Improvements could be coming to Duncan Park in Spartanburg

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Duncan Park in Spartanburg could soon get a facelift.

For the last eight months, work has been ongoing to try and reimagine the historic park.

It’s a place Ron Livingston often enjoys taking his daily walk.

“This is what’s so nice about living in Spartanburg,” he said.

It’s the features scattered across more than 100 acres that make Duncan Park unique, from the historic baseball stadium to the lake.

“I think the beauty of Duncan Park is the fact that it’s unifying if you look at the number of communities that surround it,” said City of Spartanburg Parks and Recreation Director Kim Moultrie.

But with few people coming to the park consistently, the city and Play. Advocate. Live Well. have been working to reimagine the city’s largest recreational asset.

“We’ve been working with a steering committee and lots of residents to really come up with a vision for what people want to see,” said PAL Executive Director Laura Ringo.

Among what community members say is most important to them include adding more recreation features, upgrading and adding walking trails, and making Duncan Lake accessible to non-motorized boating and fishing.

On Monday, a master plan for the park was presented to the city council.

“It’s a pretty significant project to do everything, but the great thing is we can break it down by phases so that people will really see the progress and hopefully be energized by that process,” explained Ringo.

No vote on the project was taken, but at the next city council meeting in March, a resolution to endorse the master plan is expected to be on the agenda.

If passed, the next step would be to try and get funding privately or through grants.

“Duncan Park can be the hub of all activity in the city of Spartanburg when it comes to recreation,” said Moultrie.

“Our hope is that in five to ten years, you see tons of people out here enjoying it,” said Ringo.

At this point, the plan does not include any changes to the baseball stadium.

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