Joe Grant
Roll call
City council convened Wednesday morning, November 29, at 8 am for its executive session. Around 9:30, council began its planning session.
Federal legislative update
Barbara McCall , Columbia’s Washington lobbyist, reviewed the city’s interests in Congress. After several years of cuts, both the House and the Senate versions of the FY 2007 Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill (HR 5576) call for an increase for community development block grants (CDBG). As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. Connecticut, Congress moved to restrict the use of eminent domain by local governments. The FY 2006 Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act forbids the use of federal funds for any projects in which a local government uses eminent domain to transfer private property from one private owner to another private owner. Council established priorities in a numerical sequence as directions to McCall:
Ron Fulmer
(1) CMRTA transit facility,
(2) North Main Street,
(3) Harden Street,
(4) youth gangs/law enforcement,
(5) affordable housing.
The Innovista’s riverfront development costs were seen as too high to take a number for now, not until there’s more planning in the process, to include a public hearing. The city is expected to cough up 35% of the total cost of $75 million, for now.
Local legislative update
Ron Fulmer , Jack West , and Joe Grant offered observations on the city’s status with the state legislature. Sen. Jake Knotts’s bill on gangs (S79) appears promising. Sen. Robert Ford of Charleston is a big backer. West declared property tax relief on high-end housing was just about the worst legislation of the past year. The tax burden shifted from the well-to-do homeowner to the small business owner, sometimes the same person. Council was told not to expect any rise in cigarette taxes or gasoline taxes to offset the fall in expensive home taxes.
Barbara McCall
Capital improvements
Steve Gantt , assistant city manager, tabulated the city’s capital improvement projects for the past two years plus some current and uncompleted contracts. Gantt’s numbers were exact. Here are rounded totals:
Steve Gantt
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
construction cost: $37,100,000 ($262 psf)
completion: September 21, 2004
Southeast Vista District Infrastructure
construction cost: $19,300,000
completion: July 18, 2005
Columbia Canal Front
construction budget: $8,100,000
completion: 2008
Esplanade
construction budget: $4,700,000
completion: 2008
Convention Center Hotel Parking Deck
construction budget: $20,800,000
completion: April 30, 2007
Parking Deck at Lady and Lincoln
construction budget: $10,500,000
completion: 2008
Parking Deck at Blanding and Sumter
(on hold)
Parking Deck at Taylor and Sumter
(on hold)
Harden Street/5 Points
construction contract: $29,400,000
completion: February 5, 2007
Main Street, Phase I, Gervais to Hampton
construction contract: $5,500,000
completion: early 2007
Main Street, Phase II, Hampton to Laurel
construction budget: $7,500,000
completion: 2008(?)
Lady Street
construction contract: $10,300,000
completion: early 2007
North Main Street, Phase IA, Elmwood to Parkside;
Phase IB, Fuller to Fairfield
construction budget: $29,300,000
completion: 2008(?)
Two Notch Road Utility Relocations
construction cost: $3,400,000
completion: August 21, 2006
North Main Fire Station Renovations
construction cost: $660,000
completion: April 4, 2006
HOPE VI – Lower Saxon
construction cost: $2,500,000
completion: (began June 9, 2003)
Columbia NE Fire and Police Station No. 4
construction contract: $1,900,000
completion: June 25, 2007
Wayfinding Sign Project
contract: $224,300
completion: July 5, 2007
Sunset Boulevard/Avant Park Central Project
construction budget: $150,000
completion: 2007(?)
Hampton Street Pedestrian Bridge Demolition
contract: $127,000
completion: early 2007
North Harden Street
funding to date: $1,800,000
completion: 2008(?)
Water Projects
construction cost: $66,800,000
Professional Services, Water Projects
contracts: $7,700,000
Sewer Projects
construction cost: $60,000,000
Professional Services, Sewer Projects
contracts: $11,500,000
Storm Drain Projects
construction cost: $4,700,000
Professional Services, Storm Drain Projects
contracts: $2,000,000
Professional Services, Non-CIP (A&E, mostly)
contracts: $5,700,000
Note : Missing is the architecture/engineering fee for the convention center, as contracted with Stevens & Wilkinson of SC.
Total Construction Cost: $324,800,000
Total Professional Services Fees: $27,900,000
Next meeting
Council meets Wednesday morning, December 13, at 9. A business improvement district (BID) appeal hearing is scheduled for 10. Both meetings are on the third floor of City Hall, corner of Laurel and Main.
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