Before the catastrophic flood of 2015, a bridge connected the front of Michael J. & Mary Meech Mungo Park, formerly home to the Rawls Creek Golf Course, to its 116 acres. That bridge was washed away by flood waters.
Keeping the Midlands Beautiful, an organization dedicated to the beautification of Lexington and Richland counties, applied for a grant through their main affiliate Keep America Beautiful.
They were given a $20,000 grant through the Community Restoration and Resiliency Fund, a fund made to help communities rebuild after natural disaster.
Executive director for Keeping the Midlands Beautiful Jaqc Buck told us, “We’re so excited that we’ll be able to restore this bridge, actually make it better, and make it to be a wonderful site for not only just a walking trail but also for pictures, senior pictures, things like that," says Buck, "And make it to be an asset to this area.”
The bridge itself will cost about $60,000, because they need to make sure it's safe and up to standards — and bridges are not necessarily cheap.
Executive director of the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission Mark Smyers says they have the resources to get the bridge built, and Keeping the Midlands Beautiful resources will help make it special.
“Its about finding projects that will be meaningful to the community," Buck says about their job at Keeping the Midlands Beautiful, "Whether it be illegal dumping, whether it be a litter issue or whether it be something that is like this and we’ve found a solution solving it.”
Buck hopes the bridge and park will be a picturesque place to visit by the end of the summer.