COLUMBIA, S.C. — City leaders gave News19 an inside look at the progress of Finlay Park's revitalization project.
According to Jason Bittner at Mashburn Construction, the vision for Columbia's Finlay Park is one of family-friendly, fun and green spaces.
"It's going to be a really cool venue, to just sit on a sunny day, to have a picnic, to enjoy a show, we're really proud to be a part of it," he said.
Bittner says the revitalization project is still in the beginning phases of construction and planning. He was joined by other city leaders, including Assistant City Manager Henry Simons, to give us a tour of the project site.
"This will be a totally revitalized space, with a new amenity stream, we're going to have a splash pad and amenity building, we're going to have an outdoor fitness gym, we're going to have art in the park," he says.
The park was one of Columbia's most popular locations in the 1990s and early 2000s before it suffered a downturn and eventually became vacant.
Jerry Davis is a Columbia native who lives in a neighborhood next to the park.
"I was excited to get back there," Davis said. "I hadn't been back there in years, and I walked in and saw the homelessness. I'm excited they're revitalizing it, throwing some new things at it."
Simons said safety will be a top priority when the park opens.
"This will be one of the safest spaces in downtown Columbia," Simon said. "This space will be equipped with park rangers from the time the park opens to the time it closes. They'll be on the ground; we will have emergency call boxes, cameras, panic devices will be spread out throughout the park
Davis said he's excited about the project and its possibilities.
"Columbia's been doing a lot of great things," Davis added. "They brought in the riverwalk, they brought in the Canalside, and how they're bringing in Finlay Park. It's really making downtown much easier and not so business-like, a lot of fun things to do, to get people out. You don't have to be a full-on drinking scene anymore."
The city said the completion date is still set for the fall of 2025.