After violent incidents, how will Columbia keep renovated Finlay Park safe?
The sound of spinning metal tumbles over new walkways, shimmering ponds and fresh mulch, while men in neon shirts and hard hats navigate heavy machinery over orderly gravel paths.
They’re putting the finishing touches on a more than $24 million resuscitation of downtown Columbia’s Finlay Park before its grand re-opening next month.
But for more than a decade, the park has felt like a no-man’s-land in the city center.
As the conditions at the park deteriorated over the last decade, it became host to numerous violent incidents, including more than one shooting and a physical fight that led to a death and subsequent murder charge. It was also the site where in December 2018 a man was found dead in the park’s dormant fountain.
So how will the City of Columbia ensure the newly renovated park won’t again meet a similar fate after its multi-million dollar investment? More people, leaders say.
“There was nobody there before,” said Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann. “There were no park rangers, there were no employees, there was nothing.”
That’s about to change. Once the park reopens Nov. 15, it will be fully staffed with park rangers, police officers dedicated to the site, and overnight private security, said Columbia Assistant City Manager Henry Simons.
At least five park rangers at a time will be at the park seven days a week, between 6 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., and two Columbia Police officers will be stationed at the park during those same hours. A five-person grounds maintenance crew will also be on site during those hours.
For after-hours, at least two private security officers will be on site from 9:30 p.m. to 6 a.m.
In addition to the park staff, there will also be security cameras spread throughout the park, as well as emergency call boxes. Park rangers will be able to monitor the security cameras from a station on site.
“We’ve said [from the] beginning that we’re going to activate the space and what we have in place, we feel people will feel comfortable and safe in the park,” Simons said.
He added that after the park reopens, the city will continually re-evaluate this safety plan.
Park rangers and police officers will also patrol the Vista Greenway that leads into the park.
Past incidents in the park include a 2017 fatal shooting, and later that year a violent attack on a man who was there ministering to those experiencing homelessness, who died from his injuries.
The next December, a man was found dead in the park’s pond, his face full of ice.
And in 2021, a man was charged with attempted murder after another shooting at Finlay Park, which is bounded by Assembly, Laurel and Taylor streets, not far from Columbia City Hall.
Long ago considered a “crown jewel” for the city, the park named for former Columbia Mayor Kirkman Finlay, hasn’t lived up to that identity in over a decade.
In 2014, the park’s iconic 27-foot-tall spiral water fountain went dry due to damage. By the end of that year, city leaders had gathered to discuss how it could fix up the sprawling property.
For several years after that, city leaders discussed potential solutions to the increasingly obvious problems at Finlay Park. And as time went on, the price tag for the fix rose as well.
In 2019, city leaders pondered an $18 million renovation project. By the time the park reopens next month, the city will have spent more than $24 million, and two years of construction, on the project.
City leaders hope the fresh-faced park will become a staple venue for Columbia. Already, the city is planning two days of live music and other festivities to celebrate the park’s reopening on Nov. 15. The popular annual Jam Room Music Festival will be held at the park Nov. 15, and the city is planning a second day of live music on Nov. 16.
This story was originally published October 17, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
