Dix Park Conservancy announces major donor’s $1M-plus gift
The Dix Parks Conservancy announced a $1 million gift Tuesday from the Gregory Poole Equipment Co. to support the transformation of the park.
The company now joins 21 other major donors named Founding Members of the 308-acre park in Raleigh. The conservancy plans to announce all of them in the coming weeks, said Christy Smith, a Dix Park Conservancy spokesperson.
The Poole family is a longtime contributor to the project. Conservancy CEO Janet Cowell called Greg Poole Jr. a “tireless advocate and catalyst for the park’s creation.” His son Greg Poole III has taken up the torch since succeeding his father in running the company in 1999.
A $100,000 portion of the company’s combined $1.1 million donation will help pay for renovations on the Greg Poole Jr. All Faiths Chapel which were completed in 2021. The chapel is now home to the Conservation Corps NC, according to Smith.
“We were delighted to help renovate the Greg Poole, Jr. All Faiths Chapel which was named in my father’s honor, and we are eager to be a part of building this amazing Park that will benefit all citizens throughout our broad community,” Poole said in a statement.
On Aug. 27, the Conservancy will be hosting a screening of “Stay Prayed Up” in the chapel, followed by a live performance by The Branchettes, a North Carolina gospel group.
This summer marks a number of events at Dix Park including the upcoming groundbreaking ceremony for the Gipson Play Plaza, a nearly 19 acre area along Lake Wheeler Road near the front of the park that will feature a waterfall and various play zones.
The Gipson Play Plaza is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
