There's been a running joke for decades that Lake City is a city with no lake. Well, that's about to change.
The Doctors Bruce and Lee Foundation has announced that it's awarding Lake City with a $2.5 million grant to develop a lake centered around a 30 to 35 acre park.
The foundation's chairman of the grants committee, Haigh Porter, says the idea for a lake in Lake City started with a drive through the community.
"Ideas developed and we got together with some of the officials in Lake City and we been working on this idea now for over a year, " said Haigh Porter.
The lake will be about five to six acres. The park will start around Church Street, run through the swamp and connect with Lake City's Lions Park.
Haigh says they haven't come up with a new name for the upcoming park, but says it will be second to none and will include walking trails, tennis courts, a ball field , and a board walk.
The park will be owned by Florence County and they will maintain it on behalf of Lake City. It's expected to be finished in 15 to 16 months.
"All of the permitting and all has got to be completed and it's hoped that that would be done by the end of the summer and depending on the weather, but it's hoped that the clearing for the lake would start in October," Porter explained.
The news of a lake being developed in Lake City is welcoming to residents, who say it was often a running joke that the community didn't have a lake.
"I think it would be nice to have a lake since we have the name Lake CIty," said Theresa Graham.
NewsChannel 15 did some digging and found out that more than 100 years ago there was a lake in Lake City. In fact several lakes, on the north edge of the city, according to a local historian.
"Back in the early 1900's a reporter named W.L. Bass and he would give local news to the newspaper and he would mention people going to the lake to fish or have baptismals, picnicing at the lake. The lake was located behind city hall and it ran all the way to the city dump. So, it was small one, but we did have a lake back say 1920 or 30's it started growing, the swamp started taking the lake away." said Kent Daniels, Lynches Lake Historical Society.
Residents say they'll take pride in the long awaited lake and cherish it as the new fabric in their community.
The park is closely designed after Lynches River Park in Florence County.
