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City Would Improve Medway Park for Lease |
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Written by Jenny Petterson, The Journal
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Sep 28, 2007 at 07:28 AM |
 The city of Charleston wants to invest $350,000 into improving Medway Park in Riverland Terrace, but only if the Charleston County School District, which owns the property, signs a 25-year renewable lease.
The property used to house Riverland Terrace Elementary School, which closed long ago. The city has been leasing 4 acres of the 5.4-acre parcel on a renewable yearly basis since 1987.
There is a tennis court and basketball court on the property. Two years ago, the last school building was torn down.
The city has been working with the Riverland Terrace Association on a "Park Master Plan" about what residents would like to see on the property, according to a letter Charleston Mayor Joe Riley sent to school board members dated Aug. 19.
Riley wrote that with the total 5.4 acres now suitable to use as park space, the city would like to invest money in the park by adding a dog run, picnic shelter, new playground and a new tennis court, among other improvements.
Riley states that before the city commits to all these improvements, it would like a 25-year renewable lease rather than a yearly contract.
"In order to make this type of investment, we will need a longer-term commitment from the school district," Riley wrote.
In lieu of rent, the city would pump $350,000 into the park in the next three years and keep up with maintenance, the letter states.
The city is also asking for a joint-use agreement, which would allow various city schools to use the facility and for city nonschool programs. This is a similar agreement with other facilities, including a football field and track at Fort Johnson Middle School.
The city attorney has drafted a new contract for the school district to sign that includes the extended term lease and joint-use agreement.
According to the superintendent's administrative assistant, Portia Stoney, the item was on the board's Sept. 10 agenda, but she was asked to take it off before the meeting started.
"I was asked to pull it. There were other things that needed to be decided," Stoney said. The item was not on the board's agenda Monday and Stoney was unsure when it would be heard.
"I have no direction at this time," she said.
The next school board meeting will be on Oct. 8. Stoney said the agenda will be decided a week prior to that. School Board Chair Nancy Cook and Superintendent Nancy McGinley did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The town of James Island was interested in purchasing the park as open space with money it received from the Greenbelt half-cent sales tax, but the school board did not wish to sell the land, said James Island Mayor Mary Clark. The Greenbelt funds do not allow the town to lease land, only to purchase it.
The Oct. 8 school board meeting will be at 5:15 p.m. in the board room at 75 Calhoun St., downtown.
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Executive Committee 
