Fripp Lane Extension project remains in limbo | Local News | Summerville Journal Scene

Printer friendly version |

E-mail to a friend

Fripp Lane Extension project remains in limbo

Published Thursday, March 11, 2010 12:02 PM

By Jenny Peterson
Summerville Journal Scene ®

Nearly 60 residents came out to the Summerville Town Council meeting Wednesday to hear the council discuss the Fripp Lane extension project, but council members decided to keep it tabled, keeping the project in limbo.

The road extension would have connected the Weatherstone subdivision to the Daniel’s Orchard subdivision, and would have provided a shortcut through town for motorists to get to Azalea Square Shopping Center from Highway 78.

Residents said the extension would bring more traffic and perhaps even crime to their neighborhood as well as lower their overall quality of life.

The council tabled the project last month in order to address the public’s concerns. The road extension proposal had come to the council as a recommended project that had all the required permitting and funding already in place.

The Public Works Committee voted to table the project last week, after hearing from an unusually large number of residents concerned about connecting the road.

Councilman Ricky Waring, a member of the Public Works Committee, closed out the committee’s discussion last month by saying that while the committee voted to table it, “I don’t know what will happen when it gets to council.”

At the council meeting, Town Administrator Dennis Pieper noted the large crowd had come out for the Fripp Lane extension project decision.

Before public comments were to begin, however, Pieper began by announcing that the project was not on the agenda and said the council would not be voting on the project, essentially cutting off public comments about the issue.

After Pieper spoke, Waring did explain that council members could bring up issues for a vote at any time, but added, “We won’t do anything anytime soon.” This comment was followed by a round of applause.

The crowd left after Pieper and Waring’s opening statements, well before the council discussed the Public Works Committee report.

After the meeting, Town Attorney Mark Stokes said the council can’t take action on the project until the committee makes a recommendation either in favor or against.

In order for it to get it before council (for a vote) it would have been voted up or down by the committee, Stokes said.

“It would have been out of order to take action on it,” Stokes said. “Technically, somebody could have raised (the issue), but if they would have asked me I would have said it was out of order. It’s still sitting on the figurative desk of that (Public Works) committee.”

Stokes said the council could have discussed the Fripp Lane extension at Wednesday’s meeting, but members did not discuss it or take any action.

Waring said after the meeting that if any council member felt so inclined, that member could have brought the issue to a vote at Wednesday night’s meeting.

“Anything can be brought up,” Waring said.

Bob Jackson, after the meeting said a council member could have amended the agenda to include a vote on the extension, but said, “It was possible, but not likely.”

Waring said the reason for the announcement at the beginning of the meeting was that the Finance Committee, made up of all council members, had agreed to keep it tabled Monday morning. That particular decision is not reflected in the committee’s official minutes.

The Public Works Committee is set to continue the discussion next month or at some other time in the future.

In other business, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing about a study for the town’s impact fees, Jackson said. The study will look at the town’s rates and either propose keeping or raising the amount, Jackson said. The Planning Commission will come up with a recommendation and it will go to council for a vote.

The public hearing will be held Monday, March 15 at 6 p.m. at town hall, 200 S. Main St., Summerville.

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!

Full terms and conditions can be read here.

Poll Question

For entertainment, I mainly go out in...

Most Viewed
Most Commented

104 East Doty Avenue | Summerville, SC 29483 | 843-873-9424 office | 843-873-9432 fax