By Delayna Earley
The Island News
A new park is coming to Port Royal, all that is left to decide is what it is going to look like.
The park will be situated on a parcel of land that is estimated to be about three acres located off of Sands Beach Road next to the marsh on the way to Sands Beach and is being designed by a task force of Port Royal residents that was selected in September 2024.
The land is part of a land swap between the town and Safe Harbor Marinas in 2023.
The task force is developing the park to be very passive and plan have the features of the park blend into the marsh.
During the meeting that they held on Jan. 30, the task force presented a preliminary concept map for the park showing what they are hoping the park will look like and what features it will have.
Some of these features are a pavilion, a trail that spans the length of the park, two overlooks to give those visiting the parks the best vantage point to view the marsh and the water, a split-rain fence along the edge of the park, picnic tables and benches and added parking along Sands Beach Road.
“Residents want to create a park that truly takes advantage of the views of the Port Royal Sound,” Town Manager Van Willis said.
He said that they plan to have a final design before the end of March that will be recommended to council by the task force, and he hopes to have final approval for the park by April.
Additionally, residents could see some familiar and beloved sculpture work at the park as there is talk of potentially putting up a 12-foot-tall iron female sculpture of a woman called The Hag, which for years could be seen at the entrance to the downtown area of Port Royal.
The Hag statue was taken down in 2021 and is being stored, but according to the task force, she could get another day in the sun as a new addition to the park.
Another sculpture that is being discussed for the park is the fish sculpture that appears to be moving through seagrass currently located behind town hall.
Residents were encouraged to submit name suggestions for the park by Feb. 14, and Willis said the town got about 50 of them.
The task force will go through the recommendations and then go to Town Council with their suggestion so that a final decision can be made, which should happen sometime in March or April.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
