Spartanburg City News

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Synopsis

Official podcast of the City of Spartanburg

Episodes

  • H.E.A.R.T program addresses needs of those experiencing homelessness in Spartanburg

    20/03/2024 Duration: 33min

    As part of ongoing efforts by the City and partnering organizations throughout the Spartanburg community, the Homeless Engagement and Response Team (H.E.A.R.T) program was launched in partnership with the United Way of the Piedmont in 2022 to provide direct outreach to people experiencing homelessness in Spartanburg and to assist in connecting those residents with available service providers.  Responding to the ongoing challenges related to homelessness in our community and recognizing the increasing need for direct assistance for unsheltered residents, the H.E.A.R.T. provides a direct point-of-contact between those in need and the services that can make a difference in their lives. Today on the podcast, we're talking with members of the H.E.A.R.T. program and the leaders who coordinate their efforts.

  • City lead-based paint remediation program tackles dangerous health concerns in 38 Spartanburg homes

    28/02/2024 Duration: 33min

    Back in 2020, the City was fortunate to receive a Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Grant from the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The purpose of these funds is to remediate lead-based paint hazards and reduce other health hazards in the homes of families with children under the age of six and to safely improve the housing stock of older homes in the City of Spartanburg. Over the last four years, the program has turned out to be a great success story, creating a new pathway for improving the lives and health of vulnerable residents while also improving the city's existing housing stock. To date, 38 homes have either completed the program or are currently in the process of doing so. Today on the podcast, we're talking with the program's manager, David Maher about the program and the work the City's team is doing to create safer home environments for residents throughout our city. Listen below for more, and follow this link to lea

  • Discussing a programming approach for Morgan Square with Dan Biederman of BRV

    31/01/2024 Duration: 19min

    With a redesign plan for Morgan Square poised to be taken up by City Council in the coming months, one question many may have is how the space can attract more visitors on a regular basis. Long a focal point for some of Downtown Spartanburg's most successful large events, the City's focus now turns to ways to increase Morgan Square's use as a daily communal gathering spot for less structured, smaller scale activity. In other words, what can the City do to ensure that the new Morgan Square is more than just a pretty space? Today on the podcast, we're talking with Dan Biederman of Biederman Redevelopment Ventures (BRV) about exactly that. Working concurrently with the process that created Morgan Square's new design, the team at BRV recently completed a programing plan for the space focused on establishing a daily hum of activity and ensuring that Spartanburg's most prominent public space can reach its full potential, connecting residents and visitors with the square more routinely and boosting foot traffic for

  • Discussing the history of Spartanburg City Hall

    24/01/2024 Duration: 46min

    First opening its doors in April of 1961, Spartanburg City Hall will soon be no more, making way for the construction of a new joint municipal government facility to be shared by the City of Spartanburg and Spartanburg County. As the City says its final farewells to the current City Hall—likely the last building to ever carry the name—Dr. Phillip Stone, Archivist at Wofford College and Brad Steinecke, Assistant Director of Local History at Spartanburg County Public Libraries join us to discuss the history of that building and the various facilities the City of Spartanburg has used to do the local public's business over the years. 

  • Discussing the new Morgan Square design

    20/12/2023 Duration: 41min

    On the heels of the recent Council update on the City’s plan to enhance Morgan Square, we recently sat down with representatives from the design firm responsible for creating the square’s new design, Brenda Diaz-Flores and Darren Meyer with MKSK, to discuss how the design was created and what residents can expect before construction on the new square begins next year. Development of the Morgan Square plan was guided by a select steering committee of local leaders, downtown stakeholders, and area residents, representing the culmination of nine months of sustained public outreach and engagement. Enhancements envisioned by the plan include permanently pedestrianizing the sections of W Main and Dunbar streets along the square, creating festival streets that will both increase the functional size of Morgan Square and create a cohesive feel across the entire space. Additionally, an enlarged performance lawn at the square's eastern end would have adjacent public restrooms and a staffed visitor center, and a new stag

  • Getting to know new Assistant City Manager, Kevin Limehouse

    23/08/2023 Duration: 28min

    Recently, we . In a move designed to grow the City's leadership capacity, Limehouse's emphasis will be on innovation and operational efficiency, joining City Manager Chris Story and Mitch Kennedy who has been promoted to Deputy City Manager.  Limehouse comes to Spartanburg from Charleston, SC where he has worked in state and local government for 17 years, most recently as Strategic Partnerships Manager for Public Services with Charleston County and Program Administrator for CORE SC. Today on the podcast, we're getting to know our new City teammate and learning more about what motivates his work in local government and why he and his family have chosen Spartanburg. 

  • Discussing the 2023 fiscal year budget with City Manager, Chris Story

    12/07/2023 Duration: 42min

    It's the most important statement of values for any government, and for the City of Spartanburg, the 2023-2024 annual budget is about investing in our city's future. With the largest outlay of capital expenditures in recent memory and a new compensation system designed to attract and retain talent for Spartanburg's municipal team, the focus on adapting to meet the challenges of our rapidly growing community.  Approved unanimously by City Council in June and having taken effect on July 1, the $51 million operating budget includes no tax increases, but does include an increase to the City's solid waste fee. The $45 increase brings the total households pay for curbside garbage, recycling, and green waste pickup to $153 annually, still well below a number of nearby communities such as the City of Greenville ($204 annually) and the City of Rock Hill ($247 annually). Local residents outside the city limits must contract with a private service for garbage and recycling collection, with a cost of approximately $500 a

  • New River Birch trail extension to feature 'Creativitrees' public art installation

    28/06/2023 Duration: 22min

    Another important piece of  is ready for its official ribbon cutting.  A new segment of the River Birth trail will celebrate its opening on Thursday, June 29 at 4:30 p.m. (Parking for event attendees will be available at Bells Hill, 961 East Main St.). Thanks to a partnership between  and , the recently opened trail extension along Lawson's Fork Creek will also feature the new  public art installation. This week on the podcast, we're talking with Spartanburg Art Museum Executive Director, Elizabeth Goddard and PAL Executive Director, Laura Ringo about the new tree-themed public art installation and the new trail that will house it.

  • Next steps in bringing minor league baseball back to Spartanburg

    07/06/2023 Duration: 31min

    Local baseball fans were so excited last month with the announcement that the Down East Wood Ducks would be moving to Spartanburg from their current home in Kinston, NC that they could practically smell the hot dogs. Once here, the team will play its games in the 3,500-seat centerpiece of a  along S Daniel Morgan Ave., which in addition to the ballpark will feature tens of thousands of square feet of residential, office space, and retail. A lot of work is still yet to be done before the stands are filled for the first pitch of a minor league baseball game in Spartanburg since 1994. The City, County, developer, and team will need to approve agreements to bring the development to fruition, designs for the stadium and nearby developments will need to be approved, and then the largest construction project in Downtown Spartanburg history will get underway, transforming the vast and vacant site that exists today into a hub of entertainment and commerce unlike anything our community has ever seen. Today on the podca

  • Keep OneSpartanburg Beautiful takes on litter, beautification in Spartanburg

    31/05/2023 Duration: 21min

    It's never hard to find folks willing too share their opinions about litter, and thankfully for those of us in Spartanburg, it's also not hard to find folks willing to put their time and energy into combatting it. Thanks to the work of , those efforts are more organized than ever throughout Spartanburg County. Founded in 2018, our local Keep America Beautiful affiliate works not only to combat litter in our area. The organization also works to engage residents in recycling, beautification efforts, and environmental education. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Keep OneSpartanburg Beautiful Coordinator, Claire Roussos about the organization and how they're helping to improve our local environment and quality-of-life for our residents.

  • City Boards and Commissions offer residents an opportunity to serve

    17/05/2023 Duration: 28min

    One of the most overlooked ways a civic-minded Spartanburg resident can choose to get involved in shaping the future of our city is by serving on one of our City Boards and Commissions. Maybe you're a local architect interested in helping to ensure that new downtown developments follow the City's design standards or a local cycling enthusiast who'd like to have a say in expanding opportunities for our citizens to get active. Perhaps you're a member of one of the city's neighborhood watch organizations, and you'd like to help influence crime prevention efforts citywide. Whatever the case, odds are there's a City Board or Commission that could use your input, and with vacancies just announced for the upcoming fiscal year (beginning July 1), now would be a great time to step up and help us continue to improve our great city.  Today on the podcast, we're talking with new City Clerk, Christie Lindsey about our Boards and Commissions vacancies and her other responsibilities assisting City Council and connecting our

  • Urban tree health and the future of Morgan Square's canopy

    11/05/2023 Duration: 21min

    If you've had the opportunity to view the , you've likely noticed that all of the proposals include an abundant amount of tree canopy. Owing to feedback from residents and stakeholders throughout the process so far, it's clear that the importance of natural shade and the welcoming feel provided by mature trees will certainly be a major factor in whatever shape the final enhancement design takes. While placing trees in many parks can be as simple as selecting the right tree and the right location to plant it, the challenge is much greater in a bustling city center where the regular thumping of tens of thousands of footsteps compresses soil, where surrounding hardscape limits the amount of rain reaching tree roots, and where well over a century of underground infrastructure creates a tangle of sometimes unknown obstacles and complications.  What does a sustainable canopy for Morgan Square look like when the lifespan of urban trees is often 10-20 years? What do we know about the conditions of the trees currently

  • Noble Tree Foundation brings expertise, biodiversity to Spartanburg's urban canopy

    26/04/2023 Duration: 31min

    If you've walked down Wall Street in Downtown Spartanburg lately, you've likely noticed the new tree plantings installed earlier this year. While you may have admired the new trees and considered the shade they'll one day provide for visitors to one of Spartanburg's most picturesque pedestrian gateways, you wouldn't have learned the full story behind those hand-picked Chinese Pistache trees and how they found a home in our community.  Today on the podcast, we're telling that story along with our friends from the  who made it all possible.

  • Exploring the new City of Spartanburg website

    19/04/2023 Duration: 34min

    It's been over 10 years since the last significant update to our website, which is something close to a century in website years, and while the launch of a new municipal government website isn't going to reach many people's threshold for important breaking news, we're pretty excited about it anyway. That excitement comes from all the new ways our updated site will allow residents throughout Spartanburg to better connect with their local government and find the information they're looking for. From the ability to sign up for automatic email or text alerts when new calendar events or City Council agendas are posted, to the prominent and usable search function, to the important government transparency shortcuts on our homepage, this new site was conceived from the ground up as a tool to make connecting with us and staying involved much easier.  Today on the podcast, we're discussing the new site's features and how we hope you'll find them useful.

  • Community Health Awareness Day at Dr. T.K. Gregg Community Center, April 22

    12/04/2023 Duration: 19min

    It began as a way to bring people in Spartanburg together and removing barriers to health care access, and after a hiatus of several years, Spartanburg's Community Health Awareness day is back this year and coming to the Dr. T.K. Gregg Community Center (650 Howard St.) on Saturday, April 22, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. The free community event will offer a wide array of health screenings and health education, and will feature activities for young children, teens, and seniors. This week on the City Podcast, we're talking with JaLisa Jordan, Program Manager for Live Healthy Spartanburg about the return of Community Health Awareness Day and why you should plan to visit. 

  • Hello Family releases first annual report

    05/04/2023 Duration: 41min

    It's been a little more than a year since —a unique collection of support systems for young children and their families—began operations in Spartanburg, and the capacity-building approach the initiative has brought to early childhood services in our community is already changing lives according to their . The program is a first-of-its-kind approach aimed at significantly improving child wellbeing, boosting future prosperity, and providing quantifiable financial benefits to the Spartanburg community well in excess of its cost and provides free universal nurse home visiting, free evidence-based parent education and support tools, and significantly enhanced early learning opportunities at a full citywide scale Among the group's first year outcomes, more than 85 percent of mothers served by BirthMatters, a free doula service for young, expectant mothers in the City supported by Hello Family, delivered their babies without a NICU admission, and more than 80 percent had a healthy birth weight and were breastfed at

  • Getting to know Highland Project Manager, Jamie Smith

    29/03/2023 Duration: 27min

    If you're at all familiar with complex community redevelopment plans (or you're inclined to listen to podcasts about them) you know that an incredible plan without a strategy for implementation runs the risk of becoming little more than a document of empty promises, a recipe for disappointment and disengagement within a community. However, when a solid plan for sustainable community redevelopment becomes an actionable guide for empowered community leadership and motivated public and private sector partners working together, lasting positive change isn't just possible, it becomes the norm.   The story of Spartanburg's Northside community provides an example for Spartanburg and for the entire nation about how that work is done, and community members in Highland are working with the City's new Highland Project Manager, Jamie Smith to put their own stamp on Spartanburg's community redevelopment model, guiding implementation of the Highland Transformation Plan.   Today on the podcast, we're talking with Smith and

  • A new cohost joins the team

    22/03/2023 Duration: 17min

    It's been a number of years since the City Podcast has had a cohost to share the work of keeping our listeners informed on what's going with City government and the broader Spartanburg Community. As we ramp up our podcast production this year though, we're welcoming a new member to the City's Communications and Marketing team who will join us in bringing you conversations with leaders and community members about the work they're doing in Spartanburg.    Jes comes to us from Spartanburg County, where she served as as Recyclying Coordinator for 10 years after serving four years as District Manager for the Spartanburg Soil and Water Conservation District. Today on the podcast, we're getting to know Jes and learning about how her experences both as a Spartanburg native and in her previous roles will help guide her approach to sharing information and explaining often complicated policies and programs with our audience. 

  • Discussing options for the City's federal ARPA funding

    15/03/2023 Duration: 36min

    It's a level of federal funding not seen for many years in Spartanburg, and for City Council and staff, that means the task deciding how to allocate our community's $16.5 million in American Rescue Plan: Coronavirus State & Local Recovery Funds takes on a generational significance, particularly for our low income residents. To give some structure to that discussion, City Manager Chris Story presented a framework to City Council for how those dollars could be spent at their Feb. 27 meeting. While the final figures will almost certainly change somewhat, the proposal currently would allocate $7.25 million to various efforts around housing, targeting increased homeownership in low income census tracts, boosting the supply of affordable rental units, assisting homeowners with fixed incomes in making repairs, and assisting homeless individuals in transitioning to stable living environments. Another $7.75 million would be used for college and career transition readiness, neighborhood enhancements in low income c

  • New trail extensions near completion

    20/10/2022 Duration: 19min

    If you like to get outdoors to walk, run, or bike in Spartanburg, the coming weeks promise to be an exciting time as two popular local trails are set to see extensions completed soon! First, Spartanburg's most used recreational amenity, the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail, is about to see its long-awaited expansion completed, taking the trail from its current terminus near the intersection of Union and E Henry streets through Downtown Spartanburg and beyond Barnet Park to Daniel Morgan Ave. Not far behind, the River Birch Trail, which currently begins near McCracken Middle School and ends at E Main Street, will soon reach to Drayton, terminating at the Mary Black Campus of Spartanburg Medical Center at one point and at the Beaumont Village neighborhood at another.  Today on the podcast, we're getting an update on these projects and other local trails development with Laura Ringo and Sophi Schwartzbauer of PAL, and along the way we share some details about this year's Turkey Day 8K, Spartanburg's favorite way

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