The Ashley River, just upstream from Bacon’s Bridge. Rosebrock Park is on the left.
Connecting two parks on diagonally opposite sides of a river?
Simple, right? Just build a bridge.
But the river is scenic. The four-lane road is busy with traffic, and the pedestrian bridge, parallel to it, will be separate but within its right of way. Since the riverside parks are on diagonally opposite sides of the bridge, a tunnel must be built under the busy road for visitors to access the upstream bridge over to Rosebrock Park. But there’s a big underground water pipe there to consider. Both parks are passive (no ball fields). Forested. Fishing lake. Nature trails. Connection must be ADA-compliant, which we want. Costs, reasonable. Everything, easily maintained. Practical, but attractive. Fit into natural environment. Promote conservation. Educational opportunity. Guess what? It floods. Simple?
That’s what Austin Zuniga, the new director of Dorchester County Parks and Recreation; Ryan Mattie, designing engineer; Rebecca Dantzler, Dorchester County’s purchasing services manager; and I met to discuss by the Ashley River, in hopes of joining the county’s new Ashley River Park with Rosebrock Park, owned by the Dorchester Trust Foundation, of which I happen to be chairman.
L-R: Ryan Mattie, engineer, and Rebecca Dantzler, Dorchester County’s Purchasing Services Manager, at Ashley River Park, which is under construction.
Aerial showing Rosebrock diagonally opposite the county’s new Ashley River Park.
Strong support from Dorchester County Council and the public.
Good chemistry at meeting. Good progress. We’ll see.
Fingers crossed.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
George W. McDaniel, Ph.D., is President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and to its broader constituents. The company’s tag line, “Building Bridges through History,” is grounded in McDaniel’s personal beliefs and his experience in site management, preservation, education, board development, fundraising, and community outreach. Rather than using history to divide us, he strives to help organizations use history, especially local history, to enhance cross-cultural understanding and to support local museums, preservation, and education. Dr. McDaniel led volunteer efforts with Emanuel AME Church and historical organizations in Charleston to use historic preservation to enhance racial reconciliation and healing. McDaniel is also the Executive Director Emeritus of Drayton Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC, owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He retired from Drayton Hall in 2015 after 25 years of distinguished service.
