County Parks Seek Public Input

The first of three public-comment sessions begins tonight seeking input on the future of county owned land that will eventually be used as public parks.

The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission wants to hear ideas from the public on how more than 3,000 acres of recently acquired land should be used. The lands include nearly 400 acres at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center and 1,628 additional acres in West Ashley, as well as 813 acres in McClellanville, among other properties.

The Parks for Tomorrow initiative wants to hear from all community residents. Public Workshops will be conducted at various area schools on June 19-21 and July 24-26, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day.

WORKSHOP DATES
• Tuesday, July 24: Burke High School’s media center (244 President St., Charleston);
• Wednesday, July 25: Baptist Hill High School’s cafeteria (5117 Baptist Hill Rd., Yonges Island);
• Thursday, July 26: St. James Santee Elementary School’s cafeteria (8900 Hwy. 17 North, McClellanville).

Gathering input on topics including parks, recreation, and trails to incorporate into the agency’s master plan, this public initiative is dubbed Parks for Tomorrow.

The campaign will take into consideration the existing facilities, programs, and services, and conduct a comprehensive community input process to determine the current and future level of service for the Lowcountry.

Parks for Tomorrow will create a new Parks, Recreation and Trails Master Plan to prioritize the needs and desires for upgrading existing and potentially creating new facilities and services. This plan will help to determine the phasing, timing, funding and other details for these projects and services for the next 10 years.

One of the important factors of the plan is to determine the funding sources that are available and supported to implement the needs of the community. Nationally-known parks and recreation management consulting firm GreenPlay LLC is helping CCPRC to oversee the campaign and their master plan update process.

In addition to these six public meetings, a citizen survey is being conducted amongst households within the area. The results will be utilized during the community input phase and throughout the process. Internal and external focus groups will also be conducted, featuring not only CCPRC staff and commissioners but also select key community leaders in various subjects such as special events, outdoor recreation, trails, community enrichment and outreach.

Read more about the overall vision for county parks on the CCPRC website.