Columbia City Council – October 21
November 12, 2014
By Temple Ligon
Baseball
In the past week the Bull Street baseball stadium came closer to reality. Jason Freier, owner of the new Columbia minor league baseball team, said name suggestions for the team are still being accepted, coming to a close on Friday, October 31 at midnight. Meanwhile, so far, 1,300 name suggestions are on record. Contract Construction, the firm responsible for the USC baseball stadium, is in a partnership with two other local firms, Construction Dynamics and Enviro AgScience, to build the new facility. Owner Freier’s Ft. Wayne stadium, Parkview Field, is considered the best in the country. Freier said his group, Hardball Capital, has every approval necessary to move a minor league team to Columbia. If the City of Savannah does not build a new stadium there, Savannah’s Class A minor league team is likely to move to Columbia.
Homeless
The city is trying to put together a scaled-back emergency shelter before temperatures drop. City Council talks about when the night temperature drops below 40 degrees as the crucible while City Manager Wilson says 36 degrees is her suggestion. United Way of the Midlands appears ready to broker with the Transitions Center of the Midlands for a winter emergency shelter. In early October city council voted for $130,000 to help the United Way hire another executive for the shelter. From last fall through July the city spent $750,000 on its 24-hour shelter. More recently city council has voted for another $325,000 to help pay for background checks and additional security at the 250-bed Transitions on Main Street. Also, the city voted for $225,000 to help USC’s Housing First Program.
Five Points Flooding
Dr. Kelly Hines, owner of 20!20 Vision at 1924 Blossom Street at the corner with Saluda Avenue, spoke to council about her building’s flooding problems. She bought the building in 2007, and she has experienced flooding fairly regularly ever since, the worst being the August 2011 record flood. Walgreen’s can confirm that. One of the more obvious problems, Hines suggested, is the debris collecting on top of every drain grate every flood. Hines showed pictures of the water vortex at different drain grates. Where the water could get past the debris and the leaves, decent drainage occurred. Where the water could not get through, flooding occurred. Hines described how when she poked a broom handle into the grate, driving the leaves and debris into the storm sewers, her flooding was not anywhere near as bad. But, again, someone has to provide the manpower and the broomstick each time a flood is expected. Hines showed photographs of herself standing on the curb in a major flood, and the water came up above her knees. Keep yard debris out of streets and gutters, she begged. Manage our yardways, Hines asked of council and her fellow building occupants in the Five Points floodways.
