Charles Turrentine Jr. grew up on Hamilton Street, so it was a short walk down to Chestnut Street Park, where he spent time playing basketball and hanging out with his friends.
The park is due an upgrade, and Turrentine is spearheading an effort to give the park a facelift.
As the old saying goes, all it takes is time and money.
“It’s a collective effort,” he said on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!
Turrentine’s church, Davis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, is located across the street from the park, and he said they’ve sort of adopted it, putting into action a plan to make some much-needed changes so the park can once again be a place for the whole community to enjoy.
“We’re really in action with the revitalization effort,” he said. “We want a modernized park that’s open to everyone.”
Rep. Frank Sossamon has joined the effort, and is one of several folks featured in a 2-minute video about the project, which can be seen on YouTube. Turrentine and Sossamon have known each other for a good while, and Turrentine said the pastor-turned-legislator contacted him asking how he could help.
Once the site of a tobacco warehouse, the park was donated by J.P Taylor in the early 1970’s and the surface for all the courts is the original warehouse floor. The plan includes other amenities like installing a cover over the courts, and adding water and electricity.
The first phase will be resurfacing the courts, which will involve taking down the hoops and the chainlink fencing that surrounds the park.
Turrentine said the resurfacing alone has a $20,000 price tag.
Inflation and the spike in construction materials and costs, has bumped the original estimate of about $100,000 to more like $500,000, he said. The fencing alone could cost upwards of $30,000.
He hopes to make some tweaks to the video and use a slightly longer version to help with fundraising efforts. The idea now is to get started at the beginning of 2025, using the rest of 2024 to promote the project and raise money.
There already are different ways to donate, including a GoFundMe page and making a tax-deductible donation at Davis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. All donations will go to fund the project, Turrentine said.
“We have to do it in phases, as the money comes in and we get more support,” Turrentine explained. And he is confident about the success of the project and what it will mean for the community.
“We can change the narrative of Henderson,” he said, putting aside differences and raising money to create a modern park for all to enjoy.
Find the “Every Court Has A Story – Chestnut Street Park” video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTW0q-4CXqA&t=21