re: F-U-C-K-ery Thread: Official OT Thread

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The view atop Finlay Park is supposed to be the stuff of postcards — a hill near the Governor’s Mansion overlooking 17 acres of greenspace, water cascading from a spiral fountain into a man-made pond and Columbia’s skyline peaking above canopy trees that offer shade along winding foot paths.

But the public park that the city once promoted as an “oasis in the heart of downtown” more recently to some has become a neglected eyesore. The fountain hasn’t pumped water in years. The trees on the hillside are overgrown, blocking views and causing a daily headache for maintenance crews.

On a typical day, the park is mostly populated by crowds of the homeless. After years of talk about improving the historic park, which predates the Civil War, Columbia officials are now considering spending as much as $30 million. The city could also sell a piece of the park or hand over part of its control to an outside company.

City leaders are requesting submissions from private firms for project ideas through October, signaling the likelihood of at least some form of private development at the park for the first time in its history.

Those submissions are sealed, but a person with knowledge of some of the proposals described them to The Post and Courier.

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