Greer City Council held its first regular meeting of the year, swearing in three council members.
Karuiam Booker was sworn in for his second term in District Two, and two newcomers to the council were sworn in to their seats. Charles Lander assumed the seat for District Four, and Paul Lamb assumed the seat for District Six. Gene Gibson was sworn in as commissioner of public works, a position he has held for over 40 years.
Other appointments took place at Tuesday night’s meeting, including the appointment of Dawn ZaBelle and Lynn Mahaffee to the city boards. ZaBelle will represent District Two on the Board of Zoning Appeals, and Mahaffee will represent District Six on the Planning Commission.
Additionally, council member Jay Arrowood was elected as Mayor Pro Tempore by council. This position acts as the mayor when the city’s mayor is unable to perform their duties as a result of absence or disability.
Council also had five recognitions to give out on Tuesday — the first being to the Greer Fire Department. The department recently received their SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Excellence) Designation, a prestigious honor given to state agencies that show commitment to demonstrate trauma-informed, survivor centered care for sexual assault victims. The Greer Fire Department is the second fire department in the state to earn this designation.
Four individuals were recognized at the meeting, as well — all of whom are retiring from their positions in the city. Dale Arterburn, a Greer Police detective; Joe Aughtry, a building inspector for the planning and development department; Carl Howell, deputy fire marshal; and John Polson, deputy fire marshal, were all recognized for their service.
After the lengthy set of appointments and recognitions, Council was able to move on to items of new business, all of which were passed unanimously on their first readings. Council will hear all of these items for a second time before final approval.
The first item was an award recommendation for a project aimed at improving drainage and entryways at Century Park. Of nine bids, the town’s planning commission recommended McMurria Grading to take on the project. The group had the lowest bid at $475,501.75, which would come out of the city’s hospitality and general funds.
The next item was a request from Snow Street Holding LLC to extend its lease agreement with the city by 10 years. The company owns Snow Street Place Apartments near the city’s center for the arts. All stipulations of the contract remain the same.
Council also approved a rezone request for property located on Carey Avenue from Suburban Neighborhood to Traditional Neighborhood. This classification matches neighboring properties and was recommended for approval by the planning commission.
Finally, council passed an ordinance approving the transfer of two parcels of land from the city to the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority. The parcels sit on Spring Street just off of Wade Hampton Boulevard, and the Redevelopment Authority plans to use them to construct affordable housing.
For more information on Greer City Council, visit their website.
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