By Amanda Raymond

amanda.raymond@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — As plans for the Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Park move along, organizers are asking the community to help clear out some of the underbrush on the property.

A cleanup day for the site of the future park is planned from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 11.

The Rev. Julius Koonce, head organizer and pastor of Christ Transformation Center, held a groundbreaking for the park in February 2016.

Koonce said Black History Month is a good time to get some work done on the area.

Koonce plans to convert the 7 acres at 910 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. into a park with walking trails, tennis courts, a soccer field and a community garden. He also wants to have a building on the property that will serve as a place where people can take classes for the GED, continuing education, substance abuse treatment, health education and disease prevention, as well as a place for special events.

The cleanup will focus on the park area, but Koonce said he would like to clean up the surrounding area as well. He encouraged participants to bring cutting tools like hatchets, machetes and swing blades.

“We want to get the community involved,” Koonce said. “We want to make it a black history-type moment as well.”

For more information about the cleanup, contact Rev. Julius Koonce at 336-587-5764 or jkoonce5764@gmail.com.

Contact reporter Amanda Raymond at 704-797-4222.