Local city and county are teaming up for kayaking project

Graham Lee
·2 min read
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BARNWELL, S.C. (WJBF)- Summertime is around the corner, which means it’s time to get back on the water.

The City of Barnwell and Barnwell County are teaming up to bring kayaking to the historic Lake Edgar Brown.

The city was approached by a Michigan-based company called Rent!Fun six months ago about the project–and it caught their attention.

“It looked like it was very interesting and had quite a bit of potential. So we were quite intrigued by it, and I thought it was a great idea and a good company to work with,” said Barnwell Parks and Rec Director Kevin Roberts.

The city and county are now splitting an $18,000 investment to bring kayaking equipment to Kilkenny Park.

According to Roberts, the money will go towards installing a storage cage with four, 10-foot kayaks, paddles, and life vests to be used by the community.

The city will be in charge of maintaining the park, while the county will be responsible for installing a concrete pad for kayak storage, and a concrete ramp to access the lake.

“And then Rent!Fun actually handles the maintenance of the unit. So, it’s totally turn-key, we don’t have to do any sort of maintenance ourselves, and if there’s any damage or anything to it, then Rent!Fun takes care of that as part of their part,” said Roberts.

On April 1st, Barnwell City Council unanimously approved moving forward with the project.

Mayor Ron Still was unable to do an interview, but says he and the council are excited to see the impact this project will have on the city and county.

Hilary Hindman is the Director of Community Engagement and Recreation for the county, and says this project is also important to put good use to Lake Edgar Brown.

“We are very proud of Barnwell Lake,” said Hindman. “Lake Edgar Brown has been here for so many years. It is a great fishing lake, a great boating lake, we have people out here skiing during the summer–so we like to utilize the great assets that we have.”

Roberts says the city is hoping everything will be installed by April 2025.

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