Mini-park planned for Crosstown, President Street: 10/3

Mini-park planned for Crosstown, President Street

Landscape plans for another “pocket park,” this one a little wedge of city property at the Crosstown and President Street, were displayed Sept. 18 at the Harper Student Center during an announcement by MUSC president Dr. James B. Edwards that he is lending his personal support to the project.

A focal point for the park will be a marker commemorating the late Charleston civil rights activist Septima Clark.

Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. and Edwards swapped a few friendly, but political, barbs as they recalled earlier days and recounted with admiration Clark’s pioneer civil rights work and community leadership. To Edwards, the slice of land marks the outer edge of the MUSC campus and its appearance contributes to visitors’ opinions of the university. To Riley, the park is one more step in transforming Charleston’s Crosstown from a “swath cutting through the city into a parkway.”

“The mayor started all this,” Edwards said. “Right after (Hurricane) Hugo (Sept. 1989), he began “Re-Leaf,” a program to plant trees including those around the MUSC campus. It really has made the campus look better. Here’s a man (Riley) who, if he makes up his mind, hell or high water won’t stop him.”

Mini-parks are gradually being added to similar roadside areas through the organizational efforts of the Charleston Tree Foundation, a public-private partnership supported by private donations. Landscape architect Kirk West was on hand to answer questions and describe details of the plans.