News Release »
| Beverly Eaves Perdue, Governor | Dee Freeman, Secretary |
| N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources |  |
| Release: Immediate | Contact: Charlie Peek | |
| Date: 2009-10-19 | Phone: (919) 715-8709 |
Merchants Millpond State Park to Dedicate New Visitor Center
RALEIGH -- A new 9,500-square-foot visitor center at Merchants Millpond State Park in Gates County, which was designed to national green building standards, will be formally dedicated Oct. 24 by the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
The 10 a.m. ceremony is open to the public and will celebrate an important milestone in the history of the state park.
Similar to visitor centers built at 18 state parks and state recreation areas since 1994, the facility at Merchants Millpond offers a unique design reflecting the park’s character and represents an investment of $2.8 million by the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, the principal funding source for capital improvements and land acquisition in the state parks system.
“More than 200,000 visitors make their way into this unique state park each year, and this facility will add to their experience,” said Lewis Ledford, director of the division. “Beyond being a focal point for the park and a gathering place for visitors, the center will serve an important educational role with an integrated exhibit hall, auditorium and classrooms.”
Museum-quality exhibits explore the importance of the millpond in the community’s history and the park’s natural resources, including four distinct natural communities around the millpond and the adjoining Lassiter Swamp. The project also includes a freestanding, 600-square-foot outdoor classroom that will provide a natural setting for the park’s environmental education programs.
The state parks system increased its commitment to sustainability in 2008 by seeking certification for all large projects by the national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Building Council. Features at the Merchants Millpond visitor center that target certification include ground source heating and cooling, maximum open space and day lighting, energy efficient lights, waterless urinals and rainwater harvest cisterns. The building’s Atlantic white cedar siding came from naturally felled trees in Dismal Swamp State Park.
The structure was designed in a “Down East” tradition by Frank Harmon, Architect, of Raleigh, and general contractor was SEVAC Corporation of Portsmouth, Va. The exhibits were designed by Riggs Ward Design of Richmond, Va. and constructed by Color Ad of Manassas, Va.
Merchants Millpond State Park was established in 1973 and now encompasses 3,352 acres.
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