The Town of Garner is pleased to announce the Grand Opening of White Deer Park. On Sunday, Nov. 1, from noon to 5 p.m., Garner residents and guests can visit Garner’s newest park and enjoy the many activities planned for the Grand Opening Ceremony and Nature Festival.

An afternoon of celebration and exploration has been planned as visitors and guests are able to see and experience all of the wonderful features this nature park has to offer. White Deer Park is located at 2400 Aversboro Road, adjacent to Garner’s Lake Benson Park.

Residents and guests are invited to spend the afternoon strolling along the nature trails, enjoying the wildflower meadow and arboretum, and learning more about the park’s green features and nature center. All areas of the park, along with its trails, picnic shelters, gardens, playgrounds, and the park’s 2500 square foot Nature Center and learning deck will be open to be enjoyed by all, with many areas hosting special activities for children and adults. The Nature Festival will offer nature exhibits, children’s nature activities, educational displays, refreshments and park tours that will highlight the many green features of the park and nature center, during the afternoon.

A dedication ceremony and “green” ribbon cutting will be held adjacent to the park’s Nature Center at 3 pm. Garner Mayor, Ronnie Williams, along with Garner’s Elected Officials, staff and special guests, will join with residents to dedicate this park to the community and to celebrate the many years of enjoyment and educational opportunities it will bring to the community.

Along with Garner’s Lake Benson Park, which sits adjacent to White Deer Park, this area provides over 160 acres of contiguous park property for Garner citizens and visitors to enjoy.

White Deer Park is the result of extensive planning. First called for in the Garner Parks and Recreation 1998 Comprehensive Master Plan, the park’s own master plan is the result of many hours of planning and community input and represents what is believed to be the best and most creative use of the property for the community.

Town administrators had the foresight to recognize the need for additional park land and purchased the acreage, which for many years was a local strawberry farm in 2001. With the help of a grant from the North Carolina Park and Recreation Trust Fund, the project was able to move from vision to reality. The park’s design and development team began the process of creating the design and construction plan, which was based on the vision brought to them by residents, staff, and Town administrators. The team consisted of Town of Garner staff, obs Landscape Architects, Cherry Huffman Architects, Design Dimension, Stewart Engineering, Consider Design and Geo. Raper & Son, Inc., who was chosen to be the project’s general contractor.

As a first step toward LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating certification, the Town of Garner has registered this project with the U.S. Green Building Council to achieve silver LEED certification. The park’s Nature Center will be the Town of Garner’s first LEED accredited building.

The Nature Center will be one of twenty LEED certified municipal buildings in North Carolina and one of four in Wake County.