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SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - After being delayed, Dorchester County is opening the gates to their new 85-acre Ashley River Park.
The county says many obstacles pushed back the opening about a year. Flooding and COVID-19 related issues were just a few of the reasons.
David Chinnis, with Dorchester County Council, said they bought this property for $1.3 million and have put roughly $13 million into it. The county is also looking to bring another project to the area.
“The county has also purchased 120 acres on the other side of Bacon’s bridge, just across from us that will ultimately be part of an additional portion of the park as well as a county library,” Chinnis said. “So, this is going to be a center of public activities for Dorchester County, for Summerville, honestly the low country.”
The park is located at 200 Renken Rd., just off Bacon’s Bridge Road.
The Dorchester County community no longer has to travel far to get to a park like this. Summerville resident, Tawanna Gilliard, says she would spend up to an hour traveling around the Lowcountry to find a decent park.
“We can utilize the space more, she can have more friends over, she can meet even on school days to get an hour of play in, that helps with physical health, so yeah, we are very excited,” Gilliard said.
The park has everything from ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible playgrounds, dog parks and a catch and release fishing lake.
One Summerville father, Twill Driggers, says he’s glad to have a place close to home for his daughter to safely run around
“It’s a good opportunity for her to see some of her friends outside of school and play in a safe area. They can run, play, and scream and be as loud as they want to, and they don’t have to worry about it; they can just be children,” said Driggers.
There is a $2 daily fee to enter the park, or they offer annual passes to residents and nonresidents.
The county says they are proud to offer something for every age and ability.
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