Downtown multi-use paths get OK from committee
Published Thursday, February 04, 2010 12:19 PM
Summerville Journal Scene ®
The Public Works Committee on Wednesday unanimously voted in favor of paving projects that would connect neighborhoods to parks as well as add a bicycle lane to a popular, well-traveled road. Residents in the South Pointe neighborhood have been complaining about people speeding down South Pointe Boulevard and ignoring the four-way stop sign, Town Engineer Russ Cornette said. “The police department went out and said there is a problem,” Cornette said. In order to reduce driver speed, the town is proposing adding four-foot bicycle lanes on either side of South Pointe Boulevard. “It would narrow the travel lane and slow people down subconsciously,” Cornette said. The project would cost less than $1,000 Cornette said. He said the town does not currently have the money to add a sidewalk to the road. Councilman Bob Jackson, who sits on the committee, was wholeheartedly in favor of adding the bicycle lane. “This sounds like a plus to me -- all the way around,” Jackson said. “I don’t see a downside.” Another project the committee is in favor of is to add a paved multi-use path from the Arbor Oaks neighborhood to the Sawmill Branch Trail. The project is set to cost around $3,000. The town wasn’t supposed to pay for the path, but a “gentleman’s agreement” between the developers and Dorchester County from five years ago apparently fell through, Cornette said. He said Dorchester County was working on the path’s right-of-way when the development was being built, and agreed it would pay for the path when work was completed. “The developers said it was nothing more than a handshake (agreement),” Cornette said. Work never began on the path and Cornette said those involved with the agreement are no longer with the county. “(Residents) are now looking at us to do it,” he said. Current committee members expressed concern with paying for something that should have been completed, but still voted unanimously for the project. The final recommendation was to connect the Weatherstone Subdivision to Fripp Lane, allowing residents at Daniel’s Orchard and nearby areas to avoid using Main Street in order to get around town. The project, which has been in the works for several years, is set to cost $50,000, Cornette said. The town has $180,000 in a transportation fund that can be used for this project. In other business, the committee discussed the possibility of adding a multi-purpose path from Butler Street and East Richardson to Gahagan Park. Cornette said it would be a useful project, and that town staff will look into whether hospitality taxes can be used to fund it. The full council will hear the committee’s recommendations and will vote on the projects at their Feb. 10 meeting at 7:30 p.m. at 200 S. Main St. Contact Jenny Peterson at 873-9424 ext. 216 or JPeterson@journalscene.com.
Comments
Notice about comments:Journalscene.com ® is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Journalscene.com ® does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Journalscene.com ®. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!
Poll Question
What's your big purchase for christmas?
- Most Viewed
- Most Commented
- Truck carrying hazardous materials overturns at Exit 199
- $47 million investment comes to Dorchester County
- Circus performer dies after fall during performance at The Ponds
- Cracking building for Cracker Barrel
- Personal trainers take top honors at Flowertown Run
- SC prisons department breaks ground on new chapel
- Parents of disabled children fight to keep services
- 2 Marine fighter pilots rescued; SC crash probed
- Flowertown Festival Run/Walk 5k results
- Hate group to picket near Fort Dorchester High School
- SC museum considers monument to mark secession
- Booker ready for final NCAA chance
- Plane kills man in SC emergency beach landing
- Heart attack warning ad helps save radio listener
- SC legislators to use bailout cash to fix budget
- Coast Guard rescues 4 from boat off SC
- SC prisons department breaks ground on new chapel
- 2 Marine fighter pilots rescued; SC crash probed
- EPA seeks applications for environmental community grants
- Green Products That Save You Green
- Switch to energy efficient appliances pays off for St. George resident
- 8 Green Ways to Winterize
- Taking a Proactive Approach to Being Earth-Friendly
- New Year's Resolutions Can Benefit the Environment
- Easy Ways to Improve Air Quality
- HMS students compete in national environmental challenge