Staying mindful of downtown development will be a continued focus for Aiken, according to City Manager John Klimm, as City staff and City Council explore ways to invest in the area.
Klimm urged City officials during Council's meeting on Monday to develop a more targeted plan for fostering the development of downtown, an effort he believes should be collaborative and holistic.
"I'm not an advocate to the exclusion of other areas in town," Klimm said, noting recent efforts to boost both Aiken's Northside and Southside. "I just think that the foundation is there downtown."
Klimm mentioned in an interview Tuesday that the key to the sustained development of downtown is the attraction of people to live, work and play. Such efforts, he said, can be aided by the City participating in a revitalization program through the state's Municipal Association known as the Main Streets South Carolina initiative. Communities must apply to the Municipal Association to participate in the program, which fosters downtown promotion and advertising, as well as business retention and recruitment.
"So why I think it's important for Aiken to at least apply is that there is technical expertise there," Klimm said, adding the program's experts can help ensure commercial and residential space downtown is being effectively utilized.
Attracting more people to downtown is also tied to having an attractive design and charm, which Aiken has, Klimm said, but can also build upon.
"We need to highlight our uniqueness. We need to make sure our design says something about our community."
He added that creating greater connectivity with USC Aiken and Aiken Technical College would also be key to attracting younger people downtown, as well as keeping them in the community in the long-term.
"Both are hidden jewels," he said about the schools. "You have thousands of students there, but I sense that there's a variety of opinion that there's enough here for them. You know you have succeeded in your downtown revitalization efforts when you can not only see it, but feel it."
Also on Monday, members of Council voiced support for approving a specific plan and price range by the end of September to address ongoing infrastructure issues in the Gem Lakes subdivision. A recently released report, drafted for the City by Atlanta-based Willmer Engineering, indicated the flow of construction trucks coming through the neighborhood has resulted in the "cracking and weakening of the pavement," which has allowed water to infiltrate underneath and create road "failures."
These issues prompted the City earlier this year to enter into a contract with Rick Toole, president of Augusta-based W.R. Toole Engineering Inc., to perform a $30,000 soil and roadway investigation to test the quality of the roads in the neighborhood.
Toole presented Council with several options on Monday to try to resolve this issue, noting that estimated costs and the level of risk associated with the repairs will be part of the conversation in finding a resolution.
Klimm noted City staff hasn't reached a clear recommendation, but wants to offer Council a more clear directive by the end of September.
"We shouldn't conclude that the least expensive model is not the one to take. We also shouldn't assume necessarily that the most expensive option is the better option," Klimm said, adding Council will likely hold a work session on the issue to reach a better understanding of it.
City Council member Dick Dewar noted Tuesday that it's clear Council "needs to make a decision," but didn't believe there's "universal agreement" as to what caused the problem.
"We really don't know the exact cause, but I think we have good choices and solutions," Dewar said, noting the report presented by Toole. "I just want to try to get something that will fix as much of the problem that we can possibly fix."
Council and City staff have repeatedly met over the past several years with the subdivision's developers, Kisner and Gaul LLC, and its residents to come to an agreement on how to move forward with repeated roads issues. Council also meet in executive session Monday to consider possible legal ramifications tied to these ongoing infrastructure issues.
Michael Ulmer is a North Augusta native and the opinions page editor for the Aiken Standard.