LAURINBURG — Scotland County Parks and Recreation is in the midst of a five-year plan that Director Bryan Graham hopes will build trust and opportunities throughout the area.
“We’ve seen tons of positive growth over the past five years, but when the multi-purpose building never came about, we had put a lot of hopes and work into that, so we were knocked off our feet,” he told the Rotary Club on Tuesday. “We wondered where we’d go from there, but I had a Plan B — something to gain community trust and build outreach throughout the county.”
That’s where the five-year plan came in.
“This was something we could do within our budget that people could see,” Graham explained. “We asked the county for $40,000 per year and they agreed.”
During the first year,improvements were made at Washington Park, where area residents were allowed to choose what kind of playground they wanted and the colors.
“That right there built trust,” Graham said.
In the second year, Hammond Park received a huge makeover that Parks and Rec partnered with the Scotland Memorial Foundation to complete.
“We were able to do $175,000 in renovations for $40,000 in taxpayer money,” Graham said. “And it was a true community build because we got help from people within the city, the fire department, the high school football and softball teams, and the Scotland Memorial Foundation.”
Currently in year three, work will get done in JC Park.
Graham said Parks and Rec also has projects going on in other areas with fencing, lighting, walking paths and even a foot golf course at the Morgan Complex.
“@We want to build diversity in our parks system so there is something for everyone,” he said. “And I like where we’re at in our third year of the five-year plan.”
He said the plan for the fourth year is to build an all-inclusive structure at the Morgan Complex that will accommodate those in wheelchairs. In the final year, he hopes to see general enhancements at all the parks, including such things as upgrading signage, benches, lighting and more.
Graham also said that, within the next couple of years, Scotland County will see the number of community centers double — from the current Scotland Place and Wagram Recreation Center to include the I. Ellis Johnson facility and the laurel Hill Community Center.
Another area Graham is proud of are the programs that have been developed for senior citizens — such as Letters of Love, the Cares Act, low-energy assistance and Medicare enrollment.
“The opportunities we create now and over the past few years will open doors and allow for positive things for the next several decades here,” he said.
W. Curt Vincxent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or [email protected]
"five" - Google News
December 01, 2021 at 01:59AM
https://ift.tt/31fcRI7
Five-year plan by Parks and Rec building trust - Laurinburg Exchange
"five" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YnPDf8
https://ift.tt/2SxXq6o
No comments:
Post a Comment