A group that hopes to help with the revitalization of Duckworth Park has set a meeting and is also planning a fundraiser to assist with the costs of obtaining grants to preserve the Duckworth Center.
Chanie Cherry addressed the Columbia Board of Aldermen about the upcoming projects. Cherry and others had met with the board in the spring when a group was formed to help preserve the center and park.
“We’re in the process of filling out applications to get grants for parks and recreation,” Cherry told the board. “We were excited to see the work going on there (a recent NRCS grant project to help with erosion). The applications are due in December. We are also working to get the building on the Historic Register.”
The group will hold a meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Duckworth Center to discuss the projects.
“We need your input on questions,” Cherry said.
The group will also host a garage sale to assist with the process.
“We have to make copies of things and file these grants,” she continued. “What we want is authorization from the board to raise some ready cash from things like garage sales and put in our treasury.”
Mayor Justin McKenzie said he didn’t think there was any reason for the board to oppose the sale.
“We can give them the permit to hold the sale there because the money is being used to reinvest in the park,” he said.
Cherry said the sale would be set for Nov. 3.
The Cleveland J. Duckworth Center and Park was dedicated in 1962 and is named for the man who was principal at John J. Jefferson High School during the 1950s.
Duckworth saw a need for families in Columbia and Marion County and donated the property to the city. Duckworth Park has been registered with the National Park Service, Department of the Interior since 1965.
Cherry told the board last spring that the center was an important part of Columbia’s history and a valuable resource to the community.
“The Cleveland J. Duckworth Center and Park is historically significant to the city of Columbia because in the 1950s an African-American educator recognized the important need for our families to have a place to gather for fun, fitness and recreation,” she said.
