ARCHIVES

WHAT'S GROWING ON
Web site charting progress of Children's Garden
Story featured in The Post and Courier, Nov. 8, 2001

By Denishia Graham
Of The Post and Courier Staff

The Phillip Simmons Children's Garden won't be completed for a few months, but its Web site is up and running.

The site, www.simmonschildrensgarden.com, provides the public with news, garden designs, history and updates related to the garden.

"We wanted to provide an interactive, new way that people could learn about the garden and follow the project as it's built," said the Rev. Dallas Wilson, president of Agape Ministries. Elpis, Inc., a division of Agape, has overseen the project, including the renovation of the Josiah Smith Tennent House located behind the garden on the corner of Blake and East Bay streets.

A photograph of yellow flowers borders the top of the Web site, with light shades of blue and green striping the page. A navigation bar near the top offers links to news, calendar events, designs of the upcoming garden, how to get involved and contact information.

Andy Brack of The Brack Group of Charleston, a communications strategy firm, designed the site. He said he will continue to maintain it, and redesign necessary pages as progress is made on the garden.

For example, in the top right-hand corner of the home page, there's a small box with a sketched design and the words "Watch us build the garden," to the left. As progress is made on the garden, photos will be updated in this box and cycled in an animated fashion.

"You will literally see it building before your eyes," Brack said.

Brack said he's never met Simmons, the 89-year-old master blacksmith for whom this garden is named, who still lives downtown. However, he did know T.C. Drayton, the community leader who died last year. The garden will feature a water wall in honor of Drayton.

"It's to remember someone who has done someting to at least impact your life," Wilson said of the garden.

It took about six weeks for Brack to design the site. He wanted it to have a "crisp, clean and attractive" quality.

"He did a beautiful job," Wilson said.

The children's garden will be dedicated on Dec. 2, although it's not expected to be finished by then. They hope to have it competed by the beginning of next year.

So far, about $150,000 has been raised toward the garden's construction, Wilson said. The estimated total for the garden, Wilson said, is $375,000.

Anyone can make a financial contribution by buying a brick or larger stone that can be inscribed and will be displayed at the garden.

Prices for different sizes range from $25 to $5,000.

"The community has been absolutely wonderful in their response to us," Wilson said.

For more information, call 534-0201.

(NOTE: SimmonsChildrensGarden.com appreciates permission to reprint the above article, © 2001, The Post and Courier.)