Mayor Steve Benjamin and the City of Columbia Unveil New Wrapped Garbage Truck to Further Encourage Vaccinations in the Midlands
|
|
Mayor Steve Benjamin and the City of Columbia recently unveiled two new garbage trucks with vaccination messaging to encourage everyone in the Midlands to stop the COVID-19 virus.
The new 2021 side loader garbage trucks will have two steering wheels and can be driven from either side. The trucks will travel throughout the entire City. City of Columbia Solid Waste division services 40,000 customers weekly and these two trucks can be seen in every neighborhood within the city limits.
The “It’s YOUR Shot, Columbia” campaign began in June 2021 to let all Midlands citizens know that COVID-19 vaccinations are safe, effective, free. Follow the City of Columbia on social media for more information and use the hashtags #ItsYourShot and #ResilientColumbia for updates.
|
|
The new garbage trucks will be seen around the City to further expand messaging about vaccinations around Columbia. |
Director of Public Works Robert Anderson gives City officials a tour of the newly wrapped garbage truck.
|
Councilman Daniel Rickenmann takes a look from the inside at the new trucks. |
|
Fleet Services Administrator David Foster Jr., City Manager Teresa Wilson and Lead Equipment Operator Sonia Lopez talk about all new details and improved safety features on the new garbage truck. |
Mayor Steve Benjamin takes a quick tour of the new garbage truck on Main Street. |
The new garbage trucks will be in every neighborhood within the city limits. |
|
Mayor Steve Benjamin Announces Renaming
of City Hall’s Third Floor Conference Room
to Honor Frank B. Washington
|
|
To honor the life and legacy of Frank B. Washington, Mayor Steve Benjamin announced during the City Council meeting on July 20, 2021 that the City Council conference room on the third floor of City Hall will be renamed as the Frank B. Washington Room. The City Council meeting was the first in-person City Council meeting held in more than 16 months.
In addition to serving as Vice President of the South Carolina NAACP for eight years, Frank B. Washington also served as President of the Columbia chapter for 16 years. He forever changed the systemic racial inequity of Columbia’s City Council makeup by filing a lawsuit in 1977 which created the council representation framework the City still uses to this day. The 4-2-1 single-member districts led to the elections of Columbia’s first Black council members, and also affected the way Columbia’s mayoral elections took place.
“To further racial progress and tear down systemic racial inequality in our City, Frank B. Washington saw a need for change in the way Columbia’s leadership and representation was selected and designated, and took bold, legal action to bring about that change,” said Mayor Steve Benjamin. “Like others who fought for justice and inclusion, Frank Washington’s actions were seismic, influential and long-lasting in causing profound and consequential societal reformation.”
The renaming of the City Council conference room to honor Frank B. Washington took place during a presentation at the beginning of the City Council meeting with the approval of Resolution No.: R-2021-078.
|
|
Columbia City Council approved the honorary naming of the City Council Conference Room at City Hall the "Frank B. Washington Room." Mayor Steve Benjamin presented
Mr. Washington’s family with a proclamation during the July 20, 2021
Columbia City Council meeting.
|
|
City Employee Honored with Historic Columbia's
Preservation Leadership Award
|
|
Amy Moore, Principal Preservation Planner with the City’s Planning and Development Services Department, was recently recognized by Historic Columbia for her leadership in preservation. A City employee for 18 years, Amy is a dedicated public servant. Krista Hampton, Planning and Development Services Director, notes, “This is a rare and prestigious recognition of the amazing work Amy has done and continues to do for the City and community.”
The distinguished Preservation Leadership Award recognizes those who have “significantly contributed to the advancement of historic preservation in the community,” and Amy’s work certainly is worth of such celebration. Historic Columbia noted that “by balancing passion with patience and compassion with regulations, Amy… has established a legacy of success, despite often having to contend with uncooperative or competing interests, negotiating political minefields, and working long hours.” Historic Columbia stated that Amy has been a “guiding light and an inspiration” and noted that “few would argue against calling her like we see her – a preservation superhero in our midst.”
|
|
Krista Hampton, Planning and Development Services Director recognizes Amy Moore as the Historic Columbia Foundation's Preservation Leadership Award Recipient during the July 20, 2021 Columbia City Council meeting. |
|
City of Columbia Receives
Two SC OSHA Safety Awards
|
|
The City of Columbia Public Works Department and Public Administration Department were recognized as recipients for their outstanding safety performance at the 2021 Safety Achievement Awards on Wednesday, July 21, 2021.
Both departments earned the Palmetto Shining Star award, the highest safety honor given by the South Carolina Labor, Licensing & Regulation and SC Occupational Safety and Health. To achieve the award, a company or organization has to reduce its Recordable Incident Rate, or RIR, by 20 percent. Safety & Risk Management Director H. Demetrius Rumph says the achievement showcases the hard work by City leadership and employees.
“It’s really the boots on the ground and the leadership that deserves all the applause,” Rumph says. “If it wasn’t for them, we would not be here. To be able to reduce your recordable incident rate by 20 percent from the previous year says a lot.”
The Department of Public Works launched a safety campaign to incentivize employees to identify hazards and implement corrective action. Through the campaign and other measures, the department saw a 31 percent reduction in its RIR between 2019 and 2020. The Department of Public Administration had a 55 percent difference in their Recordable Incident Rate compared to the South Carolina 2019 average RIR. The department developed safety videos to focus on safety awareness and reducing exposure risk and included a safety criterion in employee evaluations.
Along with the two departments honored, Rumph says the City as a whole deserves praise for reducing its incident rate by 18 percent. The City also was one of two municipalities to be recognized out of the 46 counties within South Carolina. Rumph says the City is setting the bar regarding safety achievement. He wants employees to take a bow and know they’ve been able to provide services and needs to the public while maintaining safety.
“A lot of people say shoot for the moon and you will be among the stars or the sky is the limit,” Rumph says. “But I always say the sky is the view. It’s never a limit, and today we proved that.”
|
|
Safety & Risk Management Director H. Demetrius Rumph (left) and Safety Compliance Manager Wateka Smith (right) are presented the Palmetto Shining Awards from Emily Farr, the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation director, at the 2021 Safety Awards reception on Wednesday, July 22, 2021. The City of Columbia Public Administration Department and Public Works Department were recognized for their outstanding safety performance. |
|
The City of Columbia Public Administration Department and Public Works Department each received the Palmetto Shining Award at the 2021 Safety Awards reception on Wednesday, July 22, 2021. The award is the highest safety honor given by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation and SC OSHA and recognizes companies or organizations for their exemplary safety efforts. |
|
Columbia Council of Neighborhoods
Monthly Meeting
|
|
On July 22, Columbia Council of Neighborhoods held its monthly meeting to share information regarding housing efforts in the City of Columbia and information about National Night Out.
Public Relations, Media and Marketing Department staff were also in attendance to share information with the Columbia Council of Neighborhoods Presidents regarding the "It's YOUR Shot, Columbia" Campaign.
|
|
John Black, President of the Columbia Council of Neighborhoods, speaks at its monthly meeting. |
|
Public Relations, Media and Marketing Department staff shares information about "It's YOUR Shot, Columbia" Campaign. |
|
Advertisement of Vacancies on
Various Boards and Commissions
|
|
The City of Columbia is accepting applications to fill several vacancies on the following boards and commissions.
All applicants must reside in the corporate limits of the city.
Deadline –Applications are due no later than August 10, 2021 at 5 p.m.
|
|
Planning Commission Meeting | Monday, August 2, 2021 |
|
On Monday, August 2, 2021, the Planning Commission meeting will be held at 5:15 p.m. respectfully at the Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street, Columbia, SC 29203.
In the interest of public health, the Busby Street Community Center will have limited seating for persons who wish to attend the meeting in person, but members of the public and/or media may observe and participate in the meeting remotely by one of the following options:
-
Watch: The public may stream the meeting through CityTV accessed at https://www.youtube.com/ColumbiaSCGovernment.
-
Listen: The public may participate via phone. You may call: 855-925-2801. The meeting code: 4342.
Those participating by phone will receive three options on how to participate:
• (star one) *1 will allow you to listen
• (star two) *2 will allow you to record a voice message that will be read into the record.
• (star three) *3 will allow a participant to be placed in a queue, so they may speak live when prompted.
If you plan on attending the meeting in person at the Busby Street Community Center, please note that face coverage are required at all times and that socially distancing measures will be enforced.
|
|
City of Columbia Bicyclist & Pedestrian Counts:
Volunteer to help make the City of Columbia
a safer place to walk and ride!
|
|
The City of Columbia is seeking volunteers to help conduct our routine Bicyclist & Pedestrian Counts throughout Columbia. By counting pedestrians and bicyclists, volunteers help to ensure that all of the City’s residents count: transit riders, pedestrians, and bicyclists are often not accounted for in traffic studies – the same traffic studies used to make important decisions about our City’s landscape. In counting, volunteers are also taking part in a national effort: the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project.
The City targets key intersections and crossings for pedestrian and bicyclist counts; these are locations which are heavily used, and at many of these locations pedestrians and/or bicyclists have been injured or killed. By collecting data routinely, on weekdays and weekends, we are able to provide valuable and robust feedback to the many agencies that plan for our roadways. The survey will help us better understand who uses the City’s roadways – streets and sidewalks included – and how they use them. A greater understanding of people’s behavior, as well as new data, will help to influence people-oriented planning and policy that inspires walkable, bikeable, and livable transportation design.
Volunteer to count as many times as you please! Eight time slots are available, and each of the locations must be counted once on a weekday and once on a Saturday. Surveyors can select from a list of count locations, and will count pedestrians and cyclists at one location for two hours.
Please note, we ask that all volunteers take measures to protect themselves and others from the COVID-19 virus by wearing a mask and staying socially distant when conducting the counts. As a solitary and outdoor (or in-vehicle) activity, surveyors may wish to familiarize themselves with the site in advance in order to identify appropriate precautions.
WHAT: City of Columbia Bicyclist & Pedestrian Counts
WHEN: Volunteer to count as many times as you please! Eight time slots are available, and each location must be counted once on a weekday and once on a Saturday:
- Tuesday, September 7, 7:30-9:30AM
- Wednesday, September 8, 7:30-9:30AM
- Thursday, September 9, 7:30-9:30AM
- Saturday, September 11, 10:00AM-12:00PM (noon)
- Tuesday, September 14, 7:30-9:30AM
- Wednesday, September 15, 7:30-9:30AM
- Thursday, September 16, 7:30-9:30AM
- Saturday, September 18, 10:00AM-12:00PM (noon)
WHO: Open to the public
To sign up, visit https://bit.ly/2021FallCounts. If you have questions regarding the routine Bicyclist & Pedestrian Count effort, contact Planning and Development Services Department at 803-545-3181. For information on the City’s Planning efforts, including the Walk Bike Columbia Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan, and the Walkable 29203 Pedestrian Master Plan, visit https://columbiasc.gov/planning-preservation/city-plans.
|
|
City’s 2021-2022 After-School Program
Begins August 18
|
|
The City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department’s After-School Program will begin on Wednesday, August 18 for youth ages 5-12.
Children will have the opportunity to participate in supervised recreation, academic enrichment with a focus on reading a featured book a month, sports, arts and more, on a weekly basis. The program will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, during the school calendar year. (The program follows the Richland School District 1 school calendar). Children must be between ages 5-12 as of July 1, 2021, to participate.
The cost for the program is $30 per week, per child. Snacks will be provided. Special activities may include an additional fee. All payments are to be made at the site of the participant’s program. Each week’s fees are due prior to the participant’s week of care.
Registrations are accepted at the following locations:
Edisto Park
1914 Wiley St.
803-255-8103
Emily Douglas Park
(Teen Program Grades 6th -8th)
2500 Wheat St.
803-733-8531
Greenview Park
6700 David St.
803-754-5223
Hampton Park
1117 Brandon Ave.
803-695-5207
Heathwood Park
800 Abelia Rd.
803-733-8446
Hyatt Park
950 Jackson Ave.
803-733-8445
Katheryn M. Bellfield Booker Washington Heights Cultural Arts Center
2611 Grant St.
803-255-8161
Lorick Park
1600 Lorick Ave.
803-691-9339
Martin Luther King, Jr. Park
2300 Greene St.
803-733-8452
Melrose Park
1500 Fairview Rd.
803-733-8493
Pinehurst Park
2300 Pinehurst Rd.
803-733-8451
Sims Park
3500 Duncan St.
803-733-8451
St. Anna’s Park
1313 Liberty Hill Ave.
803-733-8450
Woodland Park
6500 Olde Knight Parkway
803-776-1096
For more information, please contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 803-545-3100.
|
|
The City of Columbia invites YOU to participate
in Columbia’s 6th Annual Park(ing) Day!
|
|
PARK(ing) Day is an annual open-source global event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places. The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out! See More.
|
|
City’s Misting Stations to
Operate During Summer Heat
|
|
The City of Columbia will operate misting stations in several of the City’s parks to help guests stay cool on days when the heat index reaches 90 degrees or higher.
Misting stations will operate from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the following locations:
Misting Stations:
- Granby Park, 100 Catawba Street
- Martin Luther King, Jr., 2300 Greene St.
- Owens Field Park, 1351 Jim Hamilton Blvd.
- Riverfront Park, 312 Laurel St. and 4122 River Dr.
- Rosewood Park, 901 South Holly St.
- Southeast Park, 951 Hazlewood Rd.
For more information, call the Columbia Parks & Recreation Department at 803-545-3100.
|
|
City of Columbia Office of Business Opportunities |
|
Columbia-Richland Fire Department |
|
Registration Period Open for City’s
Fall Adult Sports Leagues
|
|
Prime Time in the Parks Teen Program
|
|
Prime Time in the Parks Teen Program
Prime Time in the Parks is a free late-night teen program that provides a fun and safe environment for youth ages 13-17 years old.
Prime Time in the Parks Schedule
Friday Nights from 7-10 p.m.
August 6
- End of Summer Pool Party at Maxcy Gregg Pool, 1655 Park Circle
August 13
- Community Event: Movie Night at the Park (Lorick Park Baseball Field), 1600 Lorick Avenue
For more information, contact the Parks & Recreation Department at 803-545-3100
|
|
The COMET Partners with Uber, Lyft and United Way of the Midlands to Help Increase Transportation Access to COVID-19 Vaccines |
|
The CVC site is a FEMA-supported, large-scale vaccination clinic that's a partnership between the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD), Richland County and the City of Columbia.
The single-dose Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine is approved for those 18 and older, and the two-dose Pfizer vaccine is approved for those 12 and older. All three of the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available are very effective in protecting individuals from severe illness due to COVID-19, and one vaccine brand isn’t recommended over another.
Learn more about the different COVID-19 vaccines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here.
DHEC staff at the CVC site are assisting residents who choose the Pfizer vaccine with scheduling their second-dose appointments, so they know where and when to go for their second shot.
DHEC encourages all South Carolinians who have not yet received their vaccination to get their Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Moderna or Pfizer shots as soon as possible. For the latest COVID-19 vaccine information, visit sdhec.gov/vaxfacts.
|
|
City of Columbia | Columbia Animal Services Asks Public to Foster Pets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
