Councilman Ron Brinson March 26, 2019
A “Drone View” update for the Aquatics Center project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_7X7hhe_kk&feature=youtu.be
Good News: The Dorchester County Transportation Committee has approved funding for repaving projects in Districts 4 and 9. We’ve been working to gain more equitable support for North Charleston streets in Dorchester County. The immediate District 4 projects are repaving sections of Patriot Boulevard, from Wildflower Way toward the hairpin, and Wescott Boulevard between Ballentine and the Patriot intersection. District 9 Councilman Skipper, Mayor Summey and I are hopeful this will be the beginning of a new cycle of county – supported roadway maintenance projects. (And, no doubt, you are, too.)
Promising News: S.C. Representative Chris Murphy – a District 4 resident – is working to control the timings of railroad maintenance and expansion projects at major highway grade crossings. He is a co-sponsor of House Bill 4051, which would require railroads to coordinate their work with municipalities. More importantly, his proposed legislation would prohibit this work between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Such a law would have headed off the regional monumental traffic snarls last month when Norfolk Southern railroad crews shut down Ashley Phosphate Road, Ladson Road, Remount Road and Aviation Avenue. We should all appreciate Rep. Murphy and his co-sponsoring colleagues for their initiatives. The railroad companies will oppose this vigorously. Hearings are pending. Here is the online link for the bill’s details:
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/bills/4051.htm
Windsor Hill Boulevard: Finally, Dorchester County has agreed with our city’s determination that Windsor Hill Boulevard is rapidly deteriorating and should be repaved as soon as possible, and in some sections, rebuilt. Now we await the county’s ideas on how we can get this work moving. I’ll try to keep city residents in Indigo Palms updated. Also, there is a growing group of Windsor Hill residents interested in annexing to North Charleston.
The Lennar development at the end of Windsor Hill Blvd. is snarled in litigation related to rights-of-way ownership.
The planned apartments development on Windsor Hill Boulevard is now expected to begin construction within 60 days.
These projects, of course, simply add to the urgency of roadway improvements.
Expediting Patriot Boulevard Traffic Controls? Mayor Summey has now requested the three major developers and Dorchester School District 2 to help with the funding needed to expedite traffic signals at the entrances to McKewn and Coosaw Preserve. With this sort of support, the city would fast-track signal light controls and perhaps have two in place next Fall. Also, I met last week with the Weber Drive developers responsible for connecting Weber Boulevard to Patriot by the end of 2020. They have agreed to expedite this project and indicated a final plan would be publicly announced in early Summer with construction beginning short thereafter.
These are all moving-time targets; I will try to keep everyone posted.
Also, with Mayor Summey’s support, we are evaluating different concepts for Wescott Boulevard improvements. One is to turn it into a neighborhood street, with more four-way stops and pedestrian crosswalks. Medians would be redesigned with landscaping plans. One possible effect of such an approach is that the roadway would become less attractive for the cut-through traffic which compounds the school day congestions near the Joe Pye Elementary School. This is concept vetting- not a firm plan. I will keep everyone informed.
The “Ill-Kept Monument”…at the northeast corner of Club Course Drive and Dorchester Road, at the Speedway station, has become a mystery as to ownership. The city has “groomed” it, but once ownership is confirmed, options for its future include eliminating it and turning maintenance over to Speedway. It has become an eyesore and maintenance will be programmed, or it will be history.
Sweet News: I made a special trip to the Chief Building Inspector’s office last week to view the proposed plans for the most popular District 4 project: the Krispy Kreme on Ladson Road, near the Palmetto Commerce Parkway Intersection. Again, given the on-again off-again history of this project, we should be merely optimistic until we see the ” hot and ready” sign blinking. But the plans clearly show the Krispy Kreme logo and signage, So, we can be optimistic that the “hot and ready” welcome will be blinking by the 2019 Christmas holiday season.
Check out the matrix of our city’s cultural arts and recreation programs at www.northcharleston.org.
You can file online requests for city services, too, on this interactive website.
And if you want to monitor a City Council meeting, just tune in via www.youtube.com/northcharleston/live Council meets second and fourth Thursdays each month at 7 p.m.
And we welcome your comments on the city’s ongoing rewrite of its Comprehensive Development Plan….
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VBTVJ79
