6 replies to this topic

[roads-scholar]

The tragic miniature train accident at Cleveland Park has cast a shadow over that park and the management of Spartanburg County parks in general.  This is unfortunate.  Cleveland Park is just one of several fine recreational facilities in Spartanburg County.  The Spartanburg County Parks Commission has done a heck of a job developing, improving, and managing the county's park and trail system and running youth programs.

I had the opportunity Saturday to visit the sprawling Tyger River Park in the western part of the county.  This park will not open until September but will include, among other things, thirteen softball fields!  In recent months I have also visited the North Spartanburg and Va Du Mar McMillan parks in Boiling Springs.  Along with Cleveland Park these are the county's "showcase" park facilities.  However, the county maintains and manages far more parks than these. About a dozen facilities fall under the county's control.

When talking about parks in Spartanburg we cannot forget about the 7,000 acre Croft State Natural Area, once known as Croft State Park.  At Croft there 's fishing, equestrian activities, boating, camping, hiking, biking, and picnicking, and more!

[Spartan]

There are lots of suburban parks to be sure. I think the problem is the complete lack of investment in most of the urban parks except Cleveland Park, Happy Hollow Park, and Duncan Park. These tend to be the most visible to people. The suburban parks are mostly designed so that you can't see them from the road (at least not very well). But I suppose in Spartanburg, these are the way of life. There is a Parks Master Plan on the County's Parks & Rec website. Its definitely worth a look, as there are lots of cool parks being planned (like the big one on the west side).

There are so many potentially awesome parks in and around the city though- St Andrews Park (aka Pill Hill) being one of the most notable ones, since it has a creek running through the middle of it.

[westsider28]

I'm not really sure what's going on between the County and the Parks Commission.  There's a debate over control and autonomy of the Parks Commission.  A "power struggle" as the paper says. Check out the article below.

Herald-Journal article

Being a runner, I'm concerned about what this means for the future of the Parks Commission and some of its planned capital projects (like the Tyger River Greenway).  The County doesn't seem to realize the importance of parks & greenways as far as quality of life goes (and not to mention the role they play in attracting people to live in our area).

Spartanburg Parks website

Edited by westsider28, 27 April 2011 - 09:56 PM.

[Spartan]

The problem is that the Parks & Rec Commission wanted to become quasi-independent. They should be under the normal operations of the County government, end of story.

[Joe H]

Some guy who likes kayaking around Spartanburg has documented his trips w/ lots of pictures and maps.

[westsider28]

The opening of Tyger River Park has been delayed until 2012 due to construction delays and safety concerns.  The article says that tournaments scheduled there this fall with still be held in Spartanburg, but doesn't mention where.

Herald-Journal article

[Spartan]

As long as it gets built correctly, it doesn't matter if there is a delay to me.

I still maintain that Spartanburg's parks aren't very good. We have no memorable parks, except for Cleveland Park and the Milliken grounds (which isn't even a park).