Robert Joyner and Mayor Coble Roll call

City council convened close to 9 am for its work session. Council member E. W. Cromartie was running late and arrived about 9:35, while the other members were present for the opening: Tameika Isaac Devine, Hamilton Osborne, Mayor Bob Coble, Anne Sinclair, Sam Davis, and Daniel Rickenmann.

Hustling visitors

Steve Camp, CEO of the Midlands Authority for Conventions Sports & Tourism, offered his quarterly update. On the whole, Columbia tourism is doing well, and it’s getting bigger and better. Pushing in that direction is the City Guide, a directory of Columbia restaurants. Council agreed to scour their districts for any unlisted restaurants of any size. There is no criteria for inclusion, just a city business license. Over the next two months, Columbia should be covered in USA Today , Southern Living , and seen in Turner South on the tube. Bill Dukes and council member Rickenmann offered to cater the cab drivers if they would take the time for a courtesy class, sort of a charm school with an emphasis on Columbia.

Nicholas Wagner and his mother

John Whitehead and his dancers Trees

Susan Leonard, Tree and Appearance chair, and John Stucker, board member, presented the city’s tree plan, actually The City of Columbia Beautification Plan. The plan’s 10th anniversary is this February. There have been 17 completed projects since 2000. For the coming year there are another 5 under way: Lady Street, west end; Main Street, Phase II; Harden Street/Five Points; East Gervais Street; Senate Street from Pickens to Henderson. The Urban Forestry Management Plan for Columbia by the Davey Group (April 2002) still recommends 850 new plantings a year, and this year we should get no more than 450.

Donny Phipps

Regular session

Council adjourned at just before 10 for a few minutes and resumed for their regular session.

Favorite employee

Robert Joyner, fire equipment operator, was introduced as Columbia’s November Employee of the Month by the department’s assistant chief, Rusty Smith.

John Blackmon

Excellence

Cathy Alexander, finance director, announced her department’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, which they won last year, too.

Outstanding

The Community Builders of the SC Downtown Development Association awarded their Outstanding Public Private Partnership Award to the team effort that resulted in Publix at the corner of Gervais and Huger. Developer Bill Smith, Columbia Development Corporation (CDC) director Fred Delk, and CDC board chairman Ned Pendarvis came before council to announce the award.

Cathy Alexander and her staff and Mayor Coble

Arts festival

The Greening the Arts Festival was described by Shirley Fields–Martin, the festival’s executive director. This year’s festival is titled Our Native America , which includes descendants of the welcoming committees for Columbus, de Leon, Jean Ribeaux, et al. The festival is this May at various venues around Columbia.

Ballet

John Whitehead, executive director for the Columbia Music Festival Association, escorted his entourage of young performers to illustrate the talent and their costumes in this year’s Nutcracker Suite .

Boy Scout

Nicholas Wagner was recognized by Mayor Coble as a civics scholar, and Wagner’s mother did not disagree.

Street closings

• Rosewood Drive between South Holly Street and South Woodrow Street, Saturday, May 7, 8 am until 8 pm.

• Greene Street from Gadsden Street to the railroad track: Wednesday, December 1, 5:30 pm until 10:30 pm; Friday, December 3, 5 pm until 10:30 pm; Saturday, December 4, 5:30 pm until 10:30 pm; Monday, December 13, 11 am until 7 pm; Tuesday, December 14, 3 pm until 10:30 pm; Thursday, December 16, 5 pm until 10:30 pm; Friday, December 17, 9 am until midnight; Monday, December 20, 5 pm until 10:30 pm; Wednesday, December 22, 3 pm until 10:30 pm; Wednesday, December 29, 3:30 pm until 10:30 pm; Thursday, December 30, 3:30 pm until 10:30 pm; Friday, December 31, 4 pm until 10:30 pm.

• Saluda Avenue between Greene Street and Harden Street ( sic – probably meant Devine Street), Sunday, November 21, 6 pm until 7:30 pm.

Confirm zoning of previously annexed properties – second reading

• 0.765 acres (Parcel A–2), Cushman Road at Two Notch Road; confirm C–3 zoning.

Annexation and rezoning – second reading

• 205 Lost Creek road (Lot 4, Lost Creek Plantation; rezone from Richland County RU to RS–1.

• Pennington Place – 9.2 acres 1000 block Leesburg Road, 2.5 acres Leesburg at Peyton road, 1.8 acres Pepper, Peyton, and Pennington Roads (Pennington Place); rezone from Richland County C–1 and C–3 to PUD–R.

Rezoning – second reading

• 3032 Farrow Road and 3103 Carver Street; rezone from RS–3 and C–2 to all C–2.

• 2406 through 2412 Superior Street and 705–07 Howard Street; rezone from RS–3 to PUD–R.

Consideration of bids and agreements

• $9,700 (maximum) for engineering services for the development of a leak repair program for the Columbia Canal Water Treatment Plant and the Lake Murray Water Treatment Plant.

• $12,926 for the purchase of trees.

• $ 18,065 for the purchase of software, licensing, and training for new handheld ticket writes.

• $23,304 for the purchase of Fairbanks Morse pump parts.

• $24,102 for the purchase of three 12–ton trailers.

• $30,240 for a one–year extension of a parking lease for employees at 1225 Laurel Street.

• $34,765 for the purchase of pipe fittings for repairs.

Consideration of bids, agreements and change orders

• $1,800 for Change Order #5 to the Canal Embankment Project for the removal of an additional 18 linear feet of concrete balustrade and traffic control measures.

• $20,314 for Change Order #6 to the Canal Embankment Project for the upgrade to make a temporary parking lot in the old SCE&G work yard on the east side of the canal at the locks.

• $2,000 for Change Order #7 to the Canal Embankment Project to accommodate the fish ladder that SCE&G is required by FERC to build at the diversion dam as part of relicensing.

• $174,343 for a 6” water main along English Avenue and Plain Street.

• $123,736 for the purchase of 400 traffic signal heads.

• $190,197 for SC 60 widening project from SC 6 to Irmo Drive.

• $341,640 (maximum) for engineering services for the design of security enhancements for the city’s potable water treatment and distribution system.

• $361,232 (maximum) for engineering services for sanitary sewer and storm drainage improvements in the Read Street and Pinehurst areas.

• $2,109,616 for engineering services for the design of process improvements at the Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Ordinances – first reading

#2004–103, authorizing city manager to execute an easement to SCE&G for an electric line for canal lights to serve the Canal Embankment Project.

Annexation and rezoning – first reading

• 17 acres, Caughman Road at Hallbrook Drive; annex and rezone from Richland County RG–2 to PUD–R.

Rezoning – first reading

• 1.57 acres on Byron Road, Wormwood Lane, and Veterans Road; council denied request to rezone for PUD–R to amended PUD–R. Council recommended the developer John Blackmon return to the surrounding neighborhood to build support.

Other matters

Council approved a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity for the operation of a taxi service (Nations Cab, 300 Palmetto Park Boulevard, Apartment 319, Lexington, SC 29072)

Lobbying reforms

Mayor Coble pushed for his lobbying reforms, hearing most objections/corrections from Osborne and Cromartie. Osborne considered it unnecessary meddling, a solution looking for a problem, as it were. Cromartie simply hates to see change in a system that treats him so well. Council consented to direct Jim Meggs, city attorney, to draft the suggestions for further tweaking.

USC baseball

Mayor Coble reviewed the request from the USC athletic department to help with their proposed baseball park near the corner of Gadsden and Greene. The 6,500–seat facility should cost no more than $10 million, and USC wants the city to rebate admissions taxes of $150,000 annually for 30 years and to rebate hospitality taxes of $105,000 for the first ten years. Osborne said he really wanted to help USC, but he questioned if the city could afford to help. Sinclair said as much, while Coble kept pushing for the support. All this was discussed in the context of the USC Research Campus, something council really wants to see soon. Apparently there’s more USC credit and cooperation on the Research Campus if there’s more city support for the baseball stadium. Restaurateur Rickenmann said USC is our #1 attraction, and he’s happy to help if, of course, there’s money to help. Austin, city manager, suggested the December retreat planned by council can wring out the issues and discover the money. The printed request from Dr. McGee, you performing arts professionals and patrons, is the kind of business plan desperately needed for any requests to improve the Township Auditorium.

East Central City

Dana Turner, assistant city manager, asked council for another $24,712 to help with the planning of the redevelopment of the east–of–Harden neighborhoods. The money was not the result of an overrun. The budget holds. The money was budgeted but it never came through.

Appointments

Council discussed available slots and likely candidates for the Citizens Advisory Committee and the Mini Grant Committee. Final decisions were delayed.

Other matters

Council concluded to dispose of 46 bicycles. Rickenmann suggested sending some over to Children’s Garden, and Devine asked if Palmetto Place could be included.

Donny Phipps, good guy

Mayor Coble recognized city building official Donny Phipps, attending his last council meeting before retirement. Phipps soon can be found working at the Private Post Office on Woodrow, his wife’s business. You call, they haul.

Manley act

Eau Claire activist Bill Manley suggested the bus barn coming to Lucius Road appeared to be a fait accompli, but he asked if the buses could avoid as much as possible River Drive and Sunset Boulevard.

Next meeting

There is no meeting scheduled for Wednesday, November 24, or Wednesday, December 1. Council decided today to include a public meeting for its retreat at Washington Square, corner of Washington and Main, because there was only one meeting scheduled (December 15) between November 17 and January 5. The Washington Square meeting is being arranged for Wednesday morning, December 8.