Irmo Council Approves Purchase for New Town Park

The Town of Irmo will soon have a larger town park and a permanent home for the Okra Strut Festival after council members approved purchasing 14 acres on Eastview Drive. 

The purchase, which is not to exceed $230,000, was approved 3-1 during council's regular meeting Tuesday night. 

Council member Kathy Condom excused herself from discussion and voting.

Opposing the purchase was Mayor Hardy King who said he had concerns about the price of the project, which he said could cost up to more than $1 million with purchase and development, and concerns about how often the park and its features would be used outside of the two-day festival.

Bob Brown, the town's administrator, said he thinks the price for the project will be much less especially if the town applies and receives grant money to help fund the project. 

"It's just a conceptual drawing," Brown said of the property designs presented Tuesday night. "We'll probably make lots of changes."

"There's things we can do to save money. We're not going to do everything they (engineering firm) proposed." 

Council members received information from two engineering firms about plans for Eastview and plans for another site the council was considering.

That site, which is the old Silver Fox tennis club property on Lake Murray Boulevard, was 4.8 acres and higher in cost. 

There was no motion made or action taken on the Silver Fox property.

Mayor Pro Tem Barry A. Walker Sr. said he evisions the new town park, which could feature an amphitheater, a playground, a dog park and walking trails, "as a place that will be a jewel for the town of Irmo from now until the future."

"I'm envisioning a location that we can do things at that we can't do now at our (current) town park," Walker said. "Just like this town park, people didn't want it."

"People didn't want it in the back of their church but I guarantee they use it. We're taking this same little concept for this park and putting it on steriods, and putting it in a 14-acre location that we're going to have for the next 150 years."

Walker also said he sees the park as a collaborative effort with local organizations such as the Arbor Day Committee and the Greater Irmo Chamber of Commerce. 

Walker said he doesn't see the new park as being negative at all despite concerns from residents around the proposed location that said they fear an increase traffic and other disturbances. 

"I see this as a postive thing for our community, something we'll be proud of."

The Okra Strut Festival has been housed in several locations throughout the years with the recent location being at the Irmo Village Shopping Center.