A new park on St. Simons Island

LAND TRUST NEWSSPRING 2009

Preserving the natural and scenic character of our island

Generous gift to fund Lawrence Road playfield, botanical trail

Hampton Spur to link trail system

to new parkSee story page 2

Continued, page 2

Come Labor Day, a beautiful new park will enhance the north end of St. Simons Island. To be named Frederica Park, it will provide much-needed passive and active recreation facilities for island residents and visitors.

The park will boast a four-acre playfield for a variety of field sports, as well as a two-mile botanical trail showcasing native plant spe-

cies. Another future possibility: the island’s first botanical garden.

The park’s playfield and botanical trail facili-ties are being largely funded by a substantial gift from the estate of a part-time Sea Island resident. It will be developed on 20 acres of land donated by the Sea Island Company that had been set aside in its Frederica development some two miles north of the roundabout at Sea Island’s stables. Development plan-

ning and construction will be overseen by Sea Island staff, who will also maintain it for one year before turning it over to Glynn County.

The park’s design is by jB+a, an Atlanta landscape architectural firm that has designed numerous parks through-out Georgia. “We design with [Frederick Law] Olmsted principles,” said lead landscape architect

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Land Trust News / 2

The first 1.1 mile-phase of the Hampton Spur – a planned five-mile trail from the island’s north roundabout to the entrance to Hampton Point – was completed in September and is already a hit with cyclists, walkers and joggers. Phase II, expected to break ground in early May, will take the trail another 1.6 miles, past the new park to Pikes Bluff Road.

Phase I was made possible by a $500,000 gift, made through the Alanta-based PATH Foundation, from part-time Sea Island residents Jim and Sarah Kennedy. The Land Trust and Glynn County then each committed $250,000 to complete Phase II.

When the 1.6-mile second phase opens this summer, it will extend the trail halfway to the entrance to Hampton Point.

“We estimate it will take an additional $1 million to launch and complete the trail all

Just in time, the Island-Wide Trail System will be extended far enough to provide bike and pedestrian access to

the new Frederica Park.

A new park on St. Simons Islandcontinued from page 1

Land Trust News / 3

The Land Trust has a unique opportunity to conserve land for the community to enjoy. Such a project requires financial support and yes, these are economically challenging times. But sometimes a down economy can present opportunities for an organization like the Land Trust, such as reductions in the price of land and lowered construction costs for developing parks and trails. Because of the current economy, we can complete this project – with your membership support – at costs that are very favorable.

Frederica Park and trails is an enhancement to our community forever. By making an investment in this project you are making an investment in the future of your community – for yourself, your children and their children. Please, support your community, support your Land Trust.

Your support: A great investment

Sea Island Stables

Frederica Park Botanical Trail and Playfield

the way to Hampton,” said Land Trust

Development Director Dana Pope. “We’re now

seeking funds from both public and private donors.”

She added that “through the Land Trust’s

Community Partnership

Program, businesses like Barbara Jean’s

and Monkeywrench Bicycles collect a small

donation for the Land Trust from their patrons, and from

these donations, we hope to raise substantial funds toward this goal.”

Trail Phase IIOpen Summer

2009

Hampton Trail Spur

Phase I Complete

Hampton Spur addition to extend past Frederica Park

Lead landscape architect Liz Cole

FutureTrail Phase III

Liz Cole. “Olmsted was all about stewardship and designing with the land as opposed to trying to force the design on the land. This allows us to preserve the land’s natural features – a condition of the donor’s gift.” Cole noted that the designers rotated the playfield a quarter turn in order to pre-serve two large live oak trees and made other modifications to preserve important trees.

Included in the design will be gentle, rolling earth mounds sur-rounding the playfield, which will provide a great view for spectators of sports activities and other events. “We are also pay-ing particular attention to the de-sign of the playfield so that drain-age problems, which sometimes plague these types of facilities, don’t become an issue or interfere with its use,” Cole added.

Assisting in design and con-struction are architectural firm Wiregrass Studio Inc., Thomas & Hutton Engineering Co., and Shupe Surveying Co. Inc.

A timely giftThe Frederica Park gift – the largest ever received by the St. Simons Land Trust – will help to fund the cost of the botanical trail and the playfield, including restrooms, shelters, picnic tables, parking, and infrastructure for utilities and irrigation.

“This gift is especially timely,” said Land Trust Chairman Jack Hartman, “because it will enable us, working with the Sea Island Company, to complete Frederica Park in a year when few such

projects could even be consid-ered. We are truly grateful for this rare opportunity.”Name your sport

The playfield will be the first place on the island where both

children and adults can play soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, rugby, Frisbee® golf, or other field sports. It will not be de-signed for a specific sport – and in fact won’t accommodate baseball, softball, or football. But because it is a wide-open

flexible design, the playfield will support a variety of activities throughout the year, maximiz-ing its use and benefit to the public. For example, the playfield could be a perfect spot for spe-cial events like the Land Trust’s Annual Oyster Roast or perhaps an outdoor concert or play.

Dogwoods and lemons and olives…oh, my

Two-thirds of the park will be devoted to the botanical trail, where native plant species will be re-introduced to land that had been used for timber farming for many years.“We hope that the garden clubs on St. Simons and in Glynn County will see this opportunity to help us plan and create the trail, and perhaps even a bo-tanical garden,” said Land Trust President Russ Marane. “A bo-tanical garden at the park would be a first for the island and would offer island residents and visitors an opportunity to stroll through garden plots of native plants and trees in a beautiful and natural setting.”

Nationally recognized soc-cer player Morgan Brian is a midfielder on the U-17 Na-

tional Team that recently placed second at the World Cup in New Zealand. The 16-year-old Frederica Acad-emy sophomore lives within three miles of the new Frederica Park.Morgan notes that the new playfield will be “running distance from my house. I could run there, train, and

run back.” While she practices for her national team in Florida and for the Frederica Academy varsity team at school, there will be an advantage to having a practice field close to home. “You don’t have to have your mom take you,” she says.Griffin Stevenson’s mom often drives the 10-year-old to the south end of the Hampton Spur so he can ride his bike on the new trail. The Oglethorpe Point fourth-grader says, “It’s a lot safer than the road, and this is a lot smoother ride.” Once the trail is completed to Hampton Point, would he ride from his home down to the new Frederica Park? “I would do it now,” he says. “I could rest at the park and have fun. So it would be a lot easier.”

Park, trail a winner for island kids

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