Building Parks, Building Community: An Update from Johnston County’s Parks and Open Space Director

Everyone’s asking the same thing: why is Johnston County’s new regional park taking so long? We’ve heard promises of pickleball courts, fishing ponds, and walking trails—yet the site still looks untouched. Is it money? Politics? Or something as simple as… not enough clay in the ground? In this conversation with Parks Director Adrian O’Neal, I dig into the delays, the big plans, and whether we’ll actually see this park finished before my own grandchildren are grown.