Located just 17 miles north of downtown Charleston, a previously quiet, small town named Goose Creek is now making some noise in the Lowcountry of South Carolina with the introduction of a new, state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind, inclusive playground called Debra's Playground and Splash Pad at Central Creek Park.
The playground is named after City Councilmember, Debra Green-Fletcher, a strong supporter of the City's Recreation Department and a champion of generations of young people of all abilities. A high priority in the design intent was to provide therapeutic recreation opportunities for all children, including individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities. Landscape Architecture firm, LandPlan Group South led the design process while providing landscape architectural and civil engineering services as part of a design-build team with Jeff Lewis AIA Architects and Trident Construction.
At approximately 10 acres, Central Creek Park is a triangularly shaped site that includes a variety of amenities such as a sand volleyball court, a basketball court, an amphitheater stage cover and lawn area, a shade sail covered food court nicknamed 'food truck alley', four covered and four uncovered pickleball courts, multiple picnic pavilions, and two restroom buildings. A concrete trail looping around the perimeter of the site is eight feet wide to accommodate walkers and wheelchairs comfortably. The large parking area provides two electric vehicle charging stations and handicap parking bays exceeding the required minimum.
There are over 100 newly planted deciduous and evergreen trees throughout the park. Tree varieties include Natchez and Acoma Crape Myrtles, Afterburner Black Gum, Nutall Oak, Chinese Pistache, Cathedral Live Oak, Shawnee Brave Bald Cypress, and Allee Elm.

Historical Significance The covered pickleball structure is named Casey Pavilion. Casey is a name that has played an integral role in the history of Goose Creek, as the Casey Community was first settled during the Reconstruction era. The park site is said to be the place where a freed slave named Casey pitched a tent to preach the gospel. The tent became a cabin, and as the church grew, so did the community. A Casey schoolhouse was constructed next to the church in the 1930s and was the sole source of local education for African-American scholars for many years. At the park groundbreaking on December 16, 2022, Mayor Gregory Habib emphasized the importance of the Casey Community. "The structures may be gone but the spirit of this place still echoes through the ages. It's a spirit we are proud to celebrate and cherish." Mayor Habib continued, "The Casey name will forever be synonymous with the excellence and inclusivity this park represents."

Environmental Sensitivity and Sustainability As is often the case in the South Carolina Lowcountry, grading and drainage design was a challenge due to the lack of grade change across the park site. An existing creek cuts through the site and brings with it a 100-year floodplain footprint paralleling the creek banks extending into the site over 200 feet on each side of the creek. The creek serves as the main drainage corridor for the adjacent residential neighborhood. Stormwater storage and release are designed to be controlled with the use of green infrastructure facilities such as bioretention basins, water quality features and a system of small detention ponds. Multiple heavy rain events have occurred since construction was completed and have shown to be handled effectively.

 

The playground surface is a poured-in-place, two-layer system consisting of a base of 100% post-consumer recycled SBR (Styrene Butadiene Rubber) and polyurethane and a top surface consisting of recycled post-industrial EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) rubber. The surfacing thickness varies to meet the varying critical fall heights within the playground. The porous rubber surfacing is poured and spread over a compacted gravel base that allows water to pass through. A system of perforated pipe underdrains installed in the gravel base collects stormwater and delivers it to a water quality feature before leaving the site.

Splash Pad Central Creek Park has a variety of popular amenities, but the main attraction is undoubtedly Debra's Playground and Splash Pad.

Myriad inclusive play structures are accessible across the nearly 30,000-square-foot playground area that allows children and adults to engage their auditory, tactile, proprioception, and visual sensory systems. The playground is aquatically themed with custom play structures including a yellow submarine, caves of blue coral, shipwreck remnants, and lurking sea creatures. The playground and splash pad are fenced and gated to promote safety, and control access. Numerous seating options are offered (4-top tables, seat walls, boulders, and benches) with multiple shade structures providing relief from the hot South Carolina sun for all visitors.

The entire playground is accessible across the pour-in-place rubber surfacing with varying colors of water and sand. With all the inclusive playground structures (Landscape Structures Inc), children with varying levels of abilities can play alongside their friends who may or may not need additional assistance. Led by the city staff?EUR(TM)s own Therapeutic Coordinator, the third Thursday of every month is "Therapeutic Thursday," where the park is closed to the public and opened to the special needs/disability community. Around 80 individuals showed up for the first Therapeutic Thursday, and the event has continued to gain popularity. The swings, a zipline, and musical instruments are fan favorites. This special event, along with extended Splash Creek Splash Pad hours allows participants a chance to take their time and test new types of equipment without the typical rushed atmosphere found during the peak playground season. The city also has a Therapeutic Adaptive Pickleball League, that at times, practices on the same evening as Therapeutic Thursday and joins in on the playground fun. The city has several community partners that have contributed to the overall programming opportunities at Central Creek Park. Day programs for adults with disabilities such as Healing Farms, Club Horizons, HEART, and Berkeley (County) citizens have begun utilizing the park facilities too. The city continues to work closely with these groups to create employment opportunities and work programs within the disability community.

In all, Debra's Playground at Central Creek Park is a sensory-rich, inclusive, and accessible play area that welcomes all ages and abilities, bringing forth the legacy of Casey and the Casey Community he inspired.
TEAM LIST
Client ‐ City of Goose Creek
Landscape Architect & Civil Engineer ‐ The LandPlan Group South, Inc.
Architect ‐ Jeff Lewis, AIA Architects
General Contractor ‐ Trident Construction
Playground Equipment ‐ Carolina Parks & Play/Landscape Structures Inc.
Custom Play Structures ‐ Tiny Town Studios
Playground Surfacing ‐ Surface America, Inc.