Vision for parks unveiled
But county has no money to fund proposed facilities
Imagine hopping onto a bicycle on the Sawmill Branch trail in Summerville and peddling along a greenway all the way around Dorchester County.
You'd leave from the Eagle Run or Ashley River park in the lower county, roam through the pines to small and large parks — along the Edisto River, up toward Givhans State Park, Four Holes Swamp, Harleyville and St. George. You'd pass ballfields and canoe launches, wetland boardwalks and BMX tracks, ending up at a signature regional park of 100 acres of sports fields and naturescapes, picnic areas and fishing and boat launching piers.
That's Dorchester County's new parks and recreation master plan.
There's just one tiny problem: Paying for it all.
Budget estimates for the program begin at $10 million per year, before any new land is acquired.
And the sum of county infrastructure in place so far? "Dorchester County does not currently own or operate any recreational facilities with the exception of two senior centers," according to HadenStanziale, the landscape architecture firm that presented the plan this week.
This is the county that has tried for more than 20 years to set up some sort of park system or recreation program, that twice unsuccessfully tried referendums in the 1990s. A third attempt turned into a vote to build the senior centers.
The county hasn't been able to put together a ballfield complex comparable to Summerville's Gahagan Park, much less a park system, despite having a 50-mile southern boundary along the Edisto, the longest free-flowing blackwater river in the world, and a swamp holding the world's largest virgin cypress-tupelo stand.
In fact, the master plan doesn't call for any immediate attempt to develop parks, just to create a recreation department and get some sort of program under way using a variety of municipal parks like Gahagan and Sawmill Branch, state areas and/or school facilities.
"They're starting from the ground up. It's kind of like when you start up a sports team, you get the coach in place so you can see what the team will look like," said Jon Wood, of HadenStanziale. The overall plan wouldn't replace existing facilities, but would complement them on more of a regional basis, he said.
The $75,000 plan was put together using results from surveys that asked residents what they wanted. The plan will be available soon at www.dorchestercounty.net, officials said.
"This is something we should have done a long time ago. It's a first step, to see what we already have in place and what we can use," County Council Chairman Jamie Feltner said. "I'm pleased it was designed with a lot of public input. We found out what people are interested in."
County officials will put together plan alternatives with costs and decide whether to ask for a bond referendum or capital improvements funding, he said.
"At the end of the day it will be up to the voters of Dorchester County to decide how much parks and recreation we provide and how quickly we provide it," he said.
If nothing else, the plan and costs will give the county a basis for setting recreation impact fees, he said.
Meanwhile, the Trust for Public Land is putting together for the county, at no charge, a feasibility study on preserving public land. The study is being paid for by a trust grant.
Using both, "we can tie conservation and recreation together," Feltner said.
Reach Bo Petersen at 937-5744 or bpetersen@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
Igvar_destroyer_of_cul_de_sacs (anonymous) says...
This sounds like a pretty neat plan but I wish there would be more of a concentration on smaller neighborhood parks instead of these large regional ones. I would probably use one a few blocks from my house that I could conceivably walk to more than a mega park. Still, good ideas on the table here.
April 8, 2009 at 4:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Slick50 (anonymous) says...
I imagine after hopping on my bicycle on the Sawmill Branch trail and peddling along this imaginary greenway around Dorchester County I would encounter a lot of dirt bikes, ATVs, and dogs on leashes that stretch across the width of the path to tangle would be joggers.
Let's put this on the back burner guys. 10 million is a lot of cash. BTW....just where did the 75K to "think about it" come from? Are we back in the black already or just spending money we really don't have?
April 8, 2009 at 5:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
theronce (anonymous) says...
Someone's a little dim, but they are persistent. Let's see...couldn't get anything going up to now by any means but still spend 75K on a study for something that too few want. 75K to summarize an opinion poll...what a crock. A few knowledgeable longtime residents could put this plan down on a single sheet of notebook paper. Also, what's to stop anyone from peddling around the county now; bicyclists are a protected species now in SC. Get going.
April 8, 2009 at 7:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dawhetsell (anonymous) says...
Imagine raising everyones taxes so a couple of hundred people ride the bike paths. This will help the economy by spending our way out of debt and rasing everyones taxes.
April 8, 2009 at 9:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
henryturner (anonymous) says...
Is impact fees Mr. Feltner's answer to every question? Try an original thought for a change.
April 8, 2009 at 9:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ginj (anonymous) says...
How nice it must be to have the ability to dig into someone elses pockets to make you look good. All I can say is enough is enough!!!! My pockets are empty and I can not afford your dreams. Before developing new ways to spend OUR money, I suggest finding new ways to cut out the waste in your budget. You just got a $5K pay raise while your're looking at laying off county employees and your mind is into devloping nature trails. There have been nature trails in Dorchester county for hundreds of years and they don't need your help.
April 8, 2009 at 11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Archie1951 (anonymous) says...
Good for Dorchester County to start this process-The longer you wait the more it will cost & once the land is gone, it's too late. Wish Dorchester the best & hope to see the same in Berkeley County.
April 8, 2009 at 1:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cls014 (anonymous) says...
What about bicycle paths for commuting? Recreation is between parks is a lovely idea, but we still have more and more cars being added to our roadways. Think bigger picture! Build bike paths that will reduce the number of motorists on the roads! Maybe people would be more willing to pay taxes for transporation improvement than for leisure.
April 8, 2009 at 2:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
henryturner (anonymous) says...
Ginj,
I agree completely. What a waste of time? Just ask Mount Pleasant how easy it is to fund a recreation department. Not the business Dorchester County needs to get into.
April 8, 2009 at 3:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Numba10 (anonymous) says...
Bicycle paths for commuting is very limited concept in the area due to the long distances people in the area travel to work. Also you want to peddle home from a hard day at work in August? Or better yet how about in February in a cold driving rain? Bike paths are for leisure to relax with the kids or just for a moment of solitude away from the world on a secluded park bench.
April 8, 2009 at 4:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cantordoosh (anonymous) says...
What! My tax cents towards people who want to get outside to exercise, get some fresh air and not get run over by some terribly inconvenienced driver? This must be some sort of socialist Obamaplot.
April 8, 2009 at 11:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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