OPERATING BUDGET APPROVED
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BIKE TO WORK DAY REALLY COOL
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FIRST RESPONDERS, INCLUDING |
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NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT SHINES
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SCATTERED SHOWERS THREATENED BUT DIDN’T DAMPEN SPIRIT OF ARTISPHERE
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IT TAKES A TEAM TO SPRUCE UP A VILLAGE
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CITY OF GREENVILLE AWARDED #1 TEAM AWARD
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Greenville ’s New West End Field
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City Council approved adoption of the City’s Operating Budget for fiscal year 2006-07.
To download the budget in detail, log onto www.greatergreenville.com.  We rely on them for direction, but for nearly two years, the City of Greenville’s Traffic Engineering Division was off the map in terms of a central location. Staff was split up in four different places. “I actually have an office now,” said Traffic Engineer Karen Sturgis. That might not sound like much to some, but if you ever visited Sturgis in her old digs you’d know why she’s so thrilled. You had to seriously look to find her tucked away in a corner, behind a door in a small space she shared with a supervisor and another colleague. But Karen’s in a new place now. She can actually draft City traffic plans without worrying about elbowing someone if she decides to stand up and stretch. The City’s old Traffic Engineering facility was in a flood plain and a major rain storm washed it out July 29, 2004. Everything in the building was ruined, including its signal systems shop, the place that houses the computer equipment that runs your traffic signals. The City replaced all the technology and put it in Traffic Engineering’s new facility on Woods Lake Road, a nice and spacious building with offices, workshops, and a warehouse for traffic signals, streets signs and other instruments and materials. So, what’s in it for you? “We are able to resume our efficiency levels and with a new signal shop, we can begin to re-establish communication with traffic signals to better manage traffic flow throughout the City,” said Engineering Services Manager, Phil Lindsay. The new site also serves as a research center of sorts. The City is working with scientists from the University of South Carolina to determine the usability of pervious concrete. “It’s a relatively new product that provides the same solid, load carrying surface as regular concrete or asphault, but allows water to percolate down through to the soil,” said Wil Ravenhorst, Traffic Engineering. This could mean reduced water runoff and flooding, something the City Traffic Engineering Division knows about all too well. Their flooding adventure is one reason USC scientists chose Greenville to do their testing. The pavement behind Traffic Engineering is all pervious concrete.
To prove their commitment to the idea of a cycle-friendly city, Mayor Knox White (right), Mayor Pro-Tem Lillian Brock Flemming, Vice Mayor Pro Tem Diane Smock (left), Councilman David Sudduth (left) and City Manager Jim Bourey (left) all rode bikes into Downtown for Bike to Work Day. Mayor White also signed a resolution outlining the action plan for bike lanes in the City.
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The City of Greenville is one of only three government agencies to receive a multi million dollar grant under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program. The grant will pay for radio communications between first responders in Greenville, Spartanburg, Laurens and Pickens. The funds will offset the cost of purchasing voice and data communications equipment, enhancing communications infrastructures and project management. The service will be on demand, in real time when needed and as authorized. U.S. Senators Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham say the technology is what first responders need to save lives. It will significantly increase public safety by allowing local law enforcement, fire, and medical services to share critical information via radio. “This is going to connect law enforcement in four counties where we will have interoperability for day-to-day police activities and for crisis interoperability,” said Police Chief Willie Johnson. Johnson calls the grant a huge step forward for law enforcement in the Upstate of South Carolina.
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Gone are the days of cramped offices and few places to hang a firefighter’s hat. There’s a new fire station in town and it has all the bells and whistles it needs to better serve the City of Greenville. This is a new day and new age for the Greenville Fire Department. “We are excited about the new facility and how everything and everyone in it will benefit the citizens of Greenville and other communities needing our help,” said Fire Chief Tommy McDowell. It’s all about improved service for these men and women. The new 12,041 square foot North Main Fire Station is fully equipped with state of the art technology, including:
It took more than two million dollars to construct, design, and buy the 2.47 acres of land the fire station sits on.
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The Boston Globe, Delta Sky Magazine, Atlanta Journal Constitution, and Ballparkwatch.com all have two things in common - a good eye and good taste. Globe correspondent Matthew Selby sets the tone for his April 2 story on the new West End Field with the heading: Put some South in your New Sox. “Once vacant downtown has been given a new lease on life, and the joie de vivre is contagious,” writes Selby. The reporter raves not only about the Greenville Drive’s mini replica of Fenway Park, but describes the tremendous effort that went into changing the face of Greenville’s Central Business District. “Greenville is a textbook example of urban renewal,” writes Selby. Greenville’s jewels shined even in the air in April. Delta Sky Magazine’s Jimmy Tomlin’s Of Mice and Main reads like a story tale. Tomlin calls it like he sees it, describing Downtown as “the biggest piece of cheese this side of the moon - a thriving, eclectic Main Street that bustles with activity year-round.” Tomlin took note of the City’s bronze mouse sculptures and called the Liberty Bridge “the jaw-dropping centerpiece of downtown,” before summing us as the city with “funky boutiques, trendy outdoor cafes, and oh-so-hip art galleries.” Guy Curtright writes about the old days when baseball fans flaunted Braves caps. Those days are no more and Curtright caught on fast. His article reads “…romance with the game is back.” Curtright tells readers about the “retro look” of West End Field and how the Greenville Drive is “averaging nearly 4,500 fans a game in the 5,700-capacity ballpark, which is part of the revitalization effort of downtown Greenville” West End Field apparently struck Ballparkwatch.com as being a homerun as well. The website calls it the New South meeting the Old South in “a delightful facility that places baseball squarely as a community endeavor.” Ballparkwatch.com writer Bill Veeck says “what makes West End Field stunning is how it reflects Greenville past and present, celebrating the city's rich baseball history while being a solid building block as Greenville plans for the future.”
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Artisphere organizers presented a $15,000 check to local arts organizations who participated in this years event. Artisphere made Greenville a little greener for the second year in a row. Many took full advantage of the art sales and Downtown restaurants, shops and other attractions. Artisphere is turning into quite the crowd pleaser with only two years under its belt. Different expressions of art and music from one end of the world to the other made for a diverse blend of culture at its best in one of the most historic sections of Downtown Greenville. Sporadic showers threatened Artisphere, but the more than 100 participants featured in the festival came prepared this year. Some artists and vendors showed up with cinder blocks to hold down their tents, others tried different locations to keep their attentive audiences dry and in tact. No reports of parking problems also sweetened the visitor’s experience. City Council voted to ban booting, but towing is still enforced in the City and police officers can write tickets and issue fines to get people to comply with parking laws.
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Many of the people who live in Greenville’s Southernside Neighborhood say prayer is what got them to where they are today. It wasn’t long ago, that this neighborhood was considered a problem area for drugs and crimes, but that’s all changing now. Community members and leaders recently joined Mayor Knox White and council members Lillian Brock Flemming, Diane Smock and Chandra Dillard to break ground for 40 new homes in the Southernside community. The City of Greenville’s Community Development Division partnered with Mercy Housing and the Catholic Collaborative to see that the plans are carried out. Construction of the units at Pine and Mulberry streets begin this fall and should be completed by fall of 2007.
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More than 35 men, women and young people from the East Park Historic District spent a weekend landscaping McPherson Park as part of Hands on Greenville (HOG) Day. On May 13, the group, which included the grassroots organization Friends of McPherson Park, spent half the day working side by side with volunteers from Home Depot, the Haynsworth School and HOG alumnae from Davidson College, as representatives from the City of Greenville’s Parks and Recreation Department helped them install some 190 plants in the park. The team also cleaned up the park grounds and cleared the banks and creek bed of Richard Creek. “We are greatly indebted to our City councilwoman, Deb Sofield, and the Department of Parks and Recreation,” said Dale Reeves, East Park Historic Association President. “Paul Ellis has supported the efforts of Friends of McPherson from the outset, orchestrating many improvements in the park over the last year.” The association said the outcome of the project “could not have been a success without the overwhelming assistance we received from Dale Westermeier and Andy West from the City.” The City of Greenville Grounds Maintenance employees provided on-site assistance with personnel and equipment. It took only four hours for the team to complete the clean-up task. It was all done just in time to make WYFF News Channel 4’s evening newscast. In fact, the television station got to see a different side of one of their own. Sports anchor Geoff Hart and his wife Sarah live in the East Park Historic District. The couple not only helped clean up the park, they also brought refreshments. “McPherson Park is something we can all be very proud of these days and the East Park Historic Association (EPHA) can be very proud of this accomplishment,” said EPHA committee member Rob Morgan. For more information on future neighborhood enhancement efforts in the East Park Historic District call 864-364-6014 or email dalereeves@bellsouth.net.
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The City of Greenville received the #1 Government Team Award for it efforts in this year’s March of Dimes (MOD) Campaign. “We exceeded our goal of $1,000, and raised more donations than other municipal participants from around the area,” said City Team Captain Ed Marr. “If it weren’t for the work of the MOD Committee, we would not have met our goal.” The City’s fund raising activities included a bake sale, pizza sale and two cash donation programs - Drop a Washington and Drop a Lincoln. By far, the most popular activity was the bake sale held at City Hall. Employees baked or bought items and donated them for the event. City employees also sold raffle tickets for ten specialty baskets that included items for kids and adults. MOD coordinators estimate the City collected about $1300 to donate to the March of Dimes.
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Dozens of people turned out May 4 for National Day of Prayer. City Council woman Deb Sofield was among a host of people who offered up prayers for the City, its communities, the state and the nation. Prayers for unity also manifest during the mid-morning ceremony at Piazza Bergamo. Sofield proclaimed it National Day of Prayer in the City of Greenville on behalf of Mayor Knox White. President George W. Bush echoed that proclaimation with one of his own. In it, Mr. Bush said "Americans remain a prayerful and thankful people. We pray for the safety of our troops as they carry out dangerous missions with courage and compassion, and we remember the strength and sacrifice of their families. We pray for the good people of the Gulf Coast region as they work to rebuild their communities after the devastating hurricanes of 2005, and we thank God for the volunteers who have opened their hearts to help their neighbors in a time of need. We pray for the protection of innocent lives and for the expansion of peace and liberty throughout the world.”
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It didn’t take long for experienced cyclist to make their way into a chilly Downtown Greenville the morning of Friday, May 12, 2006. Dozens gathered at Piazza Bergamo to kick off what City officials hope will be the next new craze downtown – biking it to work and play.