Considered a 'divisive topic,' Brunswick's first inclusive playground put on hold

Efforts to bring about inclusiveness and accessibility to Southport were instead met with divisiveness and concern.

Planning for what would be the first inclusive, accessible playground in Brunswick County has been put on hold after many residents have expressed concerns — not with the concept for the park, but for its proposed location.

“This has been a relatively divisive topic that has put city staff and this board and the community at odds with each another,” Southport Alderman Robert Carroll said during the board’s June 26 meeting. “And I think that our community is bigger than that.”

Dubbed the “Taylor Field of Dreams,” the playground would have been fully inclusive and built in the city’s Taylor Field Park. Renderings for the playground show a maritime-themed space that nods to the city’s waterfront location and history. Taylor Field Park is located at 409 East Nash St. in Southport.

Southport’s Parks and Recreation Director Heather Hemphill told the board late last year that there are several families in the area with children and adults to whom typical playground equipment is not accessible. A boundless playground, she said, looks to remove barriers so that children and adults of all abilities are able to play.

Hemphill said the city began working with Unlimited Play, a Missouri-based nonprofit that helps municipalities design, plan and fund these playgrounds in February 2023. Initial plans for the playground showed a rollerslide and wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round with ramping throughout and ships, a treasure chest and pirates supporting the maritime theme.

The addition of the playground would have been phase two of the development of the park, which was donated to the city in 2017. Neighbors and residents, however, have expressed opinions that Taylor Field Park is not the best location for the playground, citing concerns regarding parking, traffic and loss of green space.

Carroll said while he’s in favor of the playground and the Taylor Park location, he wanted to “take a step back,” regroup and have more conversations with city staff and the community regarding the project.

“… There’s too much negativity surrounding it,” he said. “We all can vote today to say this is certainly something we want as a board – where it’s gonna go, we don’t know.”

Carroll moved for the board to withdraw and terminate any grant applications and funding that identifies Taylor Field Park as the site for the project, with the caveat that the city would continue to work toward building an inclusive playground.

Lowe Davis clarified that while community members have expressed their concerns with the planned location, she has not heard any members of the public speak out against the construction of an inclusive playground in or near the city.

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“The location is the problem,” Davis said. “And because there is so much interest and desire for it, Taylor Field does not look like the best place, but we don’t know for sure.”

Carroll’s motion passed by a vote of 5-1, with Alderman Marc Spencer dissenting.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.