Jim Fair
Infrastructure along Poinsett Street may be 100 years old. A $2.5-million upgrade in the central business district is tentatively scheduled for 2015.
Jim Fair
Making Trade Street one-way is a strategic decision that will be addressed.
Jim Fair
Sidewalks, curbs, gutters and crosswalks will be among topics for discussion for the community master plan. Abandoned and outdated newspaper vending machines create an eyesore in front of vacant buildings on both sides of Trade Street.
Wayfinding signage (above) is planned to steer visitors to landmarks and agencies.
Historic downtown Greer will get its century-old infrastructure updated and streets repaved and with it will come more landscaping and wayfinding signage. A byproduct may be additional parking.
Ed Driggers, City of Greer Administrator, told downtown merchants the city, in conjunction with the Partnership For Tomorrow (PFT), and a 14-month community master plan, would likely invest “Between $2.5 - $3 million when it’s all done.”
Some landscaping will take place in 2014 with the infrastructure tentatively scheduled for 2015.
City Council approved $500,000 over five years for Greer Station for mostly aesthetic improvements and funds to encourage new businesses or residents to invest in downtown. However, discussions with city officials and Greer Commission for Public Works, suggested a more comprehensive plan.
Among questions the comprehensive plan will study, according to Driggers are, “Should Trade Street be a one-way street? We’re going to look at how do we maximize public parking and, when we build additional parking, where should that be located?”
Wayfinding signage will steer visitors to entities such as City Hall, Municipal Complex, library, museum and parks.
“The challenge that we have is that we are coming (downtown) in the next couple of years and repaving,” Driggers said. “That’s going to be pretty rough on landscaping. We’re prepared that we are probably going to replace some (landscaping) and reinstall it.
“The choice was let’s not do (landscaping) for two years, and that was a good option. We’re going to be milling, grinding and paving. When you pave there’s lots of heat so we will lose some (landscaping),” Driggers said.
Driggers said the city would be working from the front of buildings to the center of the streets. “What we’re looking at are streets, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, crosswalks, landscaping, lighting . . . anything that is the public domain. If we have sewer lines crossing in front of School Street that runs down to Poinsett Street and down Randall, that would be the time to (fix) it.”
Randy Olson, CPW Interim General Manager, said a brief discussion with Driggers led to the entities working together. “We have been looking at working downtown and knowing what the city was planning, it would be good if we coordinated the work.”
Olson used the Department of Transportation repaving Line Street as an example of coordination. “That water line also has a lot of age and since the repaving there have been two leaks,” he said.
“We are looking at water, sewer, gas . . . anything that can be underground,” Driggers said of the infrastructure. “When we come in and open up the road, that’s a perfect time to dig a ditch.”
“It’s a phenomenal commitment to see the city invest in downtown,” said Martin Miller, owner of Image Forge and Board Chairman of the Greer Station Association. “Other cities appear to do what they can get by with. Greer is demonstrating what is right for the city.”