By Scott Graber
It is Wednesday, and I’ve got my Green Mountain French Vanilla coffee. This morning the news is all about Gaza and those bleak, barren killing fields in the Middle East.
BBC, CNN, Fox and the other networks in the business of reporting, reducing and regurgitating the news seem stunned by this tragedy mostly giving us looped footage of chaos, tumbled-down buildings and ambulances. Their coverage has pushed the explosions and ambulances in Kiev to the sidelines and I suspect our Republican kinsmen are happy that their ongoing civil war has fallen off the front page.
The news from Gaza also dwarfs the recent problems in Beaufort County. But the local news is troublesome, nonetheless, with the Honorable Paula Brown, a member of County Council, saying “We don’t have a black eye anymore. Mike, we’re in the trauma center in an induced coma.”
The “induced coma” is connected to the acquisition of an $800,000 Port Royal-situated playground; the acquisition of “weighted blankets” and, perhaps, the lawsuit filed by the Beaufort County Treasurer. Ms Brown says it’s time for Chairman Passiment to go, adding that she has the votes to unseat him.
The County, as quoted in the Beaufort Gazette, says the delivery and assemblage of the playground prior to Council approval was “a procedural sequencing error by staff.” Unfortunately this “procedural sequencing error” comes just before real estate tax bills go out; just before the $439 million school bond referendum is voted on.
A quick survey — Google is a wonderful if imprecise source information—says the average price of playground equipment runs about $1000 a child. In other words a government should budget $1000 per child or $30,000 if 30 children are intended to use a contemplated playground. Other sites (Kaplan Learning Centers in particular) say that larger parks will cost more.
And yes, we do understand this is a “handicapped accessible playground” and they cost more. If you want your playground to be handicapped accessible you have to put down a harder, but safe surface that will support wheelchair wheels. And my contractor friends tell me steel has dramatically risen in price and liability insurance (for manufacturers) has gone through the roof. Bringing, of course, at least a measure of the guilt (for the increased costs) to personal injury lawyers.
But if the new playground is used — well-trafficked by children — then the $800,000 price tag might be worth it. The question is whether this new $800,000 facility will be used?
Port Royal has a well-used skateboard park at its Naval Heritage Park just off Ribaut Road. This park was built by Harvey Cawthorn, then Director of Public Works, who told me, “I might have spent $70,000 for the ramps.” Harvey says the roof came later, but he was justly famous for his frugality.
“We would go the Upstate auctions and buy a used Crown Victoria for $1000; then give it a rebuilt motor and a paint job.” The Crown Vic would then “serve the Town for another five years.”
The skateboard park (with a Saturday morning assist from the Port Royal farmer’s market) attracts hundreds of people. The kids who use these ramps — and there are many — sometimes sustain small injuries. But to my knowledge none has ever sued the Town Port Royal knowing that they are engaged in a marginally dangerous sport and liking the fact that Port Royal gives them that privilege.
Port Royal also has a small beach attracting hundreds of children throughout the summer. Years ago Port Royal enhanced its beach with a boardwalk, an observation tower and, more recently, a parking lot. In this connection Harvey was also very good at collecting modest contributions from a great many donors. In this manner he helped pay for the boardwalk, tower, picnic tables and small bridges around Town.
The Town now has plans to connect the Sands Beach with the Spanish Moss Bike Trail that runs by Cottage Farms, Hundred Pines, Mossy Oaks and much of Northern Beaufort County. Port Royal seems to understand that getting people to its beach and boardwalk is part of the job.
One can view the completed playground from the fence — the artificial turf and the four metal-shaded assemblages are impressive. There is also an outdoor xylophone, a set of cylindrical chimes a kind of orchestral area for the musically inclined. Hopefully children from the Little Brown School (just across the street) or from the YMCA (200 yards away) will use this expansive, state-of-the-art facility.
Scott Graber is a lawyer, novelist, veteran columnist and longtime resident of Port Royal. He can be reached at cscottgraber@gmail.com.
