Parks and greenspaces play a vital role in communities throughout South Carolina. From the natural beauty they offer to their health and wellness benefits, and to their many recreational opportunities, municipalities are making parks a priority.
Three cities that aim to provide their parks with thoughtful, community-driven upgrades and amenities are Columbia, Fountain Inn and Isle of Palms, giving their parks the planning and the regular funding they need to thrive in the long-term.
Columbia
Last fall, Kenya Bryant took the helm as director of parks and recreation for the state’s capital city, and now handles a substantial inventory of parks.
“We have 65-plus parks throughout the city, and that ranges from what we call community recreation centers, which are gymnasiums, community centers, activity rooms, baseball fields, swimming pools and a walking track,” Bryant said. “We [also] have maintenance units — more of a pocket park in a neighborhood, so you might have one building there for the neighborhood needs, and also a playground and some other amenities right in the middle of the community … We also have our regional parks, which are our larger parks.”
Perhaps the most notable is Finlay Park in the heart of the downtown, which received a an extensive, $25-million revitalization lasting two and a half years, and which reopened last November. Other recent projects included the revitalization of Mays Park and the opening of the new Randall Avenue Park. Managing so many parks requires collaboration, Bryan explained.
“Collaboration between our community, engaging our agencies; working with the community, which is very important, and working with council. Then the other piece is our staff — we want staff feedback. They are out there doing routine inspections and routine maintenance, so they can identify hazards or what needs improvements.”
In April 2025, Columbia adopted its 10-year Parks and Recreation Plan, which incorporated community feedback through an extensive public relations campaign, including focus groups and surveys.
Maintaining such a large roster of parks and recreational spaces requires 170 full-time staff, in addition to part-time and seasonal staffers. Bryant noted that his department works closely with city council and sources project funding for projects through a series of state and federal grants, as well as through its Parks and Recreation Foundation. The city recently partnered with Prisma Health and the National Fitness Campaign to open four outdoor fitness courts throughout the city, and it recently announced plans for new waterfront park development along the Congaree River.
“I have a great joy of seeing things into fruition and working through this process and working with the community to get things done,” he shared. “Our city manager and council have been very supportive; people are seeing great things happening in Columbia right now and I am just happy to be a part of it.”
Fountain Inn
In the Upstate, the City of Fountain Inn also recently had its parks and recreation master plan approved. Assistant City Administrator Russell Slatton oversees all city construction projects, including park maintenance and expansions. He discussed the reinvigorated Sanctified Hill Park, which is the site of the city’s latest park project, and the subject of a Municipal Association of SC Achievement Award win.
“It wasn’t much of a park to begin with,” Slatton said. “It had some basketball hoops and some swings. The community really came together and started pushing to have this park revitalized.”
The city obtained funding from Laurens County and other sources, making the rebuild possible.
“[We] were able to design a new park, and to get the whole thing overhauled,” he said.
Fountain Inn added new bathrooms, refinished and illuminated the two basketball courts, installed a walking track and an accessible playground.
“We worked with a local team, Studio Main, which is Blake Sanders and his team, who put it together. First off, [they determined what they could] do with the property, and then threw out some ideas of what we wanted in a park,” he said. “They just did a really good job of incorporating everything the community wanted.”
The city also hosted a community block party to garner public input and make sure the finished product was what residents wanted.
“We were lucky enough to get some of those [projects] taken care of but now we have some of our other parks that are in dire need, and we have some tennis courts that need resurfacing,” Slatton said. “Price points get difficult sometimes because we may have grant money to do a smaller project but no grant money to do a bigger one. So, it’s really about timing and what’s available through the grant process and what the city has set aside for the upgrading or expansion of any parks.”
Slatton works closely with city council on park-related efforts, briefing them on upcoming projects and receiving direction and input. Managing the city’s seven parks involves a team of three dedicated parks and recreation staff members.
“I would say that they’re the most dedicated individuals I’ve ever seen,” he said. “We only have three people, with a supervisor and two workers, and they just do a fantastic job of keeping the parks clean.”
As for new parks on the horizon, Slatton said that space is limited.
“One of the issues that we have with a growing community like Fountain Inn is that we’re running out of recreation space really quickly,” he said. “We are having to partner with churches and other entities within the city that have gym space and field space.”
He added that the city is looking toward buying land for parks.
“We haven’t secured the location yet, and we haven’t secured any funding, but we do recognize that we’re going to have to start building some more fields to accommodate the needs of Fountain Inn.”
Isle of Palms
Down in the Lowcountry, the City of Isle of Palms manages several municipal parks.
“[What] we consider our primary park is the recreation department and its associated grounds,” said City Administrator Douglas Kerr. “That is kind of a full-fledged rec department – soccer fields, basketball courts, pickleball courts, tennis courts.”
The city also owns the Isle of Palms Marina, which has a new public dock facility, and Kerr said the city is planning for a greenspace on the high ground alongside it. Although there is still some preparatory work to be done before the project gets off the ground, there is already a conceptual design is in the works.
“We don’t fully have all of the parts in place to make that happen just yet, but we think it’s going to be soon,” Kerr shared.
Other recent projects included the removal, replacement, and update of an existing playground and its equipment in early 2025.
Parks are a high priority with city council, Kerr said.
“Prior to [the marina dock and greenspace,] it was the playground equipment; prior to that it was adding pickleball courts. Really, almost every council meeting, there is some discussion of keeping those facilities in top condition,” he said.
Funding for the marina dock project was provided through a mix of American Rescue Plan Act funds, tourism funds, and the city’s general fund.
“In addition to the very active recreation center in the middle of the island and the public dock, there are a lot of more passive recreation opportunities,” Kerr said. “We do focus pretty heavily on giving the public access to the ocean — the greatest public park that we have — so there is a lot of focus on ensuring that the public can enjoy the beaches.”
He added that the city recently added beach access boardwalks that have Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility.
Many city and town parks and greenspaces are receiving the attention and care they need in South Carolina. With an emphasis on adequate funding, staff and regular upgrades, and by garnering community input for new and existing spaces, municipalities will continue to see their residents and visitors putting them to good use.