Corrine Jones Comes Together
The excitement at Corrine Jones Park last Saturday was evident to anyone who might have wandered by to see what all the activity was about. Some 40 people were putting in new playground equipment at the park – the culmination of two years of work by the Conservancy, the city of Charleston and the neighbors living near the park.
The Corrine Jones neighborhood and others have spent the last year raising more than $20,000 toward the park renovation. The community first approached our executive director, Jim Martin, about two years ago looking at ways to update the playground and give the park a facelift. The Conservancy was able to bring the neighbors and the city together to create a plan for a new park.
Business and personal donations plus community fundraising events were part of the two-year effort, along with financial contributions from the city and the Conservancy. And on Oct. 22, city staff, neighbors and Conservancy staff and volunteers spent a full day putting together the equipment – no small task considering the size of the pieces – along with sifting sand for a play area and spreading a mound of mulch that stretched above their heads.
Families came by to watch the progress and the kids looked ready to start swinging, climbing and playing. The neighborhood is continuing to raise money for additional park improvements, and the Conservancy will be putting in new plantings this fall.
This project was a true testament to what the Conservancy can do – facilitate park renovations and improvements.