Finlay Park’s renovation includes a brand-new Ranger Station. Situated on Ranger Hill on the ground floor, the Ranger Station is the hub of safety and security for the park. A combination of Park Rangers and CPD officers will rotate through the Ranger Station throughout the park’s opening hours, monitoring live video camera feeds from across the park.
VISITOR SAFETY AND SECURITY
The City of Columbia, in conjunction with the Columbia Police Department and the Department of Parks and Recreation, has developed a comprehensive safety and security plan to keep Finlay Park safe, clean, and welcoming for all park visitors.
Ranger Station
Park Rangers
Finlay Park also has a rotation of Park Rangers during all park operating hours. Coverage is in place seven days a week.
In addition to supporting safety and security efforts, our Park Rangers will also be engaging with park visitors, offering educational programming and assisting the park maintenance team in keeping our park beautiful.
Columbia Police Department
CPD has committed a rotation of officers during all park operating hours. Coverage is in place seven days a week.
Park Fencing
Finlay Park will have an ornamental fence surrounding it to provide an additional layer of safety and security. There will be gates open at main points of entry, including at Laurel, Assembly and Taylor Streets. Direct access from the Vista Greenway is limited, and the gates closest to the Cola Summit Playscape will always remain locked – affording parents of children comfort that their kids won’t wander out the gates and directly onto the Greenway.
Security Cameras and Emergency Call Boxes
Finlay Park has more than a dozen cameras placed around Finlay Park, providing eyes across the whole park and monitored in the Ranger Station. Additionally, there are also cameras in the Vista Greenway Tunnel and under the bridge adjacent to the park on the Gadsden Street side of the Greenway. Cameras are also monitored at the CPD Real Time Crime Center.
In addition to the security cameras, the park also features emergency call boxes across the park. There are two free-standing call boxes – one in the Cascade Walk accessible path and one adjacent to the Cola Summit Playscape. Two wall-mounted call boxes are located on the Landing and on the Governor’s Hill Event Restrooms.
