Columbia City Council meets February 20, 2008
By John Temple Ligon Temple@TheColumbiaStar.com
Roll call

EdVenture consults with City Council candidate Brian Boyer.

Columbia City Council convened at 6 pm, Wednesday, February 20, in the Hand Middle School auditorium. Immediately before taking their seats in the auditorium, council members inspected two plug-in hybrid automobiles parked on the school's outdoor basketball court.

Welcome

Hand Middle School Pr incipal Mar isa Vickers welcomed council and its audience. She was particularly proud of the city/school cooperation resulting in the proposed amphitheater coming to Emily Douglas Park. Also, her school recently scored a Kennedy Center Award for Excellence. Following Vickers, Jacquelyn Bartley, outgoing president of the Shandon Neighborhood Council, welcomed everyone to the neighborhood.

Successful business

Tony Lawton, director of the Office of Business Opportunities, introduced Elaine Gillespie of The Gillespie Agency as the recipient of the February 2008 Business Spotlight Award.

Going green

Melissa Gentr y, the city's director of public works, announced members of Columbia's Green Business Program: WLTX, Rosewood Market, Irmo- Chapin Recreation Commission, TPM of Columbia, and Cox and Dinkins.

Catherine Horne, CEO at EdVenture

City Center Partnership

Matt Kennell, CEO of the City Center Partnership, introduced the new chairman of the City Center Partnership Board, Terry Brown, CEO of Edens & Avant. Brown reminded the audience of the CCP's new retail initiative as well downtown's many continuing cultural activities and security upgrades.

Big Eddie

Catherine Horne, CEO of EdVenture Children's Museum, introduced the "Big Eddie Health Initiative," and she asked for no new funding. She was warmly received. City manager

Char les Austin, city manager, presented updates on the water/sewer infrastructure and the Gills Creek Watershed. The Gills Creek Watershed Association has requested $100,000 from the city to help fund the completion of a management/ technical plan and the initial stormwater restoration projects for the Gills Creek Watershed. Austin's staff recommended approval. Also, the North Main Streetscape is ready to move forward. Finlay asked when council could expect to see the financial audit from the fiscal year 2006-07, and Austin said he didn't know.

Marisa Vickers, principal at Hand Middle

Sidewalks

Veronica Edwards, resident of Avalon Place Apartments, asked council for $90,000 to build a sidewalk connecting Avalon Place Apartments with Garners Ferry Road. Council found the money as part of a land acquisition fund. Altogether, the city is looking at 22 miles of requested sidewalks, coming up to about $5.3 million.

New city attorney

Council voted to tap the interim city attorney, Ken Gaines, as the city attorney.

Contract award objection

Under a legal condition of scrivener's error, according to attorney Tom Jackson, someone at Trussell Brothers Construction mistakenly struck the wrong subcontractor from its participants. The struck subcontractor was the one who qualified Trussell's bid under Section 59 of the Special Provisions of the Contract Documents and Specifications, fulfilling 10 percent participation of certified DBEs as set forth in 49 CFR Part 26, as Tony Lawton put it. Lawton is the director of the Office of Business Opportunities.

Jackie Bartley, president of Shandon

Jackson volunteered the restoration of the struck subcontractor, saving the city about $917,000, which was the difference between's Trussell's winning bid and the No. 2 bid. Council awarded the contract to the No. 2 bid, spending an extra $917,000.

Council meets at 9 am, Wednesday, March 5, on the third floor of City Hall, corner of Laurel and Main.

Melissa Gentry Attorney Tom Jackson cites $917,000