By Al Dozier
The Irmo Town Council wants people to be nice to each other in the town of Irmo.
The council gave unanimous approval at the Aug. 20 meeting to a resolution adopting a “civility pledge” to build a stronger and more prosperous community by advocating for civil engagement, respecting others and their viewpoints, and finding solutions for the betterment of the Town of Irmo.
The pledge is designed to ensure that all communications, both spoken and written, be “open, honest, and transparent as this is vital for cultivating trust and relationships.”
The resolution will be posted at various locations throughout the town of Irmo.
The council gave special recognition to the very successful year of wins by the Irmo Little League Senior Softball Team and the Irmo Little League Senior Baseball Team.
In other action the council gave final reading to an ordinance that will require a traffic analysis in a new development that has traffic exceeding 50 trips per peak hour. The new ordinance will assure that steps are taken to control potential traffic problems in any new development.
The council also approved construction plans for a new Gazebo at the Irmo Veterans Park.
The council approved the ratification of budget amendments totaling $480,755. These funds were allocations that were not included in the original budget. A lot of the new allocations go to park improvements.
The council also approved a resolution on providing a match up to $25,000 for a Municipal Association of South Carolina Economic Development grant which will assist in funding a town-wide signage plan that will include welcome signs, wayfinding signs, banners and street signage.
The council approved a contract with Lexington-Richland District 5 to provide a school resource officer to Irmo Elementary School. Town officials described this service as a “huge success” for school safety.
The council approved a utility easement with Spectrum Southeast for the installation of fiber internet at Irmo’s Veterans Park property to provide internet cable accessing Bickley Station. Mayor Bill Danielson said the project will have to be carefully reviewed because of the frequent damages occurring with such installations. The council was advised by Attorney Jake Moore to include a provision that insures legal responsibility for any problems resulting from the installation.
The council approved closing portions of St. Andrews Road, Church Street and Eastview Drive during the Okra Strut Festival on Sept. 27-28.
The council approved the appointment of Robert Brandon, William Reid and Scott Jones to the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee.
Town officials made a brief reference to the proposed Water Walk development that failed to get approval from the planning commission at a recent meeting.
Developers anticipated having the town council make a final decision on the project, which would bring hundreds of homes to a site along the shores of Lake Murray. But town officials said the developer is not ready to bring the project to the council as it anticipates making changes that might help get council approval.
The council recognized Bart’s Crazy Good Coffee as the August 2024 Small Business of the Month.
New in-town businesses recognized during the meeting included: Sipp Social, 7524 Woodrow Street; Elevated Wellness Haven, LLC., 7825 Broad River Road Suite 200; The Maternal Healing Haven, 7825 Broad River Road Suite 200; Sergeant Fitness, 1085 Lake Murray Blvd.; Whataburger, 1189 Dutch Fork Road: Carolina Fine Jewelry Inc., 1068 Lake Murray Blvd.; Jennifer Gerber Play Therapy and Counseling, 1180 Columbia Ave.; Mrs. Goodfoot, LLC,, 107 North Royal Tower Unit C; Tropical Smoothie Cafe, 1180 Dutch Fork Road.
Upcoming events announced by Councilwoman Barbara Waldman included: Zumba Party, Aug. 23; STEM Fest, Aug. 24; National Night Out, Aug. 27, and the Okra Strut, Aug. 27-28.
