On Monday March 9, 2026, the Board of Commissioners along with Mayor Bill Harris discussed upcoming changes to Fuquay-Varina and the fiscal budget. The first proposed investment, with an intended budget of $1.1 million, is a plan to improve Library Park, which could include its own plaza, mini golf course and a veterans memorial located at 115 South Aiken Street.
The contents of this park have been discussed amongst commissioners when opened for comment and discussion.
Commissioner Bryan Haynes said, “We want something there but I don’t think right now we know fully what needs to go there. I love the military memorial, but I just feel like Library Park is not suitable for me. I feel like that’s a little too congested to be able to have, say if we wanted, a celebration or something for our veterans. I want the veterans memorial and I’m here for the support, but I think we should find another location for it.”
This was similarly followed up with Commissioner Charlie Adcock in agreement who said, “I just don’t feel like either concept was right. To me it feels a little forced, and for a spot as important as downtown, I don’t want to force it. Basically let’s back off from it for a while. We’ve got more stuff for parts than we’ve got for money. If we’ve got something everybody’s not feeling really positive about or convinced, I’d say let’s just hold off for a little while. As far as the veterans memorial, I’m not sure the best location for it, but I think we need to do a better job of involving our veterans and specifically the American Legion.”
This discussion went on as a major portion of the meeting and included a variety of opinions from the Board of Commissioners. One opinion was unsupportive of the memorial being in such a focused part of the town while another was focusing more so on the “aging” shelter at the park as described by Mayor Pro Tem Marilyn Gardner,
“I do think it is important that we stabilize or replace that aging shelter. It is used because a lot of people plan their own meetings there so I would like to see us use that spot for people to hangout,” said Gardner.
A third concept from the board was addressed by Commissioner Larry Smith who said, “We are going to have to, sooner rather than later, reallocate some space for our very successful concert series,” in reference to the “Follow me to Fuquay-Varina” concert series.
Overall, this discussion became a very active and large part of the meeting and allowed for many points of view to be discussed. Eventually, a consensus was determined that things need to be focused on what was already contained in Library Park, such as the shelter, and in addition, more tables and benches should be added in order to provide more comfort and for anyone in need.
