COLUMBIA, S.C. — Mays Park will be under construction in the coming weeks. However, some community members expressed some apprehension about the project.
Columbia Parks and Recreation has been working on this project for two years.
The project's main goal is to provide more green space and a multi-use pickleball and tennis court.
As the project became a solid plan, it was met with criticism due to the intended removal of some trees. When people heard about the plans, they petitioned to save those trees.
Columbia Parks and Recreation listened to those concerns and surveyed the surrounding neighborhood. After the surveys were completed, they made a plan to meet in the middle. Authorities said 74 of 97 trees at the park will now remain.
“You know, we were looking at ways to tweak the plan, and I've started that process, which essentially is making the green space a little smaller, tweaking some of the walkways and modifying the grading," Parks Planner and Landscape Architect Todd Martin said. "So, we can have less impact on some of the trees.”
The plan includes walking paths between different portions of the park and basketball and tennis courts.
All the updates to the park made the surrounding community excited.
“The neighborhood is full of kids," community member Blake Montgomery said. "The amount of people who we see who drive in to use the tennis courts and everything are all excited. This is going to be a great primetime spot and a wonderful part of Columbia.”
The project is estimated to take about six to eight months to be completed.