Columbia’s Hyatt Park to get $1.5 million upgrade
As it currently exists, Columbia’s Hyatt Park is a fairly standard city park.
Located where North Main Street meets Jackson Avenue in North Columbia, the park has rolling, passive greenspace, some basketball courts that are often busy in the late afternoon, playground equipment and a baseball field, among other amenities.
But the park, nestled between the Earlewood and Eau Claire neighborhoods, is about to get a major facelift.
Columbia City Council has approved just more than $1.5 million in upgrades for Hyatt Park. Assistant City Manager Henry Simons told The State he expects construction on the renovation could begin in March, and could be completed by the end of the year.
Work set for Hyatt Park includes daylighting a stream that currently runs under the park, adding a new playground, walking trails and boardwalks, a new band stage, and a splash pad water feature, according to Simons.
“We have a (parks) master plan and we try to prioritize projects, and Hyatt Park is certainly on that priority list for some work,” Simons said.
City Councilman Sam Davis has represented North Columbia’s District 1, which includes Hyatt Park, for nearly a quarter century. He recently announced this year will be his last on council, as he won’t seek reelection in the fall.
The Hyatt Park renovations have been rattling around at City Hall for some time, and Davis said it was on his priority list as he prepares to leave office.
“The park has not undergone any refurbishing for quite some time,” Davis told The State. “It will have some amenities there that I think will reflect on our efforts that the residents and people who use Hyatt Park will have an attractive environment, and it will really serve as a recreational outlet that compliments the park building that is already there.”
Despite budget constraints amid the global pandemic, the city has continued to find ways to invest in its parks system. While the coming Hyatt Park upgrades are largely city funded, Simons said there are some federal and state dollars going toward the project, as well.
On Feb. 2, city council approved almost $180,000 for a new playground area and several other amenities at T.S. Martin Park, which is south of West Beltline boulevard, near W.A. Perry Middle School. Simons said that one will largely be paid for through Community Development Block Grant funding.
In January, the council approved $169,000 for the installation of new lights at All-Stars Field, a recently rehabbed baseball field near the sprawling Colony and North Point Estates apartment complexes just east of SC-277.
Of course, not all park plans have forged ahead during the pandemic. A much more aggressive, $18 million plan to revamp battered Finlay Park, once considered the “crown jewel” of the city’s park system but now in desperate need of improvement, remains sidelined amid budget concerns.
As Columbia continues to scuffle its way through COVID-19, officials are hopeful that residents will flock back to parks once the virus is under control.
“We are in the middle of a pandemic, and hopefully this (Hyatt Park) project will be done toward the end of the year,” Simons said. “My prayer is that we get into a better place with this pandemic and, when we do, people are going to want to get back out, get into the parks, get into open space. … We think this is going to attract more families to that park.”
Davis pointed out the Veranda senior living facility that is near Hyatt Park, and noted he thinks the hilly, undulous park will be more accessible for older people after the renovations.
“The walking path is something that is much needed, as is the band shelter,” Davis said. “The lighting will be vastly improved, and it will be more accessible for the elderly and people who may have mobility challenges.”
Third-term Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said the Hyatt Park rehab fits nicely with upgrades the city has done to other North Columbia parks in the last few years.
“Every reputable study will show you that high quality public amenities make neighborhoods great,” Benjamin told The State. “But we believe that Hyatt Park will be indicative, particularly, in a commitment to North Columbia. As you go up that corridor, from Roy Lynch Park to Earlewood Park to Hyatt Park to Greenview, I’d put the high quality of our public parks up against any public parks in the country.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
