Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Somerville seeks portion of school-owned lot to expand skate park
Summary
Somerville officials asked the Dorchester School District Two facilities committee to convey roughly 0.61 acres of a 0.91-acre parcel adjacent to the district’s skate park so the town can expand the park from about 5,000 to 10,000 square feet; no formal vote was taken.
Dorchester School District Two facilities committee members heard on Oct. 6, 2025, that the Town of Somerville is asking the district to convey a portion of a school-owned 0.91-acre parcel next to the district’s skate park so the town can expand the facility.
Amy Evans, Somerville’s parks and recreation director, said the current concrete skate park is about 5,000 square feet and the town would like to expand it to roughly 10,000 square feet so it can add parking, shade, restrooms and spectator space. Evans said the town would survey and subdivide the parcel, then return to the district for final approval of any conveyance.
The town identified roughly 0.61 usable acres within the 0.91-acre parcel as the portion that would be most useful for expansion; Evans said a drainage ditch through part of the property limits development on that portion. She told the committee the town has funds to design a new, custom concrete park and cited recent skate-park projects in other South Carolina towns as examples.
Committee members asked whether conveying the smaller portion would reduce parking or access for Sunbelt Elementary pickup; Evans said the town would reconfigure the area so parking would be improved, not lost. A committee member asked whether state approvals would be required to dispose of the land; Evans said the town expects to verify the parcel was not purchased with state funds and, if that is confirmed, Office of School Facilities (OSF) approval would not be needed.
The committee treated the presentation as information. District staff said the item will be brought back to a public board meeting later in October for information and again in December if the district and town move forward; no conveyance or vote occurred on Oct. 6.
The discussion included these details provided to the committee: the existing park footprint (approximately 5,000 sq. ft.), the proposed footprint (about 10,000 sq. ft.), the total parcel size (0.91 acres), and the usable portion the town requested (about 0.61 acres). Evans emphasized the site is walkable for many young users and that the town intends to preserve the ditch/greenway area and only convey land that will be developed for the park and supporting amenities.
Committee members and Somerville officials agreed to return with survey and subdivision documents before any formal conveyance is considered.
