Spartanburg City News

As it is in much of the South, Reconstruction is one of Spartanburg's least understood historical periods. A tumultuous time that is often glossed over, sandwiched between the Civil War and our area's well-covered industrialization and rise as a textile manufacturing powerhouse, Reconstruction in the Upstate was a bloody time when the Ku Klux Klan and other paramilitary groups terrorized African Americans through beatings, lynchings, and intimidation, all with the intent of stripping away political power and ensuring that recently freed former slaves would remain second-class citizens. Ultimately, the tactics were successful, helping to initiate an era of Jim Crow segregation and disenfranchisement that would last for generations.  Now a local theater project, curated by Anna Abhau Elliott and Crystal Tennille Irby, seeks to tell part of that story.  is a performance based on 1871 Congressional Joint Select Committee testimony of residents living in Spartanburg County who were terrorized by the Ku Klux Klan.

It's been 10 years since Chapman Cultural Center first opened its doors on St John Street, anchoring the northern end of downtown and establishing itself as an epicenter for arts and culture in Spartanburg from the very beginning. Today, with 350,000 visitors annually, it's easy to see how the vision and investment from private and public partners has paid dividends for our entire community. On Sunday, October 1, 1–5 p.m.  with live music from local artists, food trucks on the Chapman campus, and programming from their various partner organizations.  Today on the podcast, we're talking with Chapman Cultural Center President & CEO Jennifer Evins about the event and the history and future of this crucially important Spartanburg cultural resource. Listen below for more!

It was one of last year's unexpected downtown hits and on September 30, the  will return to downtown Spartanburg for an encore. Featuring a diverse lineup of funk, folk,hip hop, reggae, indie rock, and much more, the festival is set to include three packed stages. Melting Pot will also include art vendors and live art demonstrations, a craft beer garden, street performers, and an instrument petting zoo. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Anthony Sartor, Executive Director of Melting Pot Music Society.

A crucial corner at one of the city's most important downtown gateway intersections is set to get a huge makeover with construction of a new 19,000 square foot development on the southeast corner of E Main and Pine streets. Anchored by United Community Bank, the two-story building will feature new office and retail space and is set help transform one of the busiest intersections in Spartanburg. On Wednesday, the City's Design Review Board gave final approval to the project after initially requesting some changes to the design at their meeting in August, clearing the way for development to move forward.   In addition to being a huge win for Spartanburg, the Main and Pine development is also a good test case for us to get down to the nitty-gritty on a few of our weightier local government topics, planning.   What was the reasoning behind Design Review Board's requested changes in their previous meeting? How does working with developers on their designs fit in with other improvements the City undertakes downtown

It doesn't take long in conversation to figure out that Jansen Tidmore understands that downtown development has some pretty serious differences with other kinds of commercial development. "Downtowns are an emotional investment," he says, and the factors that go into creating a vibrant downtown that serves as a showcase for its city aren't often the sorts of things that fit neatly on a spreadsheet. Hired in May to serve as , Tidmore came to Spartanburg from Dothan, Alabama where he served as head of the city's Downtown Redevelopment Authority. Today on the podcast, we sit down with Tidmore to talk about his experiences in Dothan, what led him to Spartanburg, and what he sees on the horizon for our city. 

When the roman numerals on a City Council agenda reach high enough for folks to have to think back on their school days to remember what item number is up for discussion, you know it's a busy night. Such was the case this past Monday, as Spartanburg City Council gave unanimous approval to three new major developments. The projects include two on the city's Northside, a new 16,000 square foot mixed-use development on the corner of College and Howard Street and redevelopment of the historic Fremont School into 41 market rate apartments, and a new 19,000 square foot mixed use development at a major gateway into downtown on E Main and Pine streets. Council also heard from city residents and rental property owners about a proposed registry program for the city's 7,000+ residential rental properties. Under the plan, residential rental property owners pay a $25 per-unit fee (maximum $250, waived if the property owner holds a city business license). The plan also would include periodic inspections to ensure rentals m

It's a huge part of the garbage every household produces and unless you've got the time and space for a compost pile or bin of your own, there haven't been many options for city residents to deal with food waste besides throwing it into a bin destined for the landfill.   One Spartanburg company though, co-founded by a Wofford College graduate, now offers a simpler solution. , the residential arm of food waste recycling firm  offers an easy doorstep pickup option for residents throughout the city. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Leslie Rodgers, Education Director and Compost House Coordinator with Atlas Organics, about the wonders of organic waste and why turning it into piles of miraculous, black, plant happiness-boosting good stuff is a lot better than burying it in a landfill. Listen below and enjoy!

A recent bill in the state General Assembly sponsored by Sen. Marlon Kimpson of Charleston that would allow cities to require a percentage of apartment units of any new development to be priced as affordable housing, with below market rate rents specifically targeting residents with incomes below 80 percent of the local median (around $42,000 per year for a family of four in Spartanburg). The bill is a response to the rapidly developing downtowns of South Carolina cities like Charleston and Greenville and their corresponding rapid growth in rental rates, and a  in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal brought the issue local attention.   So, is inclusionary zoning something Spartanburg should consider? Is our downtown far enough along to worry that spiraling rents will threaten the socioeconomic diversity of our city's most important neighborhood? What does the overall housing landscape in Spartanburg look like in 2017 and what steps are we in the City taking to address housing issues? Today on the podcast, we're ta

It's been just a little more than a month since Betsy Neely Sikma assumed her role at the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, serving as Director of Entrepreneurial Development for the Economic Futures Group, but in that short time, but she's already managed to make a splash in Spartanburg, penning one of the most inspirational stories of a native daughter's return home in recent memory.     Today on the podcast, we're sitting down with Sikma to hear more of her story and more about her important work with the Spartanburg Chamber.  

For years now,  artist-in-residency program has inarguably been, for many in our city, one of the Spartanburg's most beloved arts programs. Through the program, artists come to our city to work on their own projects and to embed themselves in our community, often leaving lasting positive impacts in their wake, with each year's artists helping Spartanburg to see itself from their fresh, and very often novel perspectives.   While the impact this year's artist, Lydia See had on Spartanburg is undeniable, her 11-month residency was a bit different from what Hub-Bub had done in the past. For the first time, the residency was done through a partnership with , growing the community impact of the program in new ways, Throughout her residency, See spit time between her own art projects and community work centered around creating inclusive, accessible programs that introduced the artistic process to those who aren't often exposed to art in their everyday lives.  So, how did it go? Today on the podcast, we've got the ar

When Spartanburg City Council voted unanimously to "ban the box" at a meeting in June, it was the culmination of a lot of groundwork from an involved local citizen, Meghan Smith The measure, which eliminates the criminal history question from City job applications, was a move councilmembers agreed was about fairness, removing the stigma some applicants may face in the hiring process and encouraging an evaluation of all applicants based on qualifications rather than having prior convictions automatically cloud the process.  Under the changes, applicants will still have their backgrounds checked during the hiring process, but potential hires with a criminal record could have a better chance to earn a position with the City if they aren’t asked about their past from the beginning of the process. For Meghan Smith, seeing "ban the box" pass was evidence that well-intentioned regular citizens, working with their local officials, can affect real change and solve problems in their communities. Today on the podcast, w

The July heat is upon us again here in Spartanburg and that means it's almost time to welcome the Carolina Panthers ! The camp is set to start July 26 with the annual Kickoff Party getting things started at 4 p.m. Events include the Mayor's Ball Delivery, on-field performances by the TopCats, Sir Purr, PurrCussion and Black & Blue Crew, face painting, food, and interactive games. As always, admission to the kickoff party and all 14 Panther practices is free. Follow . Today on the podcast, we're talking with Riley Fields, Director of Community Relations for the Carolina Panthers to give you the details.

It's been nearly a year since we first had Amanda Richardson—the brains behind the excellent local food blog, —on the podcast and in that time, a local restaurant scene that was starting to show signs of new energy has exploded with new and exciting homegrown options, particularly downtown. Whether you're looking for some great breakfast, some authentic Vietnamese cuisine, or you're looking to see what that new poké thing is all about, the options for culinary exploration have never been better in Spartanburg. Today on the podcast, we're talking about some of those new restaurants, discussing what they add to the local food scene and looking ahead to some new concepts opening later this year.

The first amenities for the new "Rail Yard" seven-acre park along the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail are set to greet visitors later this month. In a nod to the site's history as a service location for Spartanburg's old trolley line, the site now features a pavilion that pays homage to that past, with photos panels showing historic trolley photographs and rails running through the brick floor. Also nearly ready to go is an exercise pad with equipment for cardio, pull-ups, and other exercises. Other amenities planned for the Rail Yard include a mountain biking course, an NFL Play 60 obstacle course,  an amphitheater with terraced seating and a stage, open-air tree houses, and a water misting station. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Laura Ringo, Executive Director of , about the new park and some of the changes you can expect to see next time you're out on the rail trail.

It's quickly become one of the most talked about public art projects around, putting the work of local and regional artists in the public eye in a unique and whimsical way. It would be a massive understatement to say that Lighten Up Spartanburg has been a success for in their goal to push visual art into the larger community beyond their walls at the Chapman Cultural Center. From the constant stream of folks around downtown taking pictures of the 28 bulbs to the tens of thousands of responses, the installations have received on social media, the buzz generated by this unique public art project is truly unprecedented in recent local memory. Today on the podcast, we're diving deep on Lighten Up Spartanburg with Spartanburg Art Museum Executive Director, Elizabeth Goddard. Listen for details and be sure to check out the for a map and descriptions of each sculpture. 

Over the course of its existence, local arts organization, has gone through a number of iterations. Starting in 2004 as a simple online forum focused on allowing Spartanburg locals to engage with each other and exchange ideas about a broad range of topics. In those early days, the organization hosted events and grew a following through guerilla marketing, providing an outlet for a budding community of young creatives. in 2006, with the help of the City and private donors, the organization was able to create a physical home for itself, the Showroom, which hosted a huge variety of events and housed the group's signature artists-in-residence program. In 2015, in part as a recognition of the changing shape of downtown, Hub-Bub left the Showroom and brought their programming back to its roots, bringing those wildly varying and uniquely creative events they'd become known for back out into spaces throughout downtown Spartanburg And now, more changes are on the way as the organization prepares to unite with Chapman

Where does the rubber meet the road in local government? The annual budget. It's our statement of purpose, the unambiguous articulation of our core values. If you want to know what we believe in, check out what we spend the taxpayers' money on. Our budget is also the best indicator of your local government's overall health and a reasonable barometer of the health of the community we're all tasked with serving. What does that picture look like as we prepare to head into fiscal year 17-18? Today on the podcast, we're talking with Assistant City Manager Chris Story to find out.

It was November of 2012 when the City of Spartanburg first launched its podcast, giving local government violent shove into 2005's favorite new communications tool. That podcast, as so many that came after, featured City Communications Manager Will Rothschild and not-yet-City employee Christopher George rambling for 40 too-noisy, unfocused minutes about...city stuff. Listening to that early effort now is a reminder of how far things have come for both the podcast and the city we've talked about for nearly a half-decade. Our time in Spartanburg is one of deep, transformative change, a kind of change Spartanburg has not seen in the modern era. During that time, this humble podcast has been a constant, celebrating Spartanburg while chronicling and contextualizing those changes.  While the podcast and its mission will continue for hopefully many more episodes to come, one half of that original podcasting pair is moving on. After five-and-a-half years with the City, Will Rothschild has left his position as Communi

Spartanburg parents looking for more family-friendly amenities in downtown Spartanburg will soon have a brand new option for their little ones after City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve an agreement supporting a new 6,000-square-foot satellite facility for the Children's Museum of the Upstate at 130 Magnolia Street. Under the agreement, the City will provide $100,000 in funding for the facility, divided into five $20,000 annual payments. According to the museum’s president and CEO, Nancy Halverson the group has raised $1.25 million of the estimated $1.5 million needed to open the new facility. Today on the podcast we're delving into details of the planned museum and discussing its impact on our rapidly growing downtown.

Sometimes progress comes with a little pain, and with construction projects on seemingly every corner of downtown Spartanburg these days, some impacts to traffic were inevitable. Lucky for all of us, the pain is temporary and the payoff is completely worth it. Today on the podcast, we're talking about two of the biggest closures, diving deep to give you the details on how long to expect delays and detours and talking about the amazing projects that our city will see when it's all said and done.   Check out our for full details on all projects and street closures around downtown.