From staff reports
Improvements to Washington Street Park are on the way, as the City of Beaufort has been awarded two grants for the park.
The City was notified recently that it had received a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant. The City will match that with $25,000. These funds will be used toward the construction of a 30-foot by 60-foot pavilion at the neighborhood park.
Beaufort also received an $80,000 grant from the South Carolina Parks & Recreation Development Fund. The City’s share for this is $20,000. With these funds, the City plans to remove an existing basketball court, relocate it within the park, and create an open play field.
Downtown Operations Director Linda Roper said that the next steps include issuing a Request for Proposal for each project. “I am optimistic that we may be able to complete these projects within a year,” she said.
The City of Beaufort works closely with the non-profit organization that owns Washington Street Park. Together, they are following a Master Plan for the park that was developed in 2018.
In the spring of 2021, the City installed new playground equipment at the park. It added new bathrooms in 2019. Total improvements at the park are estimated at $925,000, and the City will tackle improvements in phases.
