ANDERSON, S.C. (WSPA) — According to the City of Anderson, Linley Park is one of the oldest parks in Anderson and is long overdue for an upgrade.
The master plan is to redevelop the park into a space where children can enjoy a larger playground with a rubberized surface, making it safer for them to play.
According to Angie Watkins, parks and recreation division director, the city also plans to update the restrooms, add a new pavilion for families to have picnics, and increase parking.
Watkins said the existing creek also needs to be redone.
“That will be redone and taken back to a more natural state. It’ll flow through the park as it gets down towards the south end of the city. It will hopefully help reduce some of the flooding potential down that way once they redo that with the natural vegetation it’ll be a beautiful park here,’ said Watkins.
The park will also have a walking trail, which is exciting news for nature lovers.
“The walking trail will start down where the north end of the park is and it will come through Linley Park and then connect to a walking path that is behind the new Recreation Complex,” said Watkins.
According to Watkins, funding for this project will primarily come from the city’s hospitality funds. It will also come from stormwater funding since crews will redo the creek.
Kathryn Bariou takes her preschool program and youth group at Trinity United Methodist Church to the park every year to enjoy the outdoors.
“We have been taking field trips down there probably for 20 years and we have seen it go from the old school metal slides and swings to what it is now and then looking at the pictures as to what it could be, I think the big thing that I see is it’s a much safer playground so that’s great as a parent and as a preschool director,” said Bariou.
Crews will begin renovations as early as January 2024. The park will be closed to the public during the renovation process which will take up to a year and a half to complete.
