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Former culture commission chair says South Sumter Art Park is locked and lacks planned amphitheater
Summary
Dr. Elaine Brunson, former chair of the Sumter County Culture Commission, told the council the South Sumter Art Park is closed to the low-to-moderate-income community it was intended to serve, said the planned amphitheater was removed from plans and raised concerns that donated funds were used for basketball courts instead.
Dr. Elaine Brunson, former chairwoman of the Sumter County Culture Commission, told the Sumter County Council on July 8 that the South Sumter Art Park is not operating as intended and is currently locked and closed to the low- and moderate-income community it was built to serve.
Brunson said the park's planned amphitheater was removed from the final design and that funds raised to build the amphitheater were used instead to construct lower-cost basketball courts. "The art park being locked and also the empty theater being non existent, is there really room for art?" Brunson asked. She added the current configuration denies children in South Sumter and the West Side opportunities to perform arts.
Brunson identified herself as a former chair of the county's Culture Commission and thanked the council for support in bringing the park to fruition, but urged the county to restore access and programming for the communities the park was intended to serve. The council did not record any immediate response or action on the public comment during the meeting.
