Facade Changes Nearly Complete
June 3, 2009
By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal Staff Writer
Greenwood, SC - As construction crews continue to work on a streetscape project along Maxwell Avenue, the Emerald Triangle Facade Improvement Program is heading toward completion.
Greenwood assistant city manager Charlie Barrineau said the facade upgrades should be completed by July.
- “Right now, we’re tying up loose ends on the facade project,” Barrineau said. “We’ve only got maybe 10 to 15 percent of the project left. I would say it will take a few months to get it completely wrapped up, but I would think that, by no later than mid-July, the bulk of the project will be done.”
The city received a $934,763 grant from the S.C. Department of Commerce Rural Infrastructure Grant Program in September 2006, with the idea being that the money would help foster private investment in Uptown Greenwood and help create small business jobs.
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- Of that money, about $620,000 is being used for the Emerald Triangle Facade Improvement Program, while the balance was used for streetscape and utility upgrades on Maxwell.
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City officials said the Emerald Triangle Improvement Program is progressing and should be, for the most part, completed by mid-July. Shown is an example of work that has been done, as Phillips Appliance was one of the 24 properties to get upgrades.
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In all, 24 properties in the Emerald Triangle have participated in the facade upgrade.
Barrineau said each property was allocated up to $20,000 in grant funds, which property owners required to pay a 10 percent cash match and any amount expended above $22,000.
"In addition to the grant funds, to date, property owners have invested private funds in excess of $350,000 on exterior facade improvements," the assistant city manager said.
Each property owner was required to sign a facade improvement easement to the city, agreeing to maintain the improvements for up to seven years.
In addition to the aesthetic improvements the buildings are getting, some property owners discovered roofing concerns during construction and those problems have been addressed using private funds, Barrineau said.
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