Uptown To Get Additional Parking
August 8, 2006
By JOANIE BAKER
Index-Journal staff writer
Greenwood City Council voted Monday to move forward with constructing a parking lot next to Rick’s Uptown Cafeteria that will feature about 55 parking spaces for Uptown businesses.
| Assistant City Manager Charlie Barrineau said the lot — which will benefit businesses at The Exchange and others such as the cafeteria, the Greenwood Barber College, the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Upper Savannah Council of Governments and the Western Piedmont Education Consortium — will feature the city’s first bio-retention cell, which will collect storm water and filtrate it through a system in the landscaped median. |
ABOVE - New Phoenix/Presley parking lot design |
The project, being completed by Satterfield Construction, was originally estimated to cost $110,000 when it was approved for consideration by council in 2003. But the project will end up costing the city about $94,000, which will be taken from Community Development funds. City Manager Steve Brown said he is “pleasantly surprised” at the cost.
Brown also said that after the lot is opened, he will recommend that the city look into prohibiting parking on the street in that area to cut back on traffic.
Council also voted in favor of a resolution to accept a South Carolina Department of Commerce Rural Infrastructure Opportunity Grant and to provide funding for the the renovations planned for Maxwell Avenue.
The $930,000 from the state will assist in the two-year project that will upgrade the sewer line, upgrade the water line and provide streetscaping and resurfacing of Maxwell Avenue once the project is complete. Barrineau said the project will benefit the Emerald Triangle, which includes the Greenwood Community Theatre, The Museum and the Federal Building.
Brown said the amount will be spread out so that it will not keep council from being able to fund other projects in the future.
Barrineau recommended Davis & Floyd Inc. for the designing and engineering services for phases one through three of renovating Uptown on Maxwell Avenue. The company will subcontract with Robertson Landesign for the landscaping. Furman Architects also will work on the project.
Barrineau also updated council on the City Center Masterplan projects. He said the first phase, which includes South Main Street, should be completed “hopefully in 45 days.”
Phase two, which will include three crosswalks being funded by the South Carolina Department of Transportation, is being delayed one year because SCDOT will be resurfacing Main Street in the future and informed council that the equipment could damage the crosswalks.
The third phase, the renovation of Oregon Avenue, is still in the drawing phases but is looking to include a two-way street with added benches, trash cans, trees and lighting to encourage pedestrian traffic.
Council also approved supporting a concert in Uptown Greenwood to welcome back Lander University students. Barrineau said Ian Morris, producer of Homemade Genius, said the concert will be advertised at many universities in the region.
Morris told him he is working on getting six bands to perform from 4 p.m.-11 Aug. 26 in Uptown. The city will provide $1,500 to assist with the program, as well as purchasing insurance for the property.
Barrineau said the first Homemade Genius event brought between 750 and 1,000 members of a diverse crowd to the Uptown square, adding that it was successful with minimal problems.
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