We’ll try to post videos there and on this Web site as the ideas come to us. Our first attempt was at the ribbon cutting of the new Edisto Discovery Park on Saturday.
Our second attempt is below with a short interview with Columbia Public Safety Director Michael King. You can read the full Q&A in The State sometime this week (sorry I have to be vague, but the editors aren’t sure when it will be published.).
Columbia Mayor Bob Coble doesn’t think South Carolina will get more than the minimum grant amount — $20 million — so he is submitting what for the city is a conservative application. Two of the requests regular readers of this blog should be familliar with:
$12.4 million for North Main Street, specifically from Parkside Avenue to Kortright Street (including railroad trestle improvements)
$15 million for Harden Street, specifically the four blocks from Taylor Street to Gervais Street
The third request is for Assembly Street — a major thoroughfare connecting Columbia’s downtown with Williams Brice Stadium that is crisscrossed with railroad tracks. Columbia officials have been trying to scrap together enough money to get rid of the Assembly Street railroad crossings that snarl traffic nearly every day — notably through the State Infrastructure Bank.
But Coble hopes the city can get $7 million from the TIGER grants to work on the railroad crossing on Assembly Street between Catawba and Whaley Street. It’s unclear if the project would remove the crossing, or just make it safer.
“Clearly, we have a lot more work to do,” Coble said.
Columbia’s new $500,000 Edisto Discovery Park was in full swing Saturday after a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The park, at 1914 Wiley Street, has a walking track, playground equipment, swing set, splash pad, basketball court and community center. In the summer form June 1-Aug. 15, the park is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday. All other months the park is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday. There are no weekend hours, according to city officials.
Columbia employees will be closely watching the city’s July and August revenue and expense reports. If the news is bad, Interim City Manager Steve Gantt said there will be another round of layoffs.
If things don’t improve by December, that’s when council members will be seriously considering an across the board salary cut — an issue that a majority of council members do not support.
“We would have to take a real critical look (at salary cuts) in December because we would only have six months to get the budget back in balance,” Gantt said.
Three council members — Kirkman Finlay, Belinda Gergel and E.W. Cromartie — supported a 2.5 percent salary cut beginning July 1. They fear if the city has to make a cut in December, when it has already spent half of the budget, the salary cut will have to be much steeper.
Gantt said he’s not sure that would be necessary.
“I would hope not. With some of the reductions that we’ve made, we’ve got reserve built into the budget,” Gantt said.
Metro Desk contributors Clif LeBlanc, Adam Beam, Dawn Hinshaw and Tim Flach.
Metro Desk is an extension of thestate.com focusing on local governments in Richland and Lexington counties. Comments are welcome, but moderated. No name-calling, no profanity and no SHOUTING. Generally, the blog is updated Monday through Friday.
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