Parks & Gardens

Our Parks and Gardens Departments handle everything from Swan Lake Iris Gardens to the local parks. Every year they put on the City's main attractions, the Fantasy of Lights and The Iris Festival, both at Swan Lake Iris Gardens.

Our Parks Department staff is responsible for maintaining Downtown Sumter, all 24 City parks, recreational trails and several miles of right-a-ways within City limits. They do the daily cleaning and maintenance of these facilities so that everyone can enjoy them and be proud of the community they live in. They also maintain the City's three Hope Centers, which are located at N. Main St., Lafayette Ave., and Purdy St. The department also participates in all community and neighborhood cleanups, meaning they provide manpower and equipment for these events. In addition the Parks staff has the responsibility of setting up all Sumter @ Six concerts and assisting with other special events that take place at Swan Lake, Riley Park, Memorial Park and other neighborhood gatherings at various parks.

Park Locations Map (PDF*)

Our Gardens Department is responsible for maintaining Swan Lake Iris Gardens which is a historical and horticultural significant garden. The staff is responsible for performing maintenance on approximately 70 acres of 150 acre site. This includes but is not limited to maintaining flower beds, grass cutting, weed and litter control. Building maintenance such as maintaining all restrooms, picnic shelters, Heath Pavilion, Iris Market and the Visitor's Center are also a part of their duties. However, one of the main attractions for Swan Lake is that it is the home of all eight species of Swans, which brings duties of its own such as daily feedings and inspection of all 71 Swans. These Swans are observed daily for behavioral patterns to include but are not limited too laying periods, disease epidemic, injuries and predator presence. The Gardens has a full time Horticulturist who is responsible for production of all seasonal plant material that are planted in the Gardens, Parks, neighborhood beautification projects and other City Facilities.

The Gardens Department is also responsible for maintaining the seven "Welcome to Sumter" beautification sites leading into Sumter and is responsible for setting up all special events at Swan Lake Facilities, Memorial Park and Riley Ball Park such as weddings, birthday parties, family reunions, receptions, etc.

FACILITY APPLICATIONS AND RESERVATIONS

All applications for the City parks or facilities are received and approved through the Swan Lake Visitors Center located in the entrance of Swan Lake Iris Gardens on Liberty Street.

For more information please call the Swan Lake Visitors Center at 803-436-2640.

STREET AND TREE MAINTENANCE

The City streets are maintained by constant weed and litter control. There is a schedule which is arranged so that most streets are taken care of in a timely fashion. The Parks Department staff maintains approximately 100 miles of streets and right-of-way by constantly performing mowing and litter control duties on these facilities. This is all part of the beautification process that the City of Sumter has so strongly tried to uphold.

Tree maintenance is taken care of by the City Arborculturist and the City Tree Surgeon. They work together to identify trees in need of trimming, cutting, and removal. They are in charge of planting new trees and working along with the City / County Planning Commission in making Sumter a more beautiful place to live with the expectations of recognizing Sumter as an Urban Forest.

CITY ENTRANCEWAYS

The City entranceways are part of the City of Sumter's beautification program. We take pride in our entranceways since they are to make a statement of how we pride ourselves in making sure Sumter is a beautiful place to live.

There are seven City entranceways which are located on Broad St. in front of K-mart, on Liberty St. in front of the Coca-Cola Plant, on Hwy 15 South, on Hwy 15 North, on Pinewood Rd., on Hwy 378 going towards Florence, and on Hwy 378 in front of Shaw AFB.

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