WS Chronicle

During a special ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 31, city officials unveiled a plaque at the Waterworks Waterpark honoring Marva Reid. 

The plaque, which was unveiled by Mayor Allen Joines and Councilman Derwin Montgomery, features a photo of Reid and credits her for her efforts to bring a pool to the East Winston community. 

A lifelong swimmer, Reid’s fight for a pool began in 2006 when she returned to her hometown to find all the pools in East Winston had vanished. She immediately got to work reaching out to elected officials, media outlets and community organizations spreading the word about the need for a pool. 

“When I returned home, I found East Winston in distress, but I knew I wasn’t going to leave so I stared asking questions. I didn’t see any neighborhood associations having meetings to discuss the issues, so I started it myself,” said Reid. “This first issue we wanted to address was community safety and it just snowballed from there.”

For more than 15 years as president of the East/Northeast Neighborhood Association, Reid and others urged City Council and the Winston-Salem Parks and Recreation Department to invest in the lives of the young people in East Winston. And in May of this year all that hard work paid off when the Winston Waterworks Waterpark officially opened at the corner of Waterworks and Winston Lake roads. 

The park includes a lazy river, a spray ground, water slides and a pool. 

Before unveiling the plaque, Mayor Joines and Montgomery, who represents the East Ward, applauded Reid for her hard work and dedication to uplift her community. 

“She sure had the perseverance to stay focused on pushing for this project for many, many years and we finally were able to include it in the 2014 Bonds that were approved by the voters,” said Joines. “Congratulations to you, Marva. Thank you for your sometimes not so quiet voice and pushing us to do the right thing here.” 

Montgomery, who is a co-owner of The Chronicle, said when he came into office in 2009 he remembers Reid coming to him personally to talk about the issues in the East Winston community. He said despite popular belief, they do look to citizens to help direct development in communities. 

“If you came to this facility during the summer, I’d say that this was probably one of the most diverse locations of recreation in the city of Winston-Salem and that’s what we’re about – bringing people together from diverse backgrounds and settings,” he said, “and by the impetus of Marva Reid pushing and prodding and never allowing the council or me to forget that we needed to make this investment and that we needed to restore opportunities for people to swim in this community.”

When asked how it felt to be recognized for her hard work, Reid said it gives her the motivation to do more and continue to fight for change and development in East Winston. 

“We’re not finished. It just let me know that we need to do more and that we have to continue on,” Reid said.