City Council weighs Darlington priorities
By Bobby Bryant, Editor
editor@newsandpress.net
Develop a master plan for downtown, develop the land purchased for a sports complex off Harry Byrd Highway, reassess and upgrade City Hall’s computers and hire a grants writer – those are the priorities that Darlington City Council wants to focus on right now.
Council held a nearly four-hour work session Saturday to discuss, and try to prioritize, the city’s needs for the next budget year. The session was led by Charles Barrineau, a staffer from the Columbia-based Municipal Association of South Carolina.
Council members named what they felt the city needed right now, and Barrineau wrote down the possibilities and eventually had the council members vote on items in order of importance. He will develop a list council can work from in budget talks. A quick count by Barrineau found these issues getting the most votes as priorities:
— Develop a master plan for downtown development that will encompass various projects already underway, such as the city’s $800,000 streetscape plan (primarily funded by a grant).
— Consider hiring a grants writer who can focus on researching and applying for various types of grants available from state and federal government and private organizations.
— Develop the tract of land near Darlington Raceway that the city purchased as the foundation for a sports complex. This could include a plan to raise funds for “sponsoring” various parts of the complex; a company might want to sponsor and finance, for example, a basketball court in return for having it named for the company. The city hopes to eventually have a number of sites at the complex financed/sponsored by private companies.
— Upgrade and modernize the computer system at City Hall, which would include tying all of the city’s computers into a network. (They are not now networked.) This could mean rewiring much of City Hall.
Other needs on the council’s list include finding ways to make annexation a more attractive option for residents bordering the city limits; planning a project in South Darlington (council member Sheila Baccus said that side of town needs more attention); making the city’s entryways more appealing; upgrading the city’s infrastructure, such as water/sewer lines; developing a “business incubator” agency to bring in more jobs; and finding ways to develop more affordable housing.