From staff reports
The City of Beaufort will hold a ribbon-cutting at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19 to celebrate the completion of Southside Park’s Phase 1, according to a media release. The public is invited.
Phase 1 improvements for the 34-acre park include:
- Woodland playground: Adjacent sites with age-appropriate equipment for children, ages 2-5 and 5-12. The equipment includes slides, climbers, swings, and a picnic area, among other features. The playgrounds are inclusive for children of all abilities;
- Event pavilion;
- New vehicular access and parking lot improvements;
- New landscaping; and
- Trail improvements.
The park, nestled in the Mossy Oaks neighborhood, has long lacked many amenities, other than a dog park and some trails.
“This is a great occasion for the City of Beaufort,” Mayor Phil Cromer said in a news release. “Southside Park, one of our prettiest parks, now offers the amenities that make it a premier park in our City. Children and their parents will be able to enjoy this park in a new way.”
Councilman Neil Lipsitz, who served on the Southside Park Advisory Task Force, said, “I am thrilled that Southside Park will finally be the park that our residents and visitors deserve. The City has fulfilled a promise that Southside Park would one day have playgrounds and other amenities that people expect in a park. That day is here.”
According to the release, the Phase 1 improvements cost approximately $4.81 million, funded through the Capital Projects Fund and Parks & Tourism Revenue Bond.
The City of Beaufort convened the Southside Park Advisory Task Force, comprised of neighborhood residents and staff, in early 2021. The Task Force sought public input through a survey that received more than 1,100 responses. That led to a Southside Park Master Plan, developed by Woods + Partners, which suggested phased improvements to the park.
