City of Charleston seeks input on parks

What would you like to do in your parks? How can they be improved? What suggestions do you have to enhance the quality of life for Charleston residents and visitors? The City of Charleston is inviting Daniel Island and Cainhoy peninsula residents to “join the conversation” when it comes to the future of parks and recreational opportunities in the area. 

 

The city is in the process of creating a new “One Charleston: Parks & Recreation Master Plan.” The plan is expected to lead policies and provide direction for the city’s leaders as well as its parks and recreation department for the next decade. 

 

There are several ways to offer input on the plan, according to a city press release. An online survey can be completed at surveymonkey.com/r/CHSParks. Additionally, handout versions of the survey are available at city recreation and community centers, as well as throughout other city facilities. 

 

An online engagement site can also be accessed at CharlestonParks.MindMixer.com, where you may provide input throughout the year-long master planning process. The discussion topics will change as the process advances.  

 

“Currently the discussions focus on topics we usually do at public open houses, but since we cannot meet in public at this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have tried to simulate the experience,” stated the press release.  

 

The city has established a website for the master plan where you can find the links to the surveys and online engagement, as well as find out information on future workshops, presentations, and open houses.  The website is:charleston-sc.gov/ParksRecreationMasterPlan. Throughout August to mid-September, members of the master plan team will be in various parks to get input from park users. The team will be on Daniel Island collecting input on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at

the LTP Tennis Center on Seven Farms Drive. 

 

A series of stakeholder groups of park and recreation users, community leaders, and partners will also be invited to provide their input specific to their group’s interests. The draft and final master plans will be presented in a public forum later in the process.

 

Important feedback from the survey is already coming in, noted Charleston City Councilmember Marie Delcioppo of Daniel Island.

 

“One of the first comments made was the acknowledgement that the Cainhoy Peninsula has no recreational facilities,” she said. “For us to help facilitate the dedication of resources to this area, we want to hear from residents as to what their needs and desires are so we can then go about planning spaces that best accommodate these diverse interests. Since facilities — whether they be on Daniel Island or the Cainhoy Peninsula — can be enjoyed by residents in either location, it is important for all of us to participate in this quick survey.”