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Columbia City Council Meeting August 30, 2006 + 9 am
City council convened about 9 am last Wednesday, August 30, for a presentation on the homeless service center issue by Mac Bennett , chairman of the site selection committee. All council members were present: Daniel Rickenmann, Sam Davis, E.W. Cromartie, Mayor Bob Coble, Anne Sinclair, Tameika Isaac Devine, and Kirkman Finlay.
Homeless Mac Bennett reported his site selection committee reviewed 15 sites for the homeless service center and recommended the city block bounded by Taylor Street, Laurens Street, Hampton Street, and Gregg Street. The center would initially serve 150 tenants at a time and another 100 as overnight guests on an emergency basis. There would be an attempt at rehabilitation while food and shelter were shared. With 3.8 acres, the potential for expansion was evident. Cromartie objected to the tight proximity to Allen University and Benedict College. Cromartie owns property in equally tight proximity. Sinclair shared her fear of a rush to vote on the matter, since council had just heard the word on site recommendation. Davis was visibly happy his district's site(s) was not recommended. Devine worried over public safety. Finlay suggested council accept the recommendation with a vote, as did Coble. Cromartie asked for public input, and several people came forward.
Russ Van De Grift , veterinarian on Taylor Street near the site, complained of his current experiences with the homeless, and he shared his prediction of more trouble with the new service center. He wondered why an outlying industrial site wouldn't work. Harrison Rearden asked for more due process, more neighborhood input.
Elizabeth Marks of the Robert Mills Historic District worried about more homeless in her neighborhood, where they already have an unmanageable problem. The elderly are afraid to take groceries out of their cars. Ben Arnold , property owner at the site, reminded council what an unusually good opportunity this was to have a whole block already consolidated, what took his family three generations to assemble. Greenview's J. G. Outen , speaking in sentiments somewhat similar to what council member Davis had to say, was admittedly happy not to see the homeless service center going up in Greenview, but he sympathized with East Central, the service center's surrounding area. He accused the city of slowing development in East Central by dropping the homeless service center in its midst.
Owens Field Park Mel Jenkins asked council to halt all actions on Owens Field Park until a full public disclosure of past actions and future intentions could occur.
Shared vision John Hall of SCANA walked council through a short planning session. He declared companies with a shared vision from top to bottom typically have 40% to 200% more productivity than those that do not. City council absorbed the very telling statistic. Most publicly held corporations, like SCANA, see their main purpose as serving the needs of their shareholders, according to Nobel laureate economist Milton Friedman. Regulated and protected utilities, like SCANA, every year have a targeted return on common equity approved by the regulators. Still, planning practices at SCANA somehow lend inspiration to a municipal government. Each council member was asked by Hall what was most important for the City of Columbia. For the most part, council agreed on the efficient and fair delivery of essential services to its citizens, which then allowed for the upward mobility of its citizens. Coble added the city needed strong vibrant neighborhoods and a new technology economy. Cromartie added the empowerment of the people.
Next meeting Council meets Wednesday afternoon, September 6, at 4 pm for a work session at a remote site to be announced. Council's regular session is that afternoon at the same location at 6.
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