Darlington park named for slain officer taking shape
Parks and Recreation director Lee Andrews at Darlington’s Carraway Park. Photo by Samantha Lyles
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
Though many people are aware that Terrence Carraway was a Darlington resident and police officer who died last year in the line of duty, those close to him have cited his dedication to helping and mentoring young people in sports, school, and life.
This aspect of Carraway’s character is being honored by the City of Darlington and Darlington County Parks and Recreation as they build a new park that will bear his name.
Located on Magnolia Street, Carraway Park is already taking shape. Playground equipment, including a swing set, rock climbing feature, merry-go-round and a sliding board, will entertain the little ones.
“It’s not very big, but we’re adding a lot of features to this one. About the only thing we’re not going to have here is public bathrooms. With restrooms, you have high maintenance cost and they tend to draw crime and we do not want that.”
Crews have already removed old fencing and will soon take down the large lights surrounding the park.
Andrews says these will be replaced with safety lights that will be bright enough to dissuade criminals but not so bright as to disturb local residents. He says with proper lighting, security cameras and regular police patrols, the park should provide a safe and family-friendly environment for all to enjoy.
Andrews says funding for Carraway Park is coming from a state PARD (Parks and Recreation Development) grant.
Playground equipment and soft mulch have already been installed and work on the basketball court, walking track and picnic shelter should be completed by the end of May.
