After a $5 million investment and several years of on-site work, Quarry Park is now open to the public – though many of those attending the opening did reminisce about sneaking into the site in years past.
The project was approved after a 2014 bond referendum and includes the Waughtown Greenway Connector.
City officials cut the ribbon while standing in front of the park's freshwater lake. Council Member James Taylor Jr. says this is a renaissance for the Southeastern part of Winston-Salem.
“The quarry is the first step," he notes. "We've got the golf course, we've got Salem Lake, we've got the district police office, we've got all of the trails that hold this all together. You're looking at the infusion of millions of dollars into the southeastern portion of the community, and there are more to come.”
Taylor says there will likely be another bond referendum in the next couple years that could bring an amphitheater to the site.
The more than 200-acre park includes overlooks, an elevated observation pier above the lake, and green space.