State of the City Address

Mayor Bobby E. Horton

May 1, 2009

I am most honored for the opportunity to serve as the Mayor of West Columbia and I am pleased to report to you on the state of our city.

Although we are facing uncertain economic times, the City of West Columbia has continued to move forward with implementing innovative programs and upgrading our utility infrastructure.  In 2008, the city council focused its efforts primarily on four areas: city-wide beautification efforts, economic development of city-owned property at State and Meeting Streets, increased code enforcement, and renovation and expansion of the city’s water and sewer systems.

The City of West Columbia established the West Columbia Beautification Foundation in February 2008 to support efforts in beautifying the city.  The Foundation solicits individual and corporate sponsorship to aid the city in obtaining the necessary funding for beautification projects along the city’s major thoroughfares, future expansion of tree canopy, and the development of green space.  The West Columbia City Council appointed twelve Foundation directors selected from interested persons who live, work or own a business in the city.

At the Foundation’s first organizational meeting held February 7, 2008, members of the Foundation’s board of directors elected Jake Moore as Chair, Larry Miller as Vice-Chair, Jennifer Cunningham as Secretary and Evon Kirkland McAngus as Treasurer.  The Foundation endorsed the city’s efforts to obtain a $50,000 grant from the SC Department of Transportation to plant trees and flowering shrubs at the West Columbia Riverwalk Park and Amphitheater, at the Augusta Road and Jarvis Klapman Boulevard Intersection, along Jarvis Klapman Boulevard from Hook Avenue to the 9th Street Bridge and at the West Columbia Municipal Complex.  The plantings on Jarvis Klapman Boulevard made an especially significant change in the appearance of our most visible city thoroughfare.

The community’s enthusiastic response to the Jarvis Klapman Boulevard plantings further spurred the Beautification Foundation to hold a “Plant-a-Tree” fundraiser on Thursday, May 29, 2008 where more than $25,000 was raised to initiate the design of a city entrance sign and landscaping on Meeting Street at the Gervais Street Bridge, which we anticipate will be constructed this spring.  Another significant beautification project will be the construction of a water feature and entrance sign for the Triangle City business district to compliment the streetscape project just completed along 12th Street from B Avenue to D Avenue.  Future beautification projects include plantings on Hwy 378 (Sunset Boulevard) from 12th Street to I-26, beautifying stormwater detention ponds, and marketing the historic Old Town area of West Columbia at State Street and Meeting Street as Vista West: Village by the Congaree.  The Beautification Foundation directors are diligently working with the city and citizens to make essential changes that will have long-term positive impacts on the economy, environment, and the livability of West Columbia.

A second area of focus for council members has been the development of approximately 3.4 acres of city-owned property that encompasses a whole city block bounded by State Street, Meeting Street, Court Street and Alexander Road.  We are excited about the potential economic benefit this property could bring to the historic Old Town area of West Columbia.  The West Columbia City Council is cognizant of how crucial it is to find a desirable development that not only is compatible with the century-old storefronts on State Street, but blends well with the West Columbia Riverwalk Park and the new neighborhoods along Alexander Road.  The city spent several years negotiating with property owners to assemble a tract that supports a large scale development enhanced by a magnificent view of the Congaree Vista while providing easy access to near by shops and restaurants.  We are confident that within the next eighteen months this property will be developed and will usher in a new era of prosperity for the Old Town district of West Columbia.

Increased code enforcement is a third area of concern the West Columbia City Council has addressed by passing ordinances to tighten the regulations governing pets, noise, uncut lawns, yard debris and abandoned vehicles.  The City employs two full-time code enforcement officers and one animal control officer to handle citizens’ complaints regarding animals and property appearance.  Each month the code enforcement officers investigate an average of 150 complaints while the animal control officer responds to approximately 90 calls.  Council has enacted ordinances that restrict the number of pets per household, require stored vehicles to be covered, prohibit indoor furniture on front porches and patios facing roadways, and disallow cargo or shipping containers for storage purposes in residential neighborhoods.  Council currently is considering ways the city’s appearance can be enhanced by addressing derelict vehicles, restricting on-site storage of recreational vehicles and improving parking areas throughout the city.

Finally the City continued to maintain and improve the city’s infrastructure by implementing a comprehensive program to upgrade and expand the water and sanitary sewerage systems.  The City plans to rehabilitate 13 ancillary sewage pumping stations and three major sewer pumping stations located at Charleston Highway, K-Mart and Rainbow Drive due to age and growth within the service basins.  A second project will be to construct 4,000 linear feet of gravity sewer extensions for recently annexed areas bounded by Arehart Street, Hook Avenue, Sunset Boulevard and Morningside Drive.  A third sewer system project will rehabilitate approximately 10,500 linear feet of gravity sewer line that parallels “C” Avenue that was constructed in the 1950s and is near the end of service life.  Another major sewer project is the rehabilitation of approximately 10,500 linear feet of the Highway 378 (Sunset Boulevard) gravity sewer line from Central Drive to the Congaree River at the West Columbia Water Treatment Plant (Riverside Plant).  To reduce inconvenience to motorists along Sunset Boulevard, the pipe construction work will be done at night to avoid traffic delays.  The City of West Columbia recently acquired the Quail Hollow Subdivision sewerage system which needs rehabilitation of 40,900 linear feet of pipe due to stormwater infiltration from leakage at pipe joints and manholes.  The Quail Hollow work will be done over time and will cost approximately $1 million for the sewer improvements.  The total preliminary cost estimate for all the sewer system improvement projects is $9,300,000 and mostly funded through the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund.

In addition to the sewer system improvements, the City plans upgrades to the Riverside Water Treatment Plant including the installation of a MIOX disinfectant system to eliminate the production of chlorine gas, a potentially hazardous substance, and the modernization of tanks, valves, pumps, and data control systems.  The city also plans to install approximately 2,800 linear feet of water lines at Whisper Way, Court Avenue, and Lucas Street to boost pressure and to improve fire protection.  The total estimated costs of the water system improvement projects are $9,000,000 and will be funded through the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund.  Construction will begin this year and should be complete in eighteen months.  The improvements will rejuvenate West Columbia’s water and sewer systems and place the city in a position to offer its citizens excellent potable water and efficient sewer disposal for the next 60 to 70 years.

Finally, I am proud to announce that the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) recently awarded the City of West Columbia a Certificate for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the city’s comprehensive financial report (CAFR) covering fiscal year 2006-2007.  The GFOA Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting and represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management staff.  The City of West Columbia has earned this award from GFOA for eighteen consecutive years due to the diligence of our Finance Department and its “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate the City’s sound financial status.  I would like to point out that only 25 of more than 270 municipalities in South Carolina were awarded the GFOA Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for FY 2006-2007.  This indeed is wonderful recognition for our city.  The citizens of West Columbia can rest assured that the City Council and city employees are very aware of the people’s trust that has been placed in their hands and we all strive to ensure that their trust is never misused or abused.  The city can boast of dedicated employees who continually demonstrate outstanding loyalty and competence in their work efforts.