Work that began nearly eight years ago to repair a leaking dam culminated Jan. 28 with a ribbon cutting on a state-of-the-art park and playground at Langley Pond in Aiken County.
A leak, discovered in 2014, led to a drawing down of the lake to relieve pressure on the earthen dam, built in the 1850s to be a water resource for area cotton mills. The leak led to extensive repairs and rebuilding of the structure.
“That was a catalyst then for doing all the work on the park itself, because we thought, well, if we’re going to make this into a world class rowing facility, and venue, we ought to make the rest of the park world class too,” said County Council Chairman Gary Bunker.
“The centerpiece of the new park is this massive, inclusive and adaptive playground,” said Mark van der Linden, Aiken County’s director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. “There’s components for children and adults of all ages and abilities. And because of the hot temperatures, you can see the shade we included here to help everybody stay out the sun during the hot Aiken County summers.”
Along side the water is a new area with hammocks, the beach area has been doubled in size and an upper beach area was added. The park also has a state-of-the-art disc golf course, dedicated swim area, trails for horses and walkers and a dog park.
A multipurpose shelter and grilling area were added along with a fountain. Restrooms and concession area were renovated.
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“I consider Langley Pond Park to be the crown jewel of the Aiken County park system,” said Bunker.
The park upgrades cost just under $6.5 million, paid for with special purpose sales tax money and a grant from Discover SC.
The total repair cost of the dam was just over $17.2 million dollars. It was paid for with Federal Hazardous Mitigation Funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and special purpose sales tax money.
Langley Pond has been popular with rowing clubs including the U.S. Rowing Team which used it as the home practice facility prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Rowing will return to Langley Pond with the Augusta Invitational Regatta on March 12.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
