North Charleston awards $1.1 million design contract for JV Morris skate park; funds come from Noisette TIF

North Charleston City Council on first reading approved a $1,100,000 award to Platform Group (Lehi, with Tampa offices) to design a skate park at the JV Morris Complex.

City staff and council members said the project will use residual tax increment financing from the Noisette off‑base TIF. Councilman Skipper asked for confirmation of the funding source: "I would like confirmation that the funds for this park are coming out of the Noisette TIF," and a city staff member, identified in the meeting as Adam McConnell, replied, "I can confirm those funds will come from the off base TIF." McConnell added these are the same funds used to develop the Park Circle Complex and that residual funds remain to pay for this final project.

Community members who helped organize support for a skate facility also spoke during public comment. Sean Lieberknight, a Park Circle Skate cofounder, thanked the mayor and council and described the project's community goals: "At its core, this project has been about creating a space where people feel welcomed, supported, and seen." Lieberknight said the skate park was prompted in part because "when [my daughters] asked to learn how to skateboard, there wasn't anywhere safe or legal to take them in our city." He credited police sponsorship of an initial clinic and volunteer organizers for moving the effort from idea to reality.

The council held a roll call and recorded unanimous approval to award the contract. Council discussion focused on funding source confirmation rather than design specifics. The council referred no additional conditions at the time of the vote; staff indicated project scoping and design will continue under the awarded contract.

The design award follows earlier community outreach and internal city coordination; the city did not provide a construction timeline at the meeting.