconvenience of having to close the playground, but the surfacing needs to be fixed to keep it safe. The good news is it should be open again in early spring without missing too much of the nice weather."

Also during March, contractors will begin installing the park's new accessible kayak and canoe launch. The launch will be installed near the park's pier and boat ramp. The work, beginning March 19, will temporarily close boating access to the Tar River. The launch installation is expected to take 45 days, as long as weather or high water do not delay the process.

In mid-April, the City of Greenville will begin the 30-month Town Creek Culvert project. As a result, the gravel parking lot at the Town Common will be closed and used as a staging area for Town Creek Culvert contractors for the entirety of the project. Additionally, there will be a 1-2 week period during the spring in which the access to the parking lot near the boat launch will be inaccessible.

After a bidding process is complete, the bathroom construction and installation of the picnic pavilion will be scheduled. Construction is expected to take 90 days once the project begins.

Change will come to the west end of the Town Common beginning in August when a groundbreaking will be held for the construction of the Sycamore Hill Gateway Plaza.

Signage will be placed in work areas to alert park visitors. Updates and progress reports also can be found by following the Recreation and Parks Facebook account (@grpdinfo) or the City's Facebook account (@CityofGreenvilleNC) and Twitter account (@GreenvilleGov). For more information or concerns, contact the Recreation and Parks Department at (252) 329-4567.