Planned Foundry Road park embraced by south side residents

One of the most ambitious city recreation projects in years got a welcome reception by residents Monday, who said converting the former Greenwood Mills Foundry site into a park would spark a neighborhood revitalization.

“This has been on the radar for a decade or more,” City Manager Charlie Barrineau said.

The 13.5-acre site at 1801 Foundry Road was purchased by the Greenwood Housing Authority’s nonprofit arm from the mill in 2004. It recently gifted the land to the city so it can apply for a $200,000 cleanup grant through the Environmental Protection Agency.

The city’s south end doesn’t have a public park of its own, though residents and community leaders have been pursuing one for decades. The Foundry Road venture was named one of 27 priorities through the capital projects sales tax, with $1.75 million earmarked for it.

Monday’s public hearing on the issue was a requirement of the EPA grant application – and also a platform for Barrineau to pitch the need for local engagement to ensure the park remains viable.

“If it’s just us up here, this project will fail. If we truly as a community want this, we’ve got to be committed to it,” he said. “Long term, this cannot be a city park. We can’t sustain it. Every park in this community has been dependent on partners and volunteers.”

Many in attendance said they’re prepared to do whatever is required to make the park a reality.

“I have my shovel. I’m ready to dig right now,” said Toya Davis, who lives in Mathews Mill Village.

Barrineau said early renderings show the south side park having a similar look as the one on West Cambridge.

Officials anticipate having $1 million from the penny sales tax by the end of 2018, with the remaining funds in hand by 2023 or 2024, requiring a phased-in approach.

“Obviously, that first chunk of money, in my opinion, would best be spent on a gateway and creating the parking lot,” Barrineau said. “We know that we need a park as soon as possible.”

Claudette Bannerman, who lives in the Wisewood neighborhood, said she’s excited at the positive momentum. “This is the forgotten side. We needed to know, ‘Where are we and where do we fall in getting the money for this park,’” she said

Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Oct 24, 2017

By ADAM BENSON abenson@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/planned-foundry-road-park-embraced-by-south-side-residents/article_04b52c75-d17a-509e-9af6-e9527bb7d0ca.html