Mayor Coble offers State of the City address

Columbia Mayor Bob Coble Editor’s note: Mayor Coble included in his State of the City Address many thank yous and recognitions not published in this summary of his remarks.

We are continuing our work with a goal of becoming a world–class City that keeps and attracts the best and brightest minds to make this their home where they can pursue their dreams and goals. A City that surrounds its people with a culturally rich and progressive environment that embraces our many diversities. A City made up of strong and growing neighborhoods. A City that enables and encourages all of us to reach our maximum potential and beyond by working together to lift each other up. And a City we are all proud to call home.

Unemployment

South Carolina’s unemployment rate stands at an unbelievable 12.6 percent, the fourth highest in the nation. BusinessWeek has ranked Columbia as the 14th strongest metropolitan economy in the nation. They credit the three pillars of state government, our universities, and Fort Jackson for our economic strength.

City’s financial situation

City Council hired Steve Gant as City Manager. The city’s financial systems have been fixed, our reserves have been improved, our budget adjusted, and our health insurance program revised. The current budget has a $5.3 million surplus. Revenues so far this fiscal year are ahead of last year. Columbia’s accounting systems and books are in order.

We have hired a new team in accounting and treasury. Financial statements are current and are online. Our 2008 Audit is complete, and the 2009 Audit will be on time. As of November the City had $18 million in reserves and Bill Ellis expects $20–22 million by end of the budget year. Moody’s reaffirmed the City’s excellent bond rating. The City’s Water and Sewer Fund is in great shape. We will issue a total of nearly $200 million in bonds for water and sewer projects. We have taken steps to insure that the City's books are never out of order again.

The City has hired an internal auditing firm and created an audit Committee. The City has adopted an Investment Policy.

Stimulus money

The City of Columbia has been awarded almost $38 million in stimulus formula and competitive grants. We have also pursued non–stimulus funding opportunities and have received more than $4.3 million in such allocations and grants, as well.

We have added six police officers—with 22 more in the near future—as well as one investigator and one prosecutor dedicated to criminal domestic violence cases. We have been able to stabilize and redevelop some of our struggling communities; we’re combating homelessness; we are streetscaping North Main and Harden and making our communities more livable; and we’re improving the energy efficiency of our neighborhoods, city buildings, and fleet vehicles. Education

In 2007 we initiated “Together We Can,” a community– wide effort to support Richland One. Others are After School Alliance with Traci Young Cooper, Midlands Education and Business Alliance, the Challenge Day Initiative, the City’s Lunch Buddy Program at Brennen Elementary, and City Year’s Midlands Reading Consortium, Whole School Whole Child, and City Serv–a–thons.

The City will distribute the official city book, Charley’s Columbia Backyard to all third graders throughout Richland One.

The homeless

We entered into a contract with Cooperative Ministries to run the Winter Shelter. The City’s Housing First Pilot Program continues to be a successful and innovative program that should be continued.

The University of South Carolina’s Department of Medicine provides case management and other supportive services and the Columbia Housing Authority provides the housing. Housing First has shown that providing stable housing as quickly as possible can result in higher levels of success and cost effectiveness in addressing the core issues that cause homelessness.

Animal shelter

The new animal shelter was completed. The Columbia 2018 Comprehensive Plan was done in coordination with Richland County.

Transportation

The Intergovernmental agreement on RTA Interim Funding was approved. We are now working on an extension of the Fire Contract. The Office of Business Carolina Bar Association’s new facility Opportunies had a successful year

The Office of Business Opportunies had a successful year. The Mentor/Protege Program and the Subcontracting Outreach Program are making a difference. The FastTrac Program has been a success, and the Construction Management Pilot Program list was approved. The Centralized Bidder Registration System/Bid Online was finalized.

The City’s Business Spotlight Program recognizes one small business a month. The Columbia Urban League has been training young people for years, and now we must do more.

Historic Columbia

Historic Columbia Foundation continues to positively impact the community with creative tours of the city and a strong commitment to preservation with the historic house museums and beyond. Efforts to preserve places like Randolph Cemetery, the historic Bull Street Campus, and neighborhood character in the city center have expanded the positive impact of Historic Columbia Foundation throughout the community.

The Arts

The arts community in Columbia and the region are continuing to present programs that will enhance our quality of life. The Columbia Museum of Art hosted the very successful “Turner to Cezanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales,” and set new attendance records.

701 Center for Contemporary Art had an outstanding year. Benedict Stadium continues to transform Two Notch Road. Allen University is experiencing a rebirth, with its renovations and new campus construction as is Columbia College. The Charles R. Drew Wellness Center has been a tremendous success that serves the entire community.

North Columbia

The City is emphasizing code enforcement and security in North Columbia. The North Main Streetscaping Project is making great progress.

New jobs

HealthPort, an insurance services industry newly located at 1401 Main Street, providing jobs for 130 of Columbia’s citizens. The former Lourie’s will be the new home of Mast General Store, creating 30 new retail jobs. The city’s hydrogen fueling station is now operational and the SCRA’s Accelerator lab in Innovista is under construction.

Companies like Pure Fishing have chosen Columbia for their operations. AFLAC has entered the Columbia market with the purchase of Carolina Continental. The South Carolina Bar Association’s new facility is under construction off Assembly. All the property at Columbia Industrial Park has been sold.

We need a new industrial park in order to provide opportunities for companies creating new jobs. In the past year we have had two companies outgrow their space and move to new locations within the park. RythmLink International now employs 26 individuals at their corporate headquarters in the Park and another 55 in China. Garlock Helicoflex purchased an existing building across the street from their longtime location in the park and invested six million dollars to retrofit the new building. This location serves as their world–wide headquarters with other facilities in Europe, Asia and the United Kingdom. They are planning to add 25 jobs in the next five years.

Verizon Wirelesis moving into the City, saving 1500 jobs and pumping 40 million dollars of new investment into our economy.

Neighborhoods

Columbia’s renaissance has been remarkable. Our neighborhoods have been revitalized, reversing three decades of declining population; we have started Innovista and Engenuity that are critical components of our entering the knowledge economy; Columbia’s Downtown and Riverfront have been revitalized including the Gervais Streetscaping, Publix, Main Streetscaping, EdVenture and Three Rivers Greenway; we built the Convention Center, the Hilton Hotel, and navigated BRAC in 2005.

Crime

Crime is down substantially over the last ten and 20 years, but the fight against crime and gangs will never end.

Our Police Department was reaccredited last year. Chief Carter has the Department at full strength with 357 sworn officer positions and 18 more coming from the Stimulus COPS grant for a total of 375 sworn officers.

Downtown

The relationship with USC now is as strong as any Town Gown partnership in America.

Downtown has been revitalized over the last 20 years from Main Street to the Vista to the Riverfront. Gervais Street and Lady Street have been transformed. Main Streetscaping Phases I and II have been completed. New office buildings have been built including the Meridian Building, the First Citizens, and now Main and Gervais.

The Marriott has been renovated, and there is a new Sheraton Downtown Hotel in the old Palmetto Building. Wells Fargo renovated 1441 Main. Successes include Uptown

Gifts, Wilder Realty, and Gotham Bagel and soon Mast General.

The oldest skyscraper in Columbia, the Barringer Building, the Kress Building and the former Tapps’ Building have gone through adaptive reuse and been converted into apartments.

There are over 110 residential units on Main Street with 98% occupancy. We opened a parking garage at Lady St. and Lincoln St. and are moving forward with the garage at Sumter and Taylor.

Downtown also now includes Innovista and the Bull Street Neighborhood. Bull Street now has a letter of intent to move forward with development for the 178 acre campus.

Twenty years ago there was no Riverfront or Three Rivers Greenway or EdVenture Children’s Museum. Today, there has been $400 million in private investment around the Three Rivers Greenway after an initial public investment of $7 million. The new USC Baseball Stadium opened this year.

The old bus barn site on Huger Street is being cleaned up. CanalSide is open and the CanalSide Esplanade is complete. The Canal Front project is under way. The new features at the State Museum have been funded in part by the City. We are working hard to fund the Innovista Master Plan and Waterfront Park.

One of the most significant accomplishments over the last 20 years was the building of the Convention Center, the Hilton Hotel and parking garage, and the Colonial Life Center. Six new restaurants and bars are planned within two blocks of the Convention Center.

“The New Southern Hot Spot” has created a positive image for our region. Tourism and hospitality is a $1 billion dollar industry in the Columbia region. This industry has maintained it’s standing despite the hard economic times. New hotel properties are being developed and built and that lends itself to more employment opportunities.

Fort Jackson

The May 13, 2005, Base Realignment and Base Closure announcement was also the largest economic development announcement ever for the Midlands.

Before May 13, 2005, there was a question about the future of Fort Jackson, but BRAC 2005 secured her success and growth in Columbia for the future. Fort Jackson is the largest, most active Initial Entry Training Center in the U.S. Army, training 49% of all soldiers and 69% of the women entering the Army.

Fort Jackson is the single largest employer in the South Carolina Midlands with an economic impact on over $2.3 billion of the state s economy. Fort Jackson spends over $700 million annually on salaries, goods and services. The

operations of Fort Jackson, Shaw Air Force Base, and McEntire Air National Guard Station are critical to our national security and economic security. Thank you Ike.

Innovista

For the new mayor, if I could pick one thing that has the potential for transforming our economy, creating jobs, and increasing our per capita income, it would be the completion of Innovista and the entire Innovista Master Plan.

Despite the delays caused by the current recession and financial crisis, Innovista will be the Columbia region’s greatest opportunity to create jobs and increase our per capita income. While we knew creating a research campus would be a challenging and a long–term process, I think it is important to remember the crucial economic development reasons why Innovista and the entire effort of Columbia and the University of South Carolina to enter the knowledge and green economy is critical to our economic future.

Engenuity

In February 2003 Columbia adopted our regional technology plan. We created Engenuity, a coalition of leaders from the public, higher education and the private sector to implement the plan. Dr. Sorensen announced his vision to build a research campus in downtown Columbia in late 2003.

In April of 2006, USC, the Guignard family and the City unveiled a master plan for the 500 acres in downtown from Innovista to the waterfront. The State of South Carolina was the key catalyst for this progress with the creation of the Life Sciences Act and the Endowed Chairs. In 2003 then Vice President Harris Pastides outlined that the areas of specialty for the research campus would be nanotechnology, future fuels, health sciences and environmental sciences.

The first phase of Innovista with two buildings at the Horizon Center and the Discovery Center is complete, as are the two parking garages built by the City of Columbia and Richland County, representing an investment of over $140 million.

The Association of University Technology Managers ranked USC number 11 out of 114 public universities in the number of start–up businesses

Energy

The National Hydrogen Association Convention this past March at the Convention Center and the opening of the new Columbia Hydrogen Fueling Station were important steps forward in Columbia’s efforts to enter the knowledge and green economy.

The first major economic announcement for hydrogen came last month when Trulite, which builds fuel cell generators and hydrogen fuel canisters for commercial use, announced it was moving its manufacturing and headquarters to Columbia. The announcement could mean up to 1,000 high–tech jobs over the next few years.

Engenuity began working with the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, New Carolina and Columbia Opportunity Resource on the Columbia Talent Magnet project.

Universities

Over 8000 students graduate from a Columbia institution of higher education each year. The Talent Magnet project is designed to keep these bright minds in the Columbia region by connecting them to existing community initiatives.

Also, the USC Columbia Technology Incubator has assisted 63 companies and created 668 new jobs including 174 minority and female jobs.

Additionally, the Midlands Tech Enterprise Campus is a crucial part of this success.

Challenge

Our challenge is to align our local work with the funding expected in the stimulus bill, and subsequent federal expenditures expected over the next years, to shorten the timeline to achieve a knowledge–driven economy in Columbia. At the same time, we can also make improvements in our local institutions and infrastructure that will have sustainability benefits for years to come. Columbia is prepared, and we will be part of this new economic transformation.

Entering this new knowledge and green economy will create jobs and raise our per capita income, and 20 years from tonight our region will be transformed economically.