Charleston’s Martin Luther King monument facing long steps

The group organizing a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. monument for Charleston said part of the hurdle will be in getting federal authorities to approve some of the steps along the way.

“Some (agreements) are going to have to be signed off by the director of the National Park Service for us to proceed,” Tim Stone, superintendent of the Fort Sumter National Monument, said Thursday during a meeting on the effort.

Charleston City Council earlier approved a new memorial to King at Liberty Square, not far from the S.C. Aquarium and the Charleston waterfront.

But because the targeted site is owned by the Park Service, the federal government is going to be closely involved. The proposed site is just outside the Fort Sumter Visitors Center.

The project has a $500,000 fundraising budget, with most of the cost to be sought from private donors.

The tribute to King has been in the works for more than a decade. One project plus, Mayor Joe Riley said, is that representatives of the closely guarded King estate are supportive of the effort.

The city’s only current public tribute to the late civil rights leader is a street sign marking the neighborhood around Spring and Cannon streets as the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial District.

Because the artist and concept evaluation process is still down the road, the size and scope of the King monument has not been determined. A display target date also has not been set.

The effort is separate from the International African-American Museum planned for nearby.

Reach Schuyler Kropf at 937-5551, or follow on Twitter at skropf47.