Amanda Hofmann frequently visits parks across New Hanover County with her three daughters, but a lack of facilities can cut their play time short.
As the face behind WilmingtonMom on social media platforms, Hofmann has over 31,000 Instagram followers that join her family on trips to kid-friendly attractions across the Cape Fear region and beyond. Through videos on her account, she highlights destinations including the local YMCA, the new Cape Fear Museum of History and Science and the county’s parks.
But the summer heat has made it difficult for Hofmann’s family to take full advantage of the public amenities, which operate on a budget of more than $8 million taxpayer dollars annually.
Fun in the sun
Hofmann said that her family’s time at the park has been cut
short on numerous occasions due to excessive heat on the playground equipment.
“The plastic slides can get extremely hot in the heat, making them difficult for little ones to use safely and comfortably,” Hofmann said. “I’d love to see more shade structures, mature trees and sun sails utilized throughout our parks.”
Hofmann reached out to the county to see if they could install more shade infrastructure in its parks. While final decisions on the installations have not yet been made, county staff said that the Parks and Gardens team is developing a plan of how to move forward. The county already has plans to add shade at the Ogden Dog Park during the current fiscal year.
Hofmann said that she would like to see a variety of additions in county parks, including fully fenced-in playgrounds, water bottle refill stations, accessible restrooms with changing tables and more splash pads.
“Ultimately, I’d love to see parks designed around the whole family,” Hofmann said. “Parents need comfortable places to sit, babies and toddlers need safe areas to play, older kids need opportunities to explore, and families need amenities that allow us to actually stay and enjoy the park instead of leaving because of the heat.”
Pushing for playgrounds
County Parks and Gardens Director Jodi Rich said that public requests are the number one way for her team to find out what’s missing from county parks.
“Amanda is connected to so many parents who use the parks and playgrounds so her request helped us learn where people feel that shade would be helpful,” Rich said.
Rich said that the county is always looking to develop diverse offerings at its parks, as not all visitors seek out the same features. Work is wrapping up on one of the most unique amenities in New Hanover: a BMX pump track at Northern Regional Park.
Rich said that skateboarding, cycling and multi-purpose trail facilities are among the top requested improvements. A 2.5-mile trail will run along North College Road from Gordon Road to the new Northchase Library and is expected to be completed next fall. In 2027, the county will construct a South College Road trail running from the 17th Street extension to Monkey Junction.
Daniel Sheehan covers New Hanover County for the StarNews. Reach him at dsheehan@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: How a Wilmington influencer is pushing for improvements at county parks
