Friends group asks Aiken City Council for $610,000 in repairs, describes education, volunteer and grant work at Hopelands Gardens and Rye Patch

Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch gave Aiken City City Council an update on Feb. 10, presenting programs, volunteer work and a list of needed repairs after storm damage and long-term wear at the 23‑acre Hopelands Gardens and Rye Patch.

"This is Hopeland's Gardens in Rye Patch, 23 acres. It is truly a place of history," said Dr. Holly Waltz, who identified herself as a presenter for the Friends group. Waltz described continuing education programs, concerts and recent storm cleanup, and she asked the council for additional funding to address deferred maintenance.

The presentation and subsequent public comments framed Hopelands as a tourist and community resource. Waltz said an education initiative called HOPE (Hopelands Outdoor Premier Education) and school‑day programs run with partners including the Ruth Patrick Science Center and the Savannah River Ecology Lab, and that a spring program starting March 20 will host rotating school groups.

Waltz listed damage and ongoing needs: uprooted vegetation and several fallen or damaged trees after Hurricane Helene, erosion and sand migration on the walkways, mismatched and deteriorated site signage and interior and outdoor furniture needing repair or reupholstering. She said the Friends group has pledged funds toward some projects and is seeking city support for larger work, including repairs to fencing and walls, erosion control, and new signage.

Waltz and other presenters provided specific dollar figures in their materials and speech: a packet cited a total of $610,000 in resources needed (listed in the presenters' materials), the Friends pledged $55,000 toward a fencing project, the group contributed $5,000 toward new trees, and the Mills Foundation recently awarded $25,000 toward Helene cleanup. Waltz also cited an estimate of $16,000 to reupholster certain outdoor furniture. The Friends reported prior grants, including a $27,000 award they described as from the "Islin Foundation," for education programming.

City staff and the Friends discussed attendance tracking and grant seeking. A tourism staff member said the city currently tracks attendance for some events and museums but does not have an automated daily walk‑in count at Hopelands; staff said they are exploring use of the Placer software the tourism division has been using to provide more complete annual attendance figures. The tourism staff member also said the city had applied for a state recreation and parks grant in two consecutive years without success and that the new grants administrator will be looking for other opportunities.

Public commenters at the meeting largely supported preserving and improving Hopelands. One resident who said she worked for the tourism office cited past Christmas‑season counts of about 17,000 visitors and said some years record higher totals; a Friends member said citation of 23,000 visitors referred to a short holiday period rather than year‑round visitation. A disability‑rights advocate urged the council and Friends to include ADA accessibility improvements when planning repairs and new sidewalks.

Waltz said the Friends plan to expand volunteer programs and continue collaborative projects with USC Aiken and other local groups. She credited city staff for recent improvements she identified, including a new irrigation system and expanded city maintenance, and asked council to consider shared funding for the larger repairs and signage.

Council members and staff did not take formal action on the presentation; councilors thanked the Friends and urged continued grant seeking and volunteer engagement. City staff agreed to follow up on attendance estimates and to continue coordinating on grant research and signage design.

The Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch said they will provide a detailed budget and continued updates to the city and invited council members to visit programs when school groups and events resume this spring.