Rock Hill eyes $6 million in upgrades to city’s most popular parks

[media-credit name=”John Taylor/CRH” align=”alignright” width=”160″][/media-credit]

Banking on several years worth of steady increases in hospitality and accommodations tax revenues, Rock Hill leaders are considering spending upwards of $6 million towards new amenities, upgrades and additions to the city’s best-performing parks.

Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director John Taylor presented city council with capital projects plan spending revenues from taxes on hotel stays and prepared foods for investments in the Riverwalk district, Cherry Park and Glencarin Gardens.

The projects, timed-in-part to coincide with major sports tourism events coming to the city in 2016 and 2017, would extend the Riverwalk trail along the Catawba River, add additional parking for cars and RV’s at the city’s BMX track and include a new trail head East of Cel-River Road along a Norfolk Southern railroad line.

At Cherry Park: New bricks are planned to replace aging concrete infrastructure and new lighting to replace decade-old and inefficient systems.

And at Glencarin Gardens: The city’s parks department is asking for funds for new parking to alleviate the need for one-way streets during significant events like the Come-See-Me Festival’s Gourmet Gardens.

“There’s a tremendous amount of revenue flow that provides us the opportunity to do these things,” Rock Hill mayor Doug Echols said. “The revnue is there to pay off the bonds, so it’s not going to come out of the general fund.”

Per state law, accommodations and hospitality tax funds are restricted to tourism-related expenses.

Rock Hill city council members may consider bonding $5.8 million for the projects this fall.