Image by Flickr user javaczuk
Update August 23:
Following an initial discussion of redesign possibilities for the Moultrie Playground in downtown Charleston, the public is invited to offer additional thoughts and comments during a second workshop from 6 to 7:30 p.m. August 30th at Mason Preparatory School located at 56 Halsey Boulevard.
A representative from DesignWorks, which has been assisting the Conservancy on this project, will do a presentation at 6 p.m. and comments will be accepted until 7:30 p.m. Attendees will have the chance to discuss in greater detail and comment on the following aspects of the project: traffic, history, horticulture, recreational opportunities and development opportunities. A representative from the city of Charleston also will be at the workshop to answer questions.
Representatives from The Beach Company also will be on hand for the presentation and to gather to community input. The Sergeant Jasper Apartments on Broad Street are 60 years old, and company officials have acknowledged the need to eventually improve the site with more modern facilities. Long-term master planning for the Sergeant Jasper parcel could coincide with the park’s redevelopment and may allow for an improved configuration of Moultrie Playground. The Beach Company will gather feedback from the community at a later date on commercial development opportunities in the Moultrie Playground area.
First reporting:
On Tuesday evening, Charleston Parks Conservancy Executive Director Jim Martin shared the details of the group's beautification plan that would tweak the landscape of Colonial Lake and Moultrie Playground.
Proposed in the plan was a landscaped walkway connecting Colonial Lake to the Ashley River, new tennis courts and a relocated playground. The Beach Co., which owns the Sergeant Jasper apartment, would take over the existing tennis court space along Broad Street in exchange for giving up land for a park behind whatever development it decides to build.
Martin didn't know how much the project would cost, but since the Charleston Parks Conservancy is a nonprofit group, funding (think millions) would have to come from public groups and private fundraising.
