Update from Charleston City Councilman Gary White
It has been a busy summer at the City of Charleston and I wanted to provide an update on the tremendous amount of work being done by the City to continue enhancing our quality of life here on Daniel Island.
First, the mast arms for the street light at the Refuel and Publix intersection are in the process of being fabricated and as soon as they are finished the lights will be installed.
Second, I am happy to share that on June 17, City Council approved the construction contract for the Daniel Island Recreation and Community Center with Hill Construction in an amount of just under $9 million. The overall project budget, which includes all new furniture, fixtures and equipment, is over $10.8 million. Barring any unforeseen weather delays we anticipate the construction to be complete in 12 months.
Third, I wanted to provide an update on Duck Pond Bridge which is the bridge on Daniel Island Drive near Blackbaud. As many are aware, the bridge has been temporarily repaired by fitting a steel plate to the deck to protect it from any further damage. The City’s Public Service Division has been working on getting the bridge milled and resurfaced so that the steel plate can be removed. The resurfacing work order was put out for bid last month, but unfortunately because it is a relatively small job and contractors currently have so much work we were unable to get any of the larger contractors to bid on the job. After going back out to bid for a second time, we have now finally been able to get a contractor to do the resurfacing work. The contractor will be mobilizing a crew in the coming weeks and we expect to have the work completed this month. This is only a short term fix and ultimately the bridge will need to be replaced. At our City’s Ad Hoc Budget Committee meeting last week, we identified the funds needed to replace the bridge at an estimated cost of $1.3 million. The bridge replacement is on our Capital Improvements Plan for 2020. Additionally, I have instructed the City’s Capital Projects Department to include, along with the bridge replacement, a pedestrian and bicycle access path. Doing so will facilitate making a full connection to the multi-use path from St. Thomas Island Drive to Daniel Island Drive that is currently under design. The St. Thomas Island Drive Boardwalk and Path project is also on the Capital Improvements Plan for 2020.
As the island has developed, we have a number of roads getting to the point where they will need to be resurfaced. The City’s engineering department has been working in conjunction with the POA and DINA to put together a comprehensive list of roads that are in need of resurfacing now or will be in the near future. At the request of Berkeley County, the City’s engineering department is currently grading out each of those roads that have been identified for resurfacing. Once the grading work has been completed, the City will submit the list to Berkeley County’s Transportation Committee for funding consideration from the County’s “C” funds that are derived from the state’s gas tax.
You may likely have seen the City’s street sign and striping crews on the island over the last few weeks. They have been working on completing a number of improvements to our streets, including new street signs at Ithecaw Creek, Grand Colonial, River Green Place, Smythe Street, and Pierce Street, as well as replacing faded street signs. Additionally they have been refreshing street striping, parking stalls and crosswalks on Seven Farm Drive, Daniel Island Drive, Barfield, Island Park Drive, Settlers Street and Blakeway. This work will continue for the next few weeks as they finish out the rest of the improvement projects on their list.
Lastly, the City has been working in conjunction with Berkeley County and the South Carolina Department of Transportation to complete a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to allow for the installation of a light at the entrance to the Beresford Creek Landing neighborhood off Clements Ferry Road. The City and County met last week to agree on a few minor modifications to the language in the agreement. The final version of the MOU will be sent for approval to City Council and County Council this month.
I am very pleased with the progress that has been made on all the above mentioned improvements. And in that, I want to sincerely thank all the hard working employees of the City of Charleston who work tirelessly to improve the quality of life for our citizens. As I always strive to be as responsive as possible to all our citizens, should you ever need my help with any matter please feel free to email me at whiteg@charleston-sc.gov.