Florence County recreational assets getting much needed upgrades

LAKE CITY, S.C. (WBTW) — Florence County’s parks and playgrounds are getting much needed facelifts in the coming months that will expand programming opportunities for hundreds of children.

“We are looking to accommodate more folks into recreation. It’s not just traditional stick and ball sports. We’ve really put an emphasis on outdoor recreation,” said Nathan Dawsey, who runs the county’s parks and recreation department.

In Lake City, the first phase of a new playground has just wrapped up. It’s one of six facilities installed countywide more than 20 years ago. All have fallen into such disrepair that officials dismantled them before their replacements even arrived.

Dawsey said the county’s e-sports offering are growing quickly, with more than 2,000 kids already participating.

“We host several meetings throughout the year with community associations and our athletic leagues. The best opportunity we get is when we actually have games and things like that going on where the kids are there,” he said. “They give you very honest answers.”

Dawsey other planned improvements will bring a marksmanship academy, horse arena and campground to the county.

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Tomika Jackson joined News13 in April 2024 as a multimedia journalist. She started her journalism career in 2000 with previous stops at WALB TV10, CBS47 & WTOC11 in Savannah, Georgia. Tomika is a Georgia native and Valdosta State University graduate. Follow Tomika on X, formerly Twitter , and Instagram . You can read more of her work here .

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