From garbage to green

An old city garage has gone from grease pit to green patch.

Grown-ups stood on stage to dedicate Charleston's newest park on Saturday morning. But the children who came with them didn't pay any mind; they were too busy putting a swing set, a playground and an oversized chess board to use.

"There has seldom been a more collaborative effort in this city than the creation of this park," Mayor Riley said during the dedication.

Welcome to Elliotborough Park.

The property on 134 Line St. has gone through a dramatic a transformation. When Riley took office in 1975, sanitation workers parked smelly garbage trucks there. Truck repairs took place in an adjacent city garage.

More recently, the parcel sat unused. About 2 1/2 years ago, area residents approached City Hall about creating some green space.

Cannonborough-Elliotborough Neighborhood Association President Claire Xidis said it started with a community meeting. The city liked the idea, and agreed to donate the land.

Medical University of South Carolina Children's Hospital helped secure funding for a playground in the form of a $60,000 grant from the Allstate Little Hands Foundation. The Injury Free Coalition for Kids had identified the area as one in need of safer playgrounds, based on emergency-room data.

Johnson Controls, Inc., an international company contracted by the city, donated in $12,500 and had 50 executives volunteer for a day. The state's PalmettoPride anti-litter campaign gave $2,000 for community garden patches, some of which are reserved for Mitchell Elementary School, just on the other side of the Crosstown Expressway.

The former garage that runs the length of the property remains run down, though the city has plans to turn it into a mixture of office space, a meeting room and possibly a miniature gym, said Matt Compton, the city's deputy director of parks.

Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com