Lucas Park - "a transformation of love." (renovation of Charleston, South Carolina city park)

CHARLESTON, SC--The transformation of Lucas Park from a relatively undeveloped piece of land to a magnificent barrier-free park is truly a "transformation of love." It is one of those rare opportunities where professionals and volunteers representing a number of different agencies and backgrounds put all their efforts and energies together to develop a project that would touch the lives of so many people.

Lucas Park, which is located behind the Ronald McDonald House in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, has been in the City park system for nine years. The renovation of the park as a barrier-free facility began when the Charleston Mental Retardation Board received a $20,000 grant for recreation from PUSH, a non-profit organization rounded by the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity in 1977. PUSH stands for "People Understanding Severe Handicaps." Members of the Mental Retardation Board decided that a park which provided access for citizens with disabilities was something that would fill a void in this community. The Board members approached the City of Charleston, Department of Recreation to ask for assistance in the development of this idea. Howard Silverstein, director of the Department of Recreation, and Steve Livingston, director of the Parks Department, both agreed to help with the project. Kirk West, landscape architect for the Parks Department, with input from the Mental Retardation Board regarding specific needs, designed the park.

Members of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity met in Charleston November 23-24, 1991 to transform Lucas Park into a fully accessible park that all citizens can now enjoy. These collegiates travelled to Charleston from 22 different chapters across the eastern United States, from New Jersey to Florida.

Over the course of two days, under the supervision of the Department of Parks, the young men constructed playground equipment, a ramp to lead to it; built wheelchair compatible picnic tables, a wheelchair transfer point; and raised planters for sensory gardens; installed plumbing for a water fountain; refurbished a swing set and added a new wheelchair and toddler swing; built four facades for a village; constructed a giant sand box, and planted trees and shrubs.

After the weekend of November 23-24, the work was far from being completed, as the sidewalks had to be poured, planters had to be filled and further landscaping had to be developed to complete the park. The remainder of the construction and development was done by the Department of Parks and Facilities Maintenance Construction Division and Grounds Maintenance, and the funding was provided by the City of Charleston and local donations.

It was truly a community project, as the local hotels and restaurants provided food and shelter for the 100 young men that came in for the weekend. This was not an easy task, as many other activities were taking place in the city that weekend, but the community at large truly understood the purpose of the project and the importance of such a park to the community.

At the opening ceremonies on April 30, 1992, Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. stated "parks provide a tranquil and peaceful place to sit and dream. They provide a place for play and promote the use of imagination for children of all ages. We so often take for granted our ability to use most of our parks and forget that for some of our population, standard equipment does not make possible the same experience we have. Lucas Park will now be a place where it is possible to swing in a wheelchair, be able to reach the top of a picnic table from a wheelchair, or hold onto a rail when walking alone is difficult on play equipment. We appreciate the dream of the Mental Retardation Board, the City of Charleston, Department of Parks and Department of Recreation, and Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, and are all gratified to have been a part in making it come true."

Howard Silverstein

Director of Recreation

Charleston Recreation Department

Charleston, SC