COASTAL OBSERVER

Georgetown County is working to carry out its master plan for upgrades to Wachesaw Park on Old Kings Highway in Murrells Inlet.

“It’s always been our dream to have the money to just gut it and do a beautiful park,” said Beth Goodale, the county’s director of parks, recreation and aging services. “It has no flow. It’s exceeded its usable life-span.” 

The renovated park will include multi-use courts for pickleball and basketball, a dog park, a walking trail with solar lighting, a large picnic shelter, an inclusive playground and a splash pad. 

That was good news to Amy Kimberly, who came to the park with her father and her two children on Sunday.

“We didn’t know if we were allowed to be here, but there was no gate,” she said.

Her father, Dennis Spadafora, who lives in Murrells Inlet discovered the park. He was helping his grandchildren, Reid, 10, and Stella, 7, with batting practice on the ballfield that will be converted into a playground.

A couple was walking their dog nearby. One of the big current issues with the park is people allowing their dogs to run around on the baseball fields, relieving themselves and digging holes.

“We have to lock those baseball fields or they turn into dog parks,” Goodale said. “We take a lot of heat for that, but we had to do that with the tournament fields a long time ago because of this very same thing.”

Kimberly and her family didn’t have any trouble getting on the field to bat balls against the backstop. She liked the idea that the park was going to get an upgrade.

Another issue is safety and security.

“A lot of that stems from the parking lots at the back,” Goodale said. “People can kind of go back there and be hidden and do what they want to do.”

As part of the renovations, a gravel parking lot will be installed near Old Kings Highway.

Two years ago Goodale got a $30,000 grant to cover the cost of the master plan. Last month she presented it at a public meeting at the Murrells Inlet Community Center. 

“We had some pushback there, but it turns out a lot of those people were from Horry County,” Goodale said. 

Baseball teams in Horry County’s recreation league use the Wachesaw Park field for practice.

“It’s an older field, but it’s not a tournament-level field with the layers of surfacing,” Goodale said. “It’s comparable to the walk-on fields at South Island and other areas of the county.”

Funding for the renovations will come from the capital projects sales tax that voters passed in 2024. Wachesaw Park was 11 out of 22 priority projects with an expected cost of $988,000.

While its initial ranking meant the work would be several years in the future, County Council last month agreed to issue up to $25 million in bonds to fund the county’s share of the projects approved by voters. That means the work can be done sooner and the bond paid off as the tax is collected.

The bond and capital project sales tax will also fund outdoor courts at the Waccamaw Regional Rec Center for pickleball and basketball. Those are projected to cost $572,000.

At Stables Park, a dog park was added this year with funds included in the county budget by Council Member Stella Mercado. The Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors paid for upgrades such as benches and shaded picnic tables.

“Dog people are always looking for a no-leash place. We’re hoping they won’t use the soccer fields as much,” Goodale said.

The 24,000-square-foot park has one section for small dogs and one for large dogs. Although the park is already being used, county officials will cut the ribbon and host an opening ceremony on May 15 at 10 a.m.