Miller Park Upgrades & Stream Restoration
Consultation has concluded
H.L. Miller Park is located in the heart of downtown Wake Forest, adjacent to several municipal buildings including the Wake Forest Town Hall and Wake Forest Police Department. The park is bordered by a municipal parking lot, which serves the Town Hall and hosts a weekly Farmer’s Market, and a large, developed parcel owned by Wake Electric Membership Corporation (Wake Electric).
The two-acre wooded park features picnic tables and paved trails with three pedestrian wooden bridges that loop throughout the park.
There are two stormwater control measures (SCMs) situated in the park and two stream features that merge within the park. USGS named Spring Branch, a primary stream, initially flows from the South Franklin Street culvert onto the Wake Electric property before entering the park property in the north-eastern corner. The other stream, a USGS unnamed tributary (UT), flows from the South Taylor Street culvert in the north-western corner and meanders between the park and Wake Electric properties before its confluence with Spring Branch within the park boundary. Below the confluence, Spring Branch flows to a culvert near the traffic circle of Elm Avenue and South Franklin Street.
There is significant erosion downstream of both SCM outfalls and several other outfalls in the park and the stream is incised with vertical banks that are eroding and contributing sediment to the reach. The overland erosion from the outfalls is undermining the existing paved trails, causing structural damage to the asphalt. The wooden pedestrian bridges are in poor condition as well.
The Town of Wake Forest (Town) has requested McAdams to develop this proposal for a conceptual design to enhance and restore this highly visible and unstable stream to improve water quality and safety and renovate the park’s amenities and greenway system to provide greenway connectivity. The project areas differ between the stream restoration, greenway and park design concepts.
Survey
Wake Forest residents and visitors to Miller Park are invited to complete a short survey.
The Town has three main priorities for the park upgrades: 1) stream restoration, 2) greenway path upgrades, and 3) maintaining a nature oasis.
We need your feedback to determine what other park amenities you'd like to see and your input on how we can incorporate public art while preserving and protecting existing trees and the overall character of the park.
Share Your Feedback
You're also invited to submit any questions or concerns you have using the "Share Your Feedback" form below.
We want to hear from you!
Consultation has concludedWho's Listening
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Phone 919-435-9510 Email smeyer@wakeforestnc.gov -
Phone 919-435-9442 Email msarna@wakeforestnc.gov
Miller Park could perhaps incorporate some concepts from the Kids Together Playground in Cary for a part of the renovation. It's heavy tree canopy provides lots of shade, has wide, concrete pathways, lots of comfy non-metal benches, a covered area with about 6 metal picnic tables next to a nice restroom building, sandpit for kids with construction toys, etc.
Please check it out!😊Thank you!
It is important to me to remove invasives and install natural plantings. Love the natural shallow stream.
Can a structure be added to the existing parking to give shelter for the farmers market? Asheboro has a great example of what could be done and bathrooms are incorporated into the structure. When the farmers market is not in use, it serves as a public parking lot and the shelter can be rented for small events.
Wonderful idea! Keep natural (no playground) - have Kiwanis Park nearby. Have plenty of benches - for people to sit on while enjoying nature (great for seniors). Bridges nice. STream is great - for children to play in - something very unique in a downtown setting. Add Bluebird boxes. Ensure access from all 4 sides.
I agree with preserving the creek and lowering the banks. I disagree with major construction projects, including but not limited to restrooms (Town Hall a short distance away), large shelters (encourages encampments), and installing recreational courts or fields (not enough room, it's only 2 acres). I do agree with repaving the walkways and touching up the bridges. I would encourage the planting of more trees and bushes along the streetways as noise dampeners. If any new installments must be made, I would prefer a small nature playground for children that includes traditional swings, a slide, and boulders to climb on.
I am probably one of the few who would only like to see minimal improvements to the park. I would like to see a few more park benches and the pavement needs to be improved along with the drainage along the paths. Other than those improvements, I would like to see it be a place where a person can rest and reflect in the middle of town.
A garden or butterfly highway.
It was a well planned park, and needs very little improvements. Fix the erosion and plant better/more trees where the Pines were taken down for the sidewalk expansion across from the fire station
Please do not cut down the trees if at all possible! Restoring the stream would be great. Any public art included should not require any removal of trees! Please consider doing something to memorialize Mr. Miller & the many contributions he made to WF. Most folks have no idea who he was! that piece to me is far more important than the public art. If you were to do something with public art consider something interactive for the kiddos but do not under any circumstances remove trees for playground. Give kids a natural area to explore & learn since everywhere else is being developed.
Thank you so very much for beginning this restoration and enhancement of H.L.Miller Park! Henry Miller was my Grandfather, and I live nearby as do several of his Great & Great-great Grandchildren. He loved Wake Forest, was a former Mayor and a benefactor. I would love to see some sort of small, historical information display about him in the park, and can provide that if needed. The park is a welcome, serene oasis in a now booming town. I would like to see wide walkways, a natural (wooden) play space for small kids, (no big steel structures), family-friendly/interactive artscapes, more benches and bench swings, handicap-friendly access, covered picnic area, some open space without removing too many trees. I don't prefer restrooms in the park, but feel some public facilities are needed in the general area. Again, thank you for giving us the opportunity to submit our thoughts and desires for enhancing H.L.Miller Park. I also completed the survey.
Please keep as much greenery and shade as possible. This is my favorite park to sit in the shade and read a book. Listen to the birds. Just lovely. Natural as possible
Keep greenway through park, keep trees, add additional art sculptures, add Disk golf course within park
If we installed permeable pavers and some rain gardens that would help with maintenance of water run off and erosion. I am happy to volunteer to help with planting a rain garden or plants!
I also think that we could consider hosting park yoga. Also - maybe for the entry could we build something similar to the wisteria walkway in Japan? As traffic increases it would lessen noise and add a magical touch as you enter the park.
Trim back trees, improve landscaping, add some benches. Possibly cutting some trees down in the center and plant grass/flowers with benches.
Thank you for including public art as part of your survey. Miller Park is my absolute favorite place in town, and I think we have the opportunity to create a mini crown jewel of a park just as Joyner is a massive crown jewel. I would like for more people to be drawn to this space so they can know and love it as I do.