The 2,300-square-foot playground is located at 3107 North Carolina Avenue, and while there will be some parking available, it is intended to serve the immediate area with most visitors walking there. Construction started by 8:30 a.m. and finished this afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and musical performance by local children. A neighborhood-organized community celebration featuring a potluck dinner and outdoor movie concluded the day’s activities.
While the “playground build” only took one day, the project involved a great deal of planning by a grass-roots coalition that included the City of North Charleston, Metanoia Community Development Corporation, Charleston Promise Neighborhood and other supporters. Community members were actively engaged in the process, with children picking the playground’s color scheme and some of the equipment.
The Chicora playground features two benches dedicated in honor of Sister Kathleen Long, manager, mission services, and Sister Renee Yann, senior vice president and chief mission integration officer, both of AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies and longtime advocates for the underserved. Both women are also members of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.
Designed primarily for ages 5 to 12, the playground also includes slides, monkey bars and a climbing wall. In addition to a four-person seesaw, neighborhood children picked out spring toys in the shapes of a tractor, airplane and motorcycle, and selected blue as the playground’s main color. The handicapped-accessible playground has the approval of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Society of Testing Materials. Volunteers spread 24 tons of mulch at the base to help prevent injuries.
The property for the park was purchased with Charleston County Greenbelt Funds.