Charles Lea Center, CLC Foundation break ground on accessible nature preserve in Chesnee

Accessible trails and campsites and an accessible boat dock are coming to Lake Blalock as part of a project from the Charles Lea Center and Charles Lea Center Foundation.

Staff members joined with Center clients and members of the wider Spartanburg community Tuesday for a groundbreaking at their lakefront property on Lake Blalock where The Charles Lea Center Lake Blalock Nature Preserve will be developed over the next three-five years.

The $4 million, eight-acre nature preserve will feature amenities specifically geared toward people with developmental disabilities. The acreage, 22 acres in total, was bequeathed to the center.

The nature preserve will be the only facility of its kind in South Carolina.

"The whole idea behind this is to make a nature preserve accessible for people with disabilities across the spectrum," Charles Lea Center CEO Jerry Bernard said. "The land was donated to us, and we thought this would be a great way to use the land in a way that would be beneficial to the community at large rather than just selling it."

The three-phase project will include a parking area with bus parking, an event center, campsites, cabins, a picnic pavilion, accessible trails, an elevated boardwalk, a lakefront pavilion and an accessible boating dock. The trails will be paved and include technological amenities to allow people with visual impairments to enjoy the natural surroundings.

Lake Blalock Planning Committee member Jennifer Orseck said the nature preserve would offer people with disabilities and their families opportunities many people take for granted.

“This nature preserve will provide unique and exciting opportunities for people, and families of all abilities will experience all the joys and benefits of being out in nature. For so many of us, there are very few places outdoors that are accessible. This place will be a literal breath of fresh air,” Orseck said at the groundbreaking.

Bernard anticipates the total project will take at least three years to complete but said the park will open before then, likely once the event center and trails are functional.

"Definitely within the next year and a half, I think you're going to see some activity as far as people coming here and being able to use the space."

Samantha Swann covers city news, development and culture in Spartanburg. She is a University of South Carolina Upstate and Greenville Technical College alumna. Contact her at sswann@shj.com or on Instagram at @sam_on_spartanburg.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Accessibility-focused nature preserve coming to Chesnee's Lake Blalock