The Master Plan will identify appropriate fixtures for each area of the park to unify the overall aesthetic and provide adequate lighting for safety and to accommodate the various uses of the park. Fixtures will be historically appropriate, energy efficient and sensitive to the night sky.

Separating bikes from pedestrians was the second most requested feature by the community. The existing perimeter sidewalk along Whitaker, Drayton and Park Ave. will be expanded to accommodate cyclists, joggers and pedestrians. A team of arborists has inspected each tree along the perimeter to ensure that they are all adequately protected. The sidewalk along Gaston Street is wide enough to accommodate the separation of uses.

The community overwhelmingly asked that the amount of green space in the park be preserved as much as possible to allow open space for adults and children alike to engage in both active and passive uses.  The draft master plan preserves the open lawns in their current configuration and size.

The community overwhelmingly asked that the amount of green space in the park be preserved as much as possible to allow open space for adults and children alike to engage in both active and passive uses.  The draft master plan preserves the open lawns in their current configuration and size.

The Master Plan will identify appropriate fixtures for each area of the park to unify the overall aesthetic and provide adequate lighting for safety and to accommodate the various uses of the park. Fixtures will be historically appropriate, energy efficient and sensitive to the night sky.

The Master Plan will identify appropriate fixtures for each area of the park to unify the overall aesthetic and provide adequate lighting for safety and to accommodate the various uses of the park. Fixtures will be historically appropriate, energy efficient and sensitive to the night sky.

The top priority identified during community engagement was the addition of bathrooms on the south end of the park. The draft plan recommends bathrooms on the southern end including appropriate security and maintenance. The existing bathrooms would remain open to the public.

The top priority identified during community engagement was the addition of bathrooms on the south end of the park. The draft plan recommends bathrooms on the southern end including appropriate security and maintenance.  The existing bathrooms would remain open to the public.

A playground with a water feature was in the top 5 amenities requested by the community, and introducing a playground on the southern end of the park was in the top 10. The draft plan recommends this playground be buffered from the street by the tree lawn, trees and shrubs at the border of the park and a new gathering space with seating. It will be fenced and include a non-skid surface, water feature, and offer a socially interactive experience for children of all ages and abilities.

The playground in this location will remain unchanged and will continue to be maintained by the Rotary Club of Savannah.

The community expressed a strong desire for more events in the park such as music and theatrical performances. The existing stage is no longer adequate to support the types of events and level of talent the community desires. The southern end of the proposed new stage will be located at the southern edge of the existing splash pad and will not further encroach on the open lawn.  The stage will be designed and constructed based on the most current technology and on input from City staff and organizations that host events in the park. The stage will include a sound dampening feature to minimize sound traveling into the surrounding neighborhoods.

The park has very few shaded spaces for visitors to sit and enjoy a picnic, relax or gather. Many in the community requested shaded gathering spaces with seating. The Master Plan draft proposes the creation of 2 such spaces, one in the middle and one at the southern end of the park.

The park has very few shaded spaces for visitors to sit and enjoy a picnic, relax or gather. Many in the community requested shaded gathering spaces with seating. The Master Plan draft proposes the creation of 2 such spaces, one in the middle and one at the southern end of the park.

The park has very few shaded spaces for visitors to sit and enjoy a picnic, relax or gather. Many in the community requested shaded gathering spaces with seating. The Master Plan draft proposes the creation of 2 such spaces, one in the middle and one at the southern end of the park.

The outer corners of the open lawns not used for athletic activity are often muddy and wet as these are natural run-off areas. Creating stormwater gardens to collect this excess water was in the top 10 ideas that the community indicated they would like to see included in the Master Plan. These gardens would provide a natural, sustainable way to drain the excess water in the park while also creating an aesthetic enhancement and ecological educational opportunity for children.  The gardens would not encroach upon the active area of the open lawns.

The outer corners of the open lawns not used for athletic activity are often muddy and wet as these are natural run-off areas. Creating stormwater gardens to collect this excess water was in the top 10 ideas that the community indicated they would like to see included in the Master Plan. These gardens would provide a natural, sustainable way to drain the excess water in the park while also creating an aesthetic enhancement and ecological educational opportunity for children.  The gardens would not encroach upon the active area of the open lawns.

The outer corners of the open lawns not used for athletic activity are often muddy and wet as these are natural run-off areas. Creating stormwater gardens to collect this excess water was in the top 10 ideas that the community indicated they would like to see included in the Master Plan. These gardens would provide a natural, sustainable way to drain the excess water in the park while also creating an aesthetic enhancement and ecological educational opportunity for children.  The gardens would not encroach upon the active area of the open lawns.

The outer corners of the open lawns not used for athletic activity are often muddy and wet as these are natural run-off areas. Creating stormwater gardens to collect this excess water was in the top 10 ideas that the community indicated they would like to see included in the Master Plan. These gardens would provide a natural, sustainable way to drain the excess water in the park while also creating an aesthetic enhancement and ecological educational opportunity for children.  The gardens would not encroach upon the active area of the open lawns.

New basketball courts will be installed west of their current location, just north of the well in the south-west corner of the park. The courts will be screened and a buffer zone of trees and other vegetation will surround them to dampen noise from the courts and to make them more aesthetically pleasing from the exterior.  Additional sound buffering will be placed between the courts and the new playground to the east.

The tennis courts will remain in the current location. They will be resurfaced and screened by a buffer zone of trees and other vegetation to make them more aesthetically pleasing from the exterior.

The community has expressed a strong desire for an additional monument in the park. The Master Plan draft recommends a new monument be located in the central allee between the Civil War Memorial and the southern entrance to the park.  The Master Plan will not identify the subject matter of this new monument; the design of the monument will be a separate City-led project.

While the entrance into the park on the north end offers the iconic view of the fountain and oak tree allee to welcome visitors, the entrance at the southern end is not well defined.  The Master Plan recommends reimagining this entrance with enhanced landscaping to improve aesthetics and deter cycling on the central axis.

The community indicated a strong desire for additional traffic calming measures to facilitate access to the park. The Master Plan will make recommendations for traffic calming measures along Drayton and Whitaker as well as improved ADA-access to the park.

The community indicated a strong desire for additional traffic calming measures to facilitate access to the park. The Master Plan will make recommendations for traffic calming measures along Drayton and Whitaker as well as improved ADA-access to the park.

The community indicated a strong desire for additional traffic calming measures to facilitate access to the park. The Master Plan will make recommendations for traffic calming measures along Drayton and Whitaker as well as improved ADA-access to the park.

The community indicated a strong desire for additional traffic calming measures to facilitate access to the park. The Master Plan will make recommendations for traffic calming measures along Drayton and Whitaker as well as improved ADA-access to the park.

The community indicated a strong desire for additional traffic calming measures to facilitate access to the park. The Master Plan will make recommendations for traffic calming measures along Drayton and Whitaker as well as improved ADA-access to the park.

The community indicated a strong desire for additional traffic calming measures to facilitate access to the park. The Master Plan will make recommendations for traffic calming measures along Drayton and Whitaker as well as improved ADA-access to the park.

The strong preference of the community feedback was to keep the parking in the same location. The draft Master Plan recommends that the lots be improved by replacing the asphalt with permeable pavers, enhanced plantings, and improved lighting.

The strong preference of the community feedback was to keep the parking in the same location. The draft Master Plan recommends that the lots be improved by replacing the asphalt with permeable pavers, enhanced plantings, and improved lighting.

The Greenscapes Division currently has no on site facilities to house equipment and manage trash. The Master Plan recommends building a small maintenance shed to house 2 small utility vehicles and trash receptacles. The use of smaller vehicles in the park will eliminate the need for large trucks to drive or park within the park boundaries.

Preserving, protecting and planning for the future of the tree canopy in the park has been a top priority of the planning team. Every recommendation in the Master Plan has been vetted with the city’s Greenscapes Division and Urban Foresters, The Savannah Tree Foundation and the Park and Tree Commission.  The live oaks flanking the central allee between the southern entrance and the Civil War Memorial are suffering due to increased traffic over the roots over the past decade.  To protect these trees, the draft master plan recommends a variety of solutions from air-spading to protecting the roots with crushed stone, to specified set-up locations for Farmers' Market vendors so that further damage is not caused.

The draft plan recommends this popular feature of the park be restored and replanted. Also recommended are making the garden ADA accessible and extending the hours it is open.

The landscaping throughout the park will be enhanced including the area west of the Fragrant Garden which will be planted with shade-loving plants.

A children’s garden was among the top 10 amenities requested by the community. The garden will be located near the center of the park and provide educational and sensory activities for children of multiple ages, for example, teaching about native plants, sustainability, and pollinators.

The community indicated a strong desire for additional traffic calming measures to facilitate access to the park. The Master Plan will make recommendations for traffic calming measures along Drayton and Whitaker as well as improved ADA-access to the park.

The community indicated a strong desire for additional traffic calming measures to facilitate access to the park. The Master Plan will make recommendations for traffic calming measures along Drayton and Whitaker as well as improved ADA-access to the park.

The community indicated a strong desire for additional traffic calming measures to facilitate access to the park. The Master Plan will make recommendations for traffic calming measures along Drayton and Whitaker as well as improved ADA-access to the park.

The community indicated a strong desire for additional traffic calming measures to facilitate access to the park. The Master Plan will make recommendations for traffic calming measures along Drayton and Whitaker as well as improved ADA-access to the park.