Middleton Park Lost a Playground This Fall. What Comes Back Depends on a Plan Oak Island Already Wrote

"The playground equipment at Middleton Park (next to Town Hall) is in serious need of an upgrade. Equipment is very rusty with metal broken off." A resident wrote that in the public comments collected for Oak Island's 2026–2031 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan. It was on paper months before any equipment came out.

On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the town removed the E.F. Middleton Playground after a safety review found it unsafe and not worth repairing. New equipment is expected sometime in 2027. No date has been set, because Parks & Recreation is still lining up the money. When a replacement shows up, and what it looks like, will depend heavily on that master plan. The town adopted it this spring, and its consultant said its job is to back up grant applications.

One playground came out, one stayed

Middleton Park Complex had two separate playgrounds, and only one is gone. The Town's Parks & Facilities page lists them separately:

So the swings beside the Police Department are still usable. The climbing structure and slides are what's missing. The Pirate Ship is the only play structure left in the complex.

The complaints were on record first

The master plan's appendix includes long lists of open-ended resident comments, and several are about this park's play areas. Among them:

• Asking for "non-skid material added to the playground ramps," because "people fall daily, yes daily on this park because of the slippery black slopes"
• Asking for restrooms closer to the play area, since "it is unacceptable how far one has to travel with a child to use the restrooms"
• Asking for "more permanent shade near the park" and more tables
• A general request for "more public restrooms, expand splash pad, and playground equipment"

The plan's summary of comments by facility lists "Upgrade the playground equipment" under Middleton Park Complex, next to calls for more shade and a restroom near the splash pad. One comment raised a different gap: "We need a toddler park by the splash pad. The Pirate ship is too big for toddlers."

That toddler comment matters more now. With the E.F. Middleton equipment gone, the only climbing structure left at the complex is the one that resident called too big for small children.

Why the plan matters more than the proposals

The town has already done the first step. Proposals for replacement equipment were due Sept. 15, 2026, and in October Parks & Recreation said it was reviewing them while also seeking grant funding and sponsorship or naming opportunities. According to the town, the exact replacement won't be decided until more grant money is secured.

That's where the master plan comes in. The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board adopted it on December 1, 2025, and the Town Council adopted it unanimously at its April 14, 2026 meeting. According to the council minutes, a council member asked how to keep the plan from becoming a shelf document. Consultant Dr. James Herstine answered that not every recommendation would be done in five years, but the plan "provides essential documentation for grant applications and gives staff prioritization tools."

The best-known state program for local park projects is the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. On the NC State Parks PARTF applicant page, the next application deadline is May 3, 2027, at 5:00 p.m., with a technical-review milestone on March 15, 2027. Local governments can request up to $500,000 per application and must match it dollar for dollar. The town hasn't said which grants it is pursuing. Still, that calendar shows how state grant cycles work. Money tied to a spring 2027 deadline would arrive well after the deadline itself, which fits the town's "sometime in 2027" estimate.

How playgrounds ranked island-wide

The same plan explains why a playground request has to rest on this specific park. The community survey asked residents which facilities the town needed. Playground equipment got 91 responses, or 11% of respondents. Crosswalks for pedestrians got 66%, public restrooms 53%, and on-street bike lanes 48%.

Across the whole island, then, playgrounds are a minor priority. At Middleton Park they are a specific, documented problem with comments about rust, broken metal and slippery ramps. That's the version of the case a grant reviewer would read.

The plan's recommendations for Middleton Park Complex focus on shade, restrooms and a different kind of play space, and none of them calls for a one-for-one replacement of the E.F. Middleton structure.

1. Shade sails directly over the Pirate Ship Playground
2. Shade sails over the Splashpad
3. A "Senior Playground" where the concrete cornhole boards sit now
4. Shade trees along the fitness path, plus a permanent restroom with a rinse-off station near the amphitheater

The plan also proposes play space off the Middleton campus. For Bill Smith Park, it recommends two accessible playgrounds south of the pond, one for ages 2 to 5 and one for ages 5 to 12. The idea isn't new. The previous 2020–2025 plan called for two covered playgrounds there for the same age groups. The new plan's status review records that "there are no plans for playgrounds at the park" and carries a revised version of the recommendation into the current plan. Separately, the comment summary records a request under Veterans Memorial Park for "a children's playground similar to Ocean Isle Beach."

Put together, the plan describes small-child play space spread across the island, with shade and age-specific equipment. That's broader than swapping in one new structure next to the Police Department, and the plan is the document grant reviewers will see.

Where to take the kids until then

Until new equipment goes in, these are the options with official listings. The Pirate Ship stays first on the list for anyone already on the island.

1. Pirate Ship Playground, SE 46th Street behind Oak Island Town Hall, open sunrise to sunset. The E.F. Middleton swings are a short walk away for kids who just want to swing.
2. Dutchman Creek Park, Fish Factory Road, run by Brunswick County. The county lists a playground and restrooms on 30 acres. Restrooms address one of the main complaints about Middleton.
3. Alvin C. Caviness Park, West Owens Street between North Caswell Avenue and Clarendon Avenue in Southport. It has children's playground equipment, full- and half-court basketball, a picnic shelter, a grill and a stage. Southport city parks are open dawn to dusk.
4. Lowe-White Memorial Park, East Leonard Street in Southport. It has playground equipment, two tennis courts, a half-court basketball court and hiking trails.
5. Robert Muse Memorial Park, 155 E. Boiling Spring Road in Boiling Spring Lakes. It has a playground, shade-covered swings, a gaga ball pit, a concrete foosball table, a quarter-mile walking track and picnic shelters. Charles Schneiders Park in the same city, at 970 Mirror Lake Road, has finished renovations and has a playground with swings.

Families heading to Southport's Franklin Square Park or Waterfront Park should know neither official listing includes playground equipment. The Waterfront does list swings along with its fishing pier and walkways. The Oak Island Recreation Center at 3003 E Oak Island Drive runs programs and day camps, but its facility page doesn't list outdoor playground equipment.

The town says it will announce the replacement on its OKInformation page once one is chosen. Progress is also tracked on the Town Projects page under the E.F. Middleton Park Playground entry.

Marc follows projects like this because the parks near a house shape how it gets used, by a family that lives there year-round or by grandkids visiting for a week each summer. If you'd like to talk through how Middleton Park, Bill Smith Park or any other part of the island fits the way you use your home, Marc Stollings is glad to share what he's seeing. Let's Connect.