Update on Silver Bluff Road

This is an excellent summary of a meeting held recently with SCDOT representatives regarding the Silver Bluff road project. It was prepared by Bill Busser of Gem Lakes who did an excellent job.

SCDOT scheduled a review meeting with the Mayor and included City and County Council members from along the Silver Bluff corridor. The Mayor also invited a small group of people from the area.

The majority of the time was spent discussing the installation of a traffic light at Town Creek and Silver Bluff. SCDOT said this item has had a lot of discussion in Columbia. The State Rep and Senator have contacted SCDOT on the traffic light. SCDOT’s comments were that the intersection did not meet their parameters for a traffic light. The traffic count and number of accidents did not warrant a light. A long discussion followed on the people using alternate routes to avoid the intersection. SCDOT stated that their counts did not show a significant change in the morning and evening traffic to show a drop in left turn onto Silver Bluff in the morning. Also, if a light is installed, it would require a ”line of sight approach” to the intersection from the north. To my knowledge, this was not discussed in previous meetings. This would require the purchase of land and the closing of the Indian Creek Trail entrance close to the light. SCDOT rep at the meeting said that it would require a higher level manager at SCDOT to override the current decision to not install a light. The Augusta Regional Transportation Study (ARTS) group could request a light and then it would be sent up the line for review. The ARTS group will meet next Thursday to approve the road plan without the light.
Additional ARTS info: http://www.augustaga.gov/index.aspx?nid=680

In Aiken County -The South Carolina Subcommittee is comprised of local elected officials (voting members), and federal, state and local appointed personnel (nonvoting members) representing the South Carolina part of the study area. The Aiken County Planning and Development Department (ACPDD) staff is responsible for planning activities in the Aiken County part of the study area. ACPDD location and phone number: Suite 130, Kalmia Plaza, 1680 Richland Avenue West, Aiken, South Carolina (803) 642-1520.

The general consensus was to go ahead with all of the road improvements in the plan and not install a traffic light. After the improvements are complete, there would be another of review of the needs for a traffic light at Town Creek and Silver Bluff.

NOTE: After some thought on the future review of the traffic light, I think the new ”line of sight approach” requirement will make the addition of a traffic late at later date, a very expensive traffic light. It will not be just a light installation; it will require the acquisition of land and new road. This will be a long, expensive process. Contact the elected officials below if you think we should do this now while we have the opportunity.

I submitted a drawing of the Hartwell and Silver Bluff intersection that reduces the size of the median and does not take any property of the owners at the intersection. The group agreed with this and SCDOT said they would consider the change to not take property. They are also going to look at the drainage problem.

There will not be a light at the Woodside entrance.

There will be a left turn lane from Silver Bluff to Savannah Dr.

Silver Bluff will be three lanes for the entire corridor. It will not have a bike path or sidewalk.
SCDOT does not know if the current plan impacts any property. SCDOT will schedule the road right-a-way survey after they get the plan approval from ARTS next week.

SCDOT could not commit to a schedule. They have had their work load double from the stimulus package.

Please distribute a copy of this email and discuss this with your neighbors. Contact your local elected officials if you have any comments on the plan. This should be done before the ARTS meeting next Thursday. If any of the other attendees have different or additonal information, please sent it to me and I will distribute the information.

City: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/
Mayor, Fred B. Cavanaugh (803) 649-1583 FCavanaugh@CityofAikenSC.gov
At Large, Steve Homoki (803) 648-6583
District 3, Dick Dewar (803) 649-4589
District 4, Reggie Ebner (803) 642-6787
At Large, Don Wells (803) 643-3461
County: http://www.aikencountysc.gov/Sgovernment.cfm
Gary Bunker 803/642-4461 (Home), gbunker@aikencountysc.gov
Scott Singer 803/642-5598 (Home), ssinger@aikencountysc.gov

Thanks for your consideration of the Silver Bluff Road expansion.

Bill Busser

Democrats use stalling tactics against voter ID

One would think that a common sense law requiring positive identification including a photo for all voters would pass easily. Unfortunately not so in South Caroline according to the following report.

UPDATE:Republicans lose again to Dem filibuster supported by Rinos-Go to
http://www.fitsnews.com/2010/01/27/filibuster-kills-sc-voter-id-bill/
Conservative.sc

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SC Blog exposes Bauer's "Transparency"

Transparency in government has become the buzzword in politics and the SC Policy Council does an excellent job if fighting for it here in South Carolina. City Councilman Dick Dewar who is also an editor of this blog has done a great deal to increase government transparency here in Aiken and our elected officials have given it their full support. Gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley has been the leader on transparency at the State level and we also applaud her efforts.The following link will take you to the Bauer story.

The Nerve | Where government gets exposed > Bauer’s Transparency Initiative a Bit Opaque

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SC Gubernatorial Campaign

Comments on the South Carolina Gubernatorial race from Ed Giobbe

 

In a time of extraordinary economic and financial stress, the race for Governor of our State is extremely important.  The new Governor will set the agenda and direction of South Carolina for years. At the recent Aiken Republican Club debate with four candidates it was obvious that three of them were simply more of the same. 
 

Gresham Barrett missed 30% of the votes in the House of Representatives in 2009 and has already missed a number of votes so far this year.  His excuse for being absent is that he is running for Governor. Will he continue to be an absentee Representative in 2010?  That's not what we hired him for and not what he gets paid for.  He told us that he was for God, the Second Amendment, and Right to Life, none of which are issues in the race.  He failed to address the crucial issues that face SC. Platitudes and no substance.

Henry McMaster and Andre Bauer were poster children for the status quo.  They also failed to speak to the issues.  Amazingly, both of them, in response to a question by Dick Dewar, concerning the leadership of Bobby Harrell and Glen McConnell, emphatically stated that they always received full cooperation from the Legislature and always got what they asked for!  These two are simply more of the same and business as usual.  It is the good old boy game of get along go along that has characterized the Legislature for decades. What you see is what you get, a wink and a nod. In addition, Andre Bauer recently equated helping the poor with feeding stray dogs.  What is he running for, dog catcher?

Nikki Haley is the proverbial breath of fresh air. She introduced and passed legislation requiring recorded votes over the objections of the leadership and was punished for it.  She favors raising the cigarette tax, governmental restructuring, eliminating the Budget and Control Board, tax reform and eliminating the hundreds of millions of $ of special interest sales tax exemptions.  She addressed the three major issues that are absolutely crucial to our state- restructuring, taxes and education.

South Carolina can no longer afford to be hampered by a state government dominated by a legislature motivated by special interests and self preservation.  The legislature has been dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th Century and continues to be the Enfant Terrible in the 21st. If we really want a better state government, then let's ask the hard questions and demand specific answers.  The usual platitudes and trite phrases of smaller, more efficient government and lower taxes have been uttered by politicians since the first caveman ran for office.  It's time to hold their feet to the fire and demand some answers.   l

Parking Advisory Committee Meeting

PARKING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING: There had been much discussion recently about whether Aiken should have a two hour parking limit in the downtown area. I am enclosing some information I received from Carla Cloud, Director of the Aiken Downtown Development Association. Please note the scheduled meeting of the Parking Advisory Committee which is being held in Council Chambers on Wednesday, February 3 at 5:30 PM.

With all the publicity concerning the 2-hour parking limit and ADDA’s involvement, we thought it might be beneficial to clarify the role ADDA plays in this issue. ADDA serves as a liaison between the Parking Advisory Committee and the City of Aiken.

1. The original decision to look at the parking issue several years ago was brought about at the request of businesses.
2. The City paid for a study to be done to discover the real parking issue. It was discovered that the main issue was employer/employee parking in prime parking spots.
3. The City requested ADDA’s help in forming a Parking Advisory Committee (PAC), which was one of the recommendations of the parking study report.
4. ADDA asked all individuals, members and non-members, that attended the parking study presentation to be a part of the committee. These people were informed, but we had no idea where they stood on the issue, so the request was not biased in any way.
5. The Parking Advisory Committee decided to go with the initial recommendations of the study as a starting point, knowing that they would continue to monitor the parking situation and make adjustments as needed.
6. As expected, there were some negative comments the first couple of months, but much less than anticipated.
7. As comments were/are made to the ADDA staff, they were/are documented and presented to the PAC. The PAC responds and action is taken accordingly.
8. At the request of two businesses, one an ADDA member and the other a non-member, an adjustment to the original area of enforcement was made. The median on Richland Avenue between Newberry and Laurens was changed to unlimited parking.
9. There has been relatively little discussion or comments given during the time the 2-hour limit has been imposed.
10. Prior to the 2008 Holiday season, a request was made to ADDA to lift the 2-hour limit for the holiday. That request was forwarded to the PAC, who decided since this was the first time the 2-hour limit was in place during the holiday, it should not be lifted and see what transpired. There were no comments or issues noted during or following the holiday season.
11. In November 2009, an ADDA board member brought the request to lift the 2-hour limit up at an ADDA Board meeting. After much discussion and due to it not being a unanimous decision, the board agreed to recommend to City Council the lifting of the 2-hour limit during the holiday season only. Also, due to time limitations, the request could not be filtered through the PAC. ADDA staff did an impromptu survey to verify that the majority of its members were in favor of this request and they were; therefore, the request was made to City Council and approved.
12. At the same November board meeting, another board member suggested that the overall 2-hour limit may need to be revisited. Three board members volunteered to attend the next PAC meeting to bring up this discussion.

I would like to reemphasize, ADDA is only a liaison between the PAC and City Council. The PAC is made up of business owners, both ADDA members and non-members and consumers. The ADDA does represent the voice of its members; however, all members do not agree, therefore, we must base our decisions and recommendation on the majority voice. That voice changes from time to time and ADDA has listened.

The next PAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 3 at 5:30 pm in the City Council Chambers. We have asked for this change of venue because we felt there may be lots of people who would like to share their concerns or ideas for the future. Please feel free to attend or send us your comments via e-mail for relay to the committee.

We should all appreciate Carla Cloud’s efforts to act as a coordinator on this project. If you are interested in this issue, please attend the meeting and voice your concerns and thoughts.

Aiken Standard remonstrates Gubernatorial Candidate Andre Bauer

 From the Aiken Standard

EDITORIAL: Bauer should know better

1/25/2010 4:45 PM

"My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed. You're facilitating the problem. If you give an animal or person an ample food supply they will reprodu ... full story

Aiken Journal Update

AIKEN JOURNAL

Jan 24, 2010

Please feel free to make comments on these issues on the Aiken Journal web site (http://www.aikenjournal.org/).

TELEVISED AIKEN CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS: I hope by now that everyone is aware that the Aiken Standard is televising Council meetings on Channel 95 on the Atlantic Broadband system. They are also televising County Council meetings as well as School Board meetings. I applaud their efforts to bring government into your living room. ASTV has a daily program at 4:00 PM each day on Aiken area subjects.

ONE CENT SALES TAX PROJECTS: I am enclosing the most current list of projects which will be considered by City Council for the next One Cent Sales Tax Program. I will continue to update this list as changes are made. These projects will be submitted to the public for approval at the November 2010 General Election. Please feel free to contact members of City Council with your views on these projects. There may be changes to this list before it is presented to City Council.

Note: It is nearly impossible to list all these items in a perfect column. The first amount is what staff recommended and the second amount is what the City Manager is recommending to City Council. The Other Projects section represents some of the more controversial items on the list.
If anyone can teach me how to place perfect columns in these email, please let me know.
One Cents Sales Tax Projects

New Fire Headquarters Station $ 1,500,000 $1,500,000
Renovate Existing Headquarters 1,200,000 600,000
Mobile Vehicle Computers 500,000 500,000
N.E. Quadrant Station # 6 600,000 -0-
Fire Truck Pumper Station #6 300,000 -0-
Upgrade Burn Building 300,000 -0-

Subtotal $4,400,000 $2,600,000

Planning

Open Space Acquisition $1,000,000 $1,000,000
Roadway Planning Studies 150,000 -0-

Subtotal $1,150,000 $1,000,000

Parks and Recreation

Southside Neighborhood Park (20 ac.) $1,500,000 $ -0-
Citizens Park
Playground 100,000 -0-
Walking Track Phase II 200,000 200,000
CP III Lighting 750,000 -0-
CP I Fencing/Canopy 600,000 600,000
Northside District Park (Land Only 20 ac.) 1,500,000 500,000
Eustis Park Senior/Youth Center* 3,500,000 3,000,000
Expand Farmers Market 400,000 -0-

Subtotal $8,550,000 $4,300,000

Public Works

Street Resurfacing $1,750,000 $1,750,000
Whiskey Road Improvements 700,000 700,000
Streetscape 700,000 700,000
Hitchcock Woods Storm Drainage 4,000,000 4,000,000
Water/Sewer/Stormwater Infrastructure 4,200,000 4,200,000
Recycling Roll Carts 400,000 -0-
New Sidewalks
Millbrook Elementary, Schofield Middle,
Aiken Elementary, Whiskey Road 1,000,000 500,000

Subtotal $12,750,000 $11,850,000
Transportation Improvements (30%)

Powderhouse Road Connector $5,000,000 $5,000,000
University Parkway Widening 3,000,000 3,000,000
Hitchcock Parkway Widening 4,000,000 4,000,000

Subtotal $12,000,000 $12,000,000

Other Projects

Northside Renewal $1,750,000 $ 1,400,000
Municipal Building 3,000,000 3,000,000
YMCA 1,000,000
Youth Center at YMCA ** 1,000,000
SPCA 1,000,000
Railroad Depot 1,000,000
African-American History, Art & Culture Center 1,000,000

Subtotal $8,000,000 $ 4,400,000

TOTAL $46,850,000 $ 36,150,000



*Or Youth Center at YMCA
** Or Youth Center at Eustis Park



NOTES: 1. Estimate $38,000,000 from Sales Tax III
2. Did not evaluate projects from outside organizations.


HIGHWAY OVERLAY DISTRICT: On Tuesday, the Planning Commission will hold a hearing on a proposed Highway Overlay District. This is a concept of applying special standards to property on the main roads (highways) in Aiken. It does not apply to residential properties. The Chamber of Commerce worked closely with the Design Review Board to help develop the elements of this program. They have since withdrawn their support because of the program’s impact to small businesses. I recommend you attend the Planning Commission meeting to learn more about the proposal and then pass comments to members of the City Council.

City Council Update from Dick Dewar

HORIZONS: The annual City Council retreat begins at Noon, Friday, January 29 at Rye Patch. This is a two day meeting at which Council discusses various subjects presented by City Staff. It is open to the public.

HUD REGIONAL ENERGY CONFERENCE: Jim Chaplin, the South Carolina Director of Housing and Urban Development, a federal agency, has been working with Assistant City Manager Richard Pearce on a regional energy conference. Titled Going Green – It Starts With Me. This free seminar will begin at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, April 22, 2010, in the Municipal Building Conference Center. Scheduled presenters will provide practical, inexpensive methods to significantly reduce homeowners’ and business owners’ utility bills through energy-saving installations and methods. We hope you will plan to attend this important seminar to learn timely, practical tips to conserve energy and save money.

HOPELANDS EARTH DAY CELEBRATION: This annual event is slated from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Friday, April 23, 2010 at Hopelands. We anticipate several interesting displays focused on sustainable practices toward protecting our environment and identifying renewable resources, while encouraging responsible use of our nonrenewable resources.

DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC SIGNAL UPGRADES: Testing of the upgraded traffic signals at our downtown intersections will begin the first week of February. The state’s contractor doing this work has been delayed due to a backorder of some critical equipment. This new system features pedestrian crossing buttons at the crosswalks. Also installed were sensors which can adjust the traffic signal intervals as the flow of traffic increases or decreases in a particular lane. Please note that the SCDOT has indicated to us that the upgrade will mean that only one direction will be “green lighted” at any given time once this system is activated. To help citizens adjust to this upgraded state system, our ADPS will put articles in the newspaper and post officers at intersections to answer motorists’ and pedestrians’ questions

SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE CONVEYING PROPERTY ALONG THE CLOSED LIGON STREET RIGHT OF WAY: Over the years, the City of Aiken has been working to close unopened or paper streets within the city limits. One of those streets is Ligon Avenue Extension which originally extended east of McCormick Street to the Pine Lawn Cemetery and down to Abbeville. This street had never been opened and a couple of years ago, City Council authorized obtaining the ROW so it could be permanently deeded to the adjoining property owners. We have attached two potential ordinances. The first ordinance is to deed the property to Ms. Georgia Benton (who recently purchased the property from the city just to the north of this area) and the Pine Lawn Cemetery. The second ordinance calls for the property to be evenly divided between the two abutting property owners. If Council chooses to divide the property equally among the abutting property owners, we would have Todd Hass revise the plat to show this division. A letter was sent to all the adjoining property owners on December 18, 2009 letting them know that City Council was going to discuss this at their January 11, 2010 meeting and have second and final reading on January 25, 2010. City Council will need to choose which ordinance they would prefer based on comments from property owners and the review of the subject.


SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REVISE PLANNED RESIDENTIAL CONCEPT PLAN FOR VILLAGE AT WOODSIDE: In the original concept plan for The Village at Woodside it stated that a minimum buffer of 100 feet would front along Silver Bluff Road. The City of Aiken is asking that the plan be revised to allow a water plant to be constructed along Silver Bluff Road at the southern most end of the development. The City would construct a well to serve the southwest portion of the city, specifically Woodside and the surrounding areas. A 50 foot buffer would be placed around the well site as shown on the proposed drawing. The plant will contain a 95 foot diameter water tank buried to approximately one-half its depth, a chemical feed building designed to resemble a brick home, a 5,000 gallon lime feed system with an 8' by 10' attached single story pump building, 3 high service pumps, and 1 deep well. A 50 foot wide buffer will be planted with wax myrtles, ligustrums, and other evergreen trees and shrubs to screen the property from the surrounding area. All the trees in the buffer will be preserved at the site. There will be no public access to the building. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the concept change at their December 15, 2009, meeting.

SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE HELPING HANDS TO PLANNED INSTITUTIONAL (PI): HELPING HANDS WOULD LIKE TO REZONE THEIR 4.74 ACRE PARCEL FROM LIMITED PROFESSIOINAL TO PLANNED INSTITUTIONAL (PI): In addition they would like Council's approval of the concept plan so they can build a new dormitory at the facility. Helping Hands is a private non-profit agency that provides 24-hour residential care to children ranging in age from new born to 21 years old. Currently 4 existing buildings have 58 beds, and they would like to add another dormitory which would house an additional 32 children. However, the floor area exceeds the 5,000 square foot limit allowed on an LP lot, and in order to construct this building they are requesting this zoning change. When Helping Hands moved to this location in 1988, it was zoned Professional. However, when the Zoning Ordinance was rewritten in 1999 all professional properties were changed to Limited Professional, except for large office areas which were later zoned Office/Institutional. The Professional Institution zone (PI) was established to provide for institutional uses such as Helping Hands. In the Planning Director's memorandum he states that the Helping Hands plan is consistent with all of the criteria set forth for the PI zone. The Planning Commission at their December 15, 2009, meeting voted unanimously to change the zoning of Helping Hands from Limited Professional to Planned Institutional (PI).

REMINDER HORSE TROUGH DEDICATION: The dedication of the old horse watering trough, small animal water, and public water fountain is set for Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at the serpentine wall of Banksia/Aiken County Historical Museum. This event is free and open to the public.

FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO ANNEX PROPERTY AT 119 SMALLRIDGE STREET: The owner of the property at 119 Smallridge Street consisting of a .25 acre lot and a single family home would like to annex to the city under the RS-10 zoning. The property is contiguous to the City of Aiken on two sides and is near our Fire Station No. 2. Several properties in this area have annexed in the past decade. The owners of this property are seeking city services in the future. The Planning Commission at their January 12, 2010, meeting unanimously approved this annexation.

FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE PROPERTY AND TO APPROVE A CONCEPT PLAN FOR THE SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH ON DUPONT DRIVE: The Second Baptist Church owns a 40 acre tract of which 16.71 acres behind Aiken High School is zoned RS-8 Residential Single Family. Last month City Council approved a plan to construct a Senior Citizen Apartment building along with an Adult Care Facility in this area. In order to accommodate these units the property needs to be rezoned from RS-8 to Planned Residential. Under the Planned Residential zone City Council can require whatever details they would like and in turn allows the developer to have a higher number of dwelling units. The apartment building will have a maximum of 50 units for seniors and a 3,600 square foot adult day care facility. The two developments are consistent with our Planned Residential zone, and the City will be constructing a regional detention pond in this area not only for this property but for the property to the north and east of this area. A traffic study is not needed because of the current level of service on Dupont Drive and the amount of traffic to be generated by this development.

APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION TO PURCHASE LAND FOR NEW WATER TREATMENT FACILITY OFF OF SILVER BLUFF ROAD: In 2008 City Council met with some adjoining residents in Woodside concerning our proposed new water treatment plant behind the city's Public Safety Station No. 4. After discussing this facility with them, it was decided to find a different location for this treatment facility. We looked at two parcels, one south of the Public Safety Substation and the other on the southernmost corner of the Woodside Village development along Silver Bluff Road. The first site contains approximately five acres and was appraised at $779,000. The site is larger than we need and contains two trailers and a home which would need to be removed. Because of the cost and unwillingness of the owner to subdivide the property, the City contacted the Woodside Silver Bluff Development Company, to purchase approximately 1.7 acres at an appraised value of $185,000. The site is already cleared and a portion of this would be sold back at the same cost per square foot at a later date for a detention pond by the developer for future development in The Village. Due to a heavy demand and pressure drops, especially in the morning for residents in Woodside and other surrounding subdivisions, a site is vitally needed for this new well. The site would consist of a new treatment facility capable of pumping over 1 million gallons of additional water into our current system. Additionally, a water tank would be built on the site and would be completely buried except for the top dome of the tank. A 50 foot buffer with evergreens would be placed around the entire site and the treatment facility would consist of a building designed to look like a brick residence with a tall hip roof to help screen the lime tank. From this new facility a new 12 inch water line would be placed in the permanent easement that is on the southern portion of the Woodside Village area. A second 1 million gallon well would be located behind the Public Safety Station in the fenced area.

AGENDA FOR JAN 25, 2010 CITY COUNCIL MEETING: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/WebLink8/DocView.aspx?id=116814.

Chamber pulls Highway Overlay support | Aiken Standard | Aiken, SC

Chamber pulls Highway Overlay support | Aiken Standard | Aiken, SC

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Gov. candidate Haley: We can fix S.C. budget | Aiken Standard | Aiken, SC

Gov. candidate Haley: We can fix S.C. budget | Aiken Standard | Aiken, SC

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SC Policy Council has a Blog

 I have posted this because the SC Policy Council is doing an excellent service for the citizens of South Carolina and their observations also have applicability at the National level.

The Nerve

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Downtown Parking Limits

Today's Aiken Standard has a good report on the downtown parking situation. When the decision was made to suspend the limits for two weeks over the Christmas holiday I fully expected there would be a move to remove them. Council created the parking ordinance because it made sense. Long time parking by employees was the problem then and it  will again be a problem.if the ordinance is rescinded. However if the majority of downtown merchants really want to eliminate it they will bear the consequences.

The Old Guy's Blog

As many readers of the Aiken Journal know I retired from the Aiken City Council in November 2009.The Aiken Journal was started as an email to constituents and then was also published online as a website and later as a blog. The Aiken Journal originally covered only City of Aiken and Aiken County items of concern but due to my propensity to worry about the whole world I started to cover broader interests.The Aiken Journal will generally limit its coverage to City ofAiken, County and South Carolina subjects and I have created the www.octogenarianonline.com to cover my personal interests around the world. I have also included in the archives of this new blog postings concerning national and world topics that were published by me in the Aiken Journal.These archive items have been removed from the Aiken Journal. I hope everyone visits the new site as it get's up and running. Good comments are always welcome.

Public School Open House Dates

Public School Open House Dates

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City Council Update from Dick Dewar

When I began these City Council updates shortly after my election in 2007, my goal was to bring transparency of City Council issues to the public.  I have always been an advocate of transparency and am proud of my participation with other Council members of our programs to put financial data and neighborhood crime statistics on our City web site (www.aiken.net).  I have also advocated that we televise our City Council meetings as well as meetings of other Boards and Commissions.  Given the make-up of our City, many residents cannot or choose not to attend meetings held at night and sometimes not ending until later in the evening.  If we had the ability to televise our proceedings and place them on our Community Channel furnished by Atlantic Broadband or even put them on the internet to be available on demand, more citizens would be able to view their local government in action.  I will continue to advocate these kinds of programs, but I also recognize that we don’t have the money to begin new programs given the recession the country is experiencing.

Beginning with this email abd web posting I will focus on issues beyond the Agenda of the next Council meeting.  These will be special subjects that have significant impact on the community.  Please feel free to make comments on these issues on this website or by email.

RAILROAD DEPOT FUNDING: Last month Council discussed financing of the Railroad Depot and a potential request for a loan to the Aiken Corporation for approximately $1.3 million.  Reggie Ebner and I attended two meetings with Steve Homoki attending the second expressing our concern about the use of public monies to complete Phase One of this project.  Our concerns focused on the best use of City reserve funds which would have been used to fund this loan.  We were also worried about the ability of the Aiken Corporation to repay the loan.  I am pleased to report that the Aiken Corporation had deferred this matter and will pursue other sources of funding to complete Phase One of the project.  In my two years on the Council and during my walking campaign, I clearly heard that while many support the Railroad Depot, there is little support for public funding of the project.  I will continue to keep you informed about this issue.  I am also distressed to learn that at their Executive Committee Meeting of Dec 9, 2009 that the Aiken Corporation voted to proceed to bid with Phase II of the project.  This does not strike me as a reasonable or prudent decision given current financial concerns with this project.

LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX: City Council will soon develop our list of projects for the next ONE CENT SALES TAX program which voters will vote on in the November 2010 election. Most of these projects are much needed.  You can view the list on Page 9 of this weeks City Council Agenda at the following link:  http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/WebLink8/DocView.aspx?id=116476.  The Local Option Sales Tax Program also referred to as the Penny Sales Tax has been an important tool to finance infrastructure projects such as roads, buildings, recreational facilities, street resurfacing, water projects and other programs needed by the community.  I urge citizens to review the list and give Councilmembers your thoughts on what should be funded.  Without this program, the City would need to issue bonds or increase property taxes to fund these programs.  Compared to other cities and towns in South Carolina, Aiken is in great shape.  This is a tribute to the superb financial acumen of our City Manager, Roger LeDuc, and current and previous City Council members who have been good stewards of your money.  I have heard our Mayor, Fred Cavanaugh, express great pride in the fact that the City has not raised our millage rate in the past twenty years.  With your help we continue our record of financial responsibility.

Aiken's 175th Birthday Opening Ceremony

Despite the cold weather an enthusiastic crowd showed up at the opening ceremony today. Bill Reynolds who has been doing great things in Aiken for the past 10 years has again proven his great organizational skills and energy..Mayor Cavanaugh read the proclamation and  the choral group standing behind him sang a lovely 18th century hymn.

 

Quite a few folks braved the weather and appeared  in period costumes. I captured some of them in the slideshow that appears in the left sidebar of this blog.

City Council Update from Dick Dewar

STATE RECOGNITION OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE CITY OF AIKEN'S PRT DEPARTMENT: The City of Aiken is blessed with tremendous staff and volunteers who truly make Aiken an All American City. At this year's 64th South Carolina Parks Association Conference, two employees and one community volunteer were recognized for their outstanding leadership. The first recipient is Phil Berley who received the Central District Merit Award. This award recognizes a South Carolina Recreation Parks Association member who has demonstrated significant contributions and outstanding performance in the leadership of their job and for the community. Phil has served as the City's Assistant Director since 2002 and has been with the City since 1985. Since then, he has taken on the job of Track Manager (of the city's equine facility on Banks Mill Road) and then as the Assistant Director overseeing our Parks Division, including 32 full and part time employees. He has been instrumental in the design and development of Citizens Park, the Weeks Center, and the headquarters for the Parks Division. We congratulate Phil on the recognition of his leadership and contributions to the city and for all the hard work he has given to our community over the last 25 years. Our second recipient is Jeff Metz, who was given the S.C. Young Professional Award. This award is open to all Parks and Recreation staff who have been employed for less than 10 years. Jeff is the city's Athletic Superintendent and manages 20 full and part time employees along with a long list of volunteers within this division. He coordinates 30 weekend tournaments in soccer, tennis, baseball, and softball and works with the Farmers' Market Committee. He has recently worked with the United States Tennis Association tournament officials allowing Aiken to host our first state tournament this past summer. Although Jeff has been with the city for only 5 years, he has already made a tremendous difference with our programming and is destined to be a
future leader. The third individual we would like to recognize, does not work for the city, although based on the time he spends with the city, he is our best non-paid employee. We would like to recognize McDaniel Parker who is the brother of Willie Parker who works for the Parks and
Recreation Department. He has volunteered regularly for the last 9 years showing up with his brother Willie at 7:00 a.m. ready to help in many different ways, from picking up trash to helping out on the weekends with baseball and softball tournaments at Citizens Park. He has helped with Christmas in Hopelands and even at times comes to our staff meeting. He has a can do attitude and willingness to help in whatever way he can. We thank McDaniel for his past 9 years in volunteering and supporting us in so many ways.

FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE CONVEYING PROPERTY ALONG THE CLOSED LIGON STREET RIGHT OF WAY: Over the years, the City of Aiken has been working to close unopened or paper streets within the city limits. One of those streets is Ligon Avenue Extension which originally extended east of McCormick Street to the Pine Lawn Cemetery and down to Abbeville. This street had never been opened and a couple of years ago, City Council authorized obtaining the ROW so it could be permanently deeded to the adjoining property owners. We have attached two potential ordinances. The first ordinance is to deed the property to Ms. Georgia Benton (who recently purchased the property from the city just to the north of this area) and the Pine Lawn Cemetery. The second ordinance calls for the property to be evenly divided between the two abutting property owners. If Council chooses to divide the property equally among the abutting property owners, we would have Todd Hass revise the plat to show this division. A letter was sent to all the adjoining property owners on December 18, 2009 letting them know that City Council was going to discuss this at their January 11, 2010 meeting and have second and final reading on January 25, 2010. City Council will need to choose which ordinance they would prefer based on comments from property owners and the review of the subject.


FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REVISE PLANNED RESIDENTIAL CONCEPT PLAN FOR VILLAGE AT WOODSIDE: In the original concept plan for The Village at Woodside it stated that a minimum buffer of 100 feet would front along Silver Bluff Road. The City of Aiken is asking that the plan be revised to allow a water plant to be constructed along Silver Bluff Road at the southern most end of the development. The City would construct a well to serve the southwest portion of the city, specifically Woodside and the surrounding areas. A 50 foot buffer would be placed around the well site as shown on the proposed drawing. The plant will contain a 95 foot diameter water tank buried to approximately one-half its depth, a chemical feed building designed to resemble a brick home, a 5,000 gallon lime feed system with an 8' by 10' attached single story pump building, 3 high service pumps, and 1 deep well. A 50 foot wide buffer will be planted with wax myrtles, ligustrums, and other evergreen trees and
shrubs to screen the property from the surrounding area. All the trees in the buffer will be preserved at the site. There will be no public access to the building. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the concept change at their December 15, 2009, meeting.

FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE HELPING HANDS TO PLANNED INSTITUTIONAL (PI): HELPING HANDS WOULD LIKE TO REZONE THEIR 4.74 ACRE PARCEL FROM LIMITED PROFESSIOINAL TO PLANNED INSTITUTIONAL (PI): In addition they would like Council's approval of the concept plan so they can build a new dormitory at the facility. Helping Hands is a private non-profit agency that provides
24-hour residential care to children ranging in age from new born to 21 years old. Currently 4 existing buildings have 58 beds, and they would like to add another dormitory which would house an additional 32 children. However, the floor area exceeds the 5,000 square foot limit allowed on an LP lot, and in order to construct this building they are requesting this zoning change. When Helping Hands moved to this location in 1988, it was zoned Professional. However, when the Zoning Ordinance was rewritten in 1999 all professional properties were changed to Limited Professional, except for large office areas which were later zoned Office/Institutional. The Professional Institution zone (PI) was established to provide for institutional uses such as Helping Hands. In the Planning Director's memorandum he states that the Helping Hands plan is consistent with all of the criteria set forth for the PI zone. The Planning Commission at their December 15, 2009, meeting voted unanimously to change the zoning of Helping Hands from Limited Professional to Planned Institutional (PI).

FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO REMOVE PROPERTY FROM THE HISTORIC DISTRICT: Joy Fogarty would like to remove her property at 751 Highland Park Drive from the historic overlay district: This property was placed in the Historic Overlay District by City Council in 1990. She purchased the property in 1999, and would like to make several changes to the outside of the structure which first requires approval by the Design Review Board. Her home is the last house in the district along Highland Park Drive and is contiguous to the Aiken Golf Club which is a primary property in the Historic District. The Design Review Board unanimously denied her request. However, at the Planning Commission meeting in December they approved the removal on a 4-3 vote. Her neighbor has written a letter on her behalf and has no objections to her home being removed from the District. Homes across the street, the Golf Course to the south and homes to the east are all within the Historic District.

RESOLUTION APPROVING DEED OF DEDICATION OF LAND AND STORM SEWER EASEMENT AT WHITNEY POLO FIELD: We have received a letter from the Whitney Trust and Aiken Polo Club requesting drainage relief for the Whitney Polo Field and residential property along Knox Avenue. This polo field, for the last several decades, has flooded. About 15 years ago, the Whitney Trust sold a portion of their property along Knox Avenue for new homes which has also increased the flooding and drainage problems in the area. We have worked out an agreement with the Whitney Trustees for them to convey a portion of their land for a detention pond and a drainage easement for a storm drain pipe which will convey this water to a drainage box at Mead and Two Notch Road. In addition, the city would clear some of the trees and create drainage ditches in the area to relieve this flooding problem. We have been discussing this for over a year with the trustees and recommend acceptance of the land for the drainage pond and ditch. This will be conveyed in a final deed of dedication once the drainage system has been completed and we know the exact location of the land that will be deeded. The cost of this project is approximately $175,000 and funds are available in our storm water account for this work.

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ACCEPTANCE OF AGREEMENT WITH THE BISHOP OF CHARLESTON: Over the last several years, the City has been working with the downtown merchants to beautify the alleys at the rear of their buildings and to underground wiring where possible. The City is currently working on the streetscape and beautification in and around the Depot area and has obtained permission from the Bishop of Charleston to use their property to underground the wiring along Sea Lane and to improve the area by adding landscaping. Attached is an easement
agreement signed by the Bishop for this use and a resolution accepting this easement agreement. The City will have the power placed underground along Sea Lane and install plantings and an irrigation system in this area which they will maintain. We recommend acceptance of this easement.

REMINDER HORSE TROUGH DEDICATION: The dedication of the old horse watering trough, small animal water, and public water fountain is set for Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at the serpentine wall of Banksia/Aiken County Historical Museum. This event is free and open to the public.

MAYOR PRO TEM – Congratulations to Councilmember Don Wells who was appointed by Council to serve as Mayor Pro Tem starting December 14, 2009, with the term to expire in December, 2011.

AGENDA FOR JAN 11, 2010 CITY COUNCIL MEETING: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/WebLink8/DocView.aspx?id=116476.

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Revisions to Aiken Journal

Viewers will note changes to the appearance and content of the Aiken Journal. It is a work in progress and a few more changes are on the way.