BERLIN – Residents of Bishopville could soon see improvements to their local park.
The Worcester County Commissioners have approved the county’s recreation and parks department’s request to develop an improvement plan for Bishopville Park.
“What we’re doing is what we’ve done to other parks,” said Paige Hurley, director of the Worcester County Department of Recreation and Parks. “We’ll add amenities to draw more people in.”
Hurley described the five-acre Bishopville Park as an “older model” park that featured little more than a picnic pavilion and playground equipment. His department will develop a plan to bring the park up to date with features that will attract more use from area residents.
Hurley is envisioning additional trees, a walking path, benches, a 10,000-square-foot wildflower meadow and educational signage. The trees will be species that have been identified by the Worcester County Department of Environmental Programs as sensible planting choices for the Eastern Shore and signs will provide information on the species to those visiting the park.
He plans to enlist the help of Stephen Decatur Middle School (SDMS) students — who have service learning requirements to fulfill — to implement the improvements. In the past, SDMS students have helped the county with similar enhancements at Herring Creek Nature Park.
“It gives them a chance to do some tree planting and create a wildflower meadow,” Hurley said.
Hurley’s department has already added a soccer goal and volleyball net to the park’s open space.
“Before, it was pretty much an open field,” he said, adding that the last time the park had seen improvements was at least 15 years ago.
Hurley is optimistic that the Bishopville Park revitalization project will not only increase the park’s usage but will serve as an example of how a collaborative approach can benefit parks throughout Worcester County.
Hurley said now that he had the commissioners’ approval, he’d be sharing his department’s ideas for the park with the community.
“Our next step is to have a town hall meeting with the residents of Bishopville and get some feedback,” he said.
While a date for that meeting has not yet been set, Hurley is hopeful it will occur before the end of the year. Feedback he’s heard on the changes already made at the park has been good.
“We’ve heard a lot of positive,” he said.
