New River Birch trail extension to feature 'Creativitrees' public art installation
Release Date: 06/28/2023
How Downtown Manager Jamie Smith Creates Connections in a Changing Downtown Spartanburg
Spartanburg City News Podcast
While City Staff from across a wide swath of departments have always worked to keep Downtown Spartanburg humming, our recently added Downtown Manager, Jamie Smith, has brought a new level of coordination to those efforts. Coming to the role from his previous experience working with the Highland community, coordinating efforts between neighborhood leaders, partnering organizations, and the City team, Jamie is well-versed in what it takes to bring people together across sectors to create the shared focus needed to enable positive change. Today on the podcast, we're talking Jamie to get his...
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How Spartanburg's ARPA funding is creating new affordable housing
Spartanburg City News Podcast
In 2024, City Council allocated $5 million of the City's federal ARPA (American Recovery Plan Act) dollars to facilitate development of new affordable housing. The move served as both a recognition of an obvious need in our city, namely more quality housing that can serve Spartanburg's cost-burdened residents, and as a statement of our values. The City of Spartanburg doesn't just believe in the importance of affordable housing as a conceptual "nice to have," but as a priority worthy of nearly a third of all the ARPA funding our community received. What has that funding produced so far?...
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Yes, there’s plenty of convenient, affordable parking in Downtown Spartanburg
Spartanburg City News Podcast
On this episode of the City Podcast, we’re taking a peek behind the curtain of our marketing operations to talk about a campaign we put together last year in response to some big changes we knew were coming to the Downtown Spartanburg parking landscape. While it has been true for decades that the City’s downtown parking garages have provided an affordable, convenient, and safe option for visitors and workers, several nearby surface lots meant that many folks may not have ever bothered using one. With over $800 million in new development set to take those lots offline at the same time it...
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Why Downtown Spartanburg Growth Matters
Spartanburg City News Podcast
On our last episode, we took a look back at the recent history of Downtown Spartanburg growth and development, examining the pivotal moments and projects that set the stage for the headline-grabbing, precedent-setting investments we're seeing take shape in our city's core today. But why is all that growth meaningful to city residents? How does the projected $1.77 billion economic impact our community will see actually translate into increased opportunities for Spartanburg's people? What makes our story deeper than a simple embrace of growth for its own sake? Today on the podcast, we get City...
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A Recent History of Downtown Spartanburg Growth
Spartanburg City News Podcast
It’s tough to miss the signs of dramatic change in Downtown Spartanburg these days. With $800 million of development underway on a handful of blocks west of Church Street, the landscape looks a lot different than it did a few years ago and the skyline will soon look much different than it does today. But how did we get here? What were the moments in Downtown Spartanburg’s recent history that built momentum for the current record-breaking investment we’re seeing today. Today on the podcast, we’re looking back at that recent history to provide context for the changes underway in...
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What is a Council-Manager Form of Government?
Spartanburg City News Podcast
When we first launched the Spartanburg City Podcast in 2012, things were a bit different in our city. Having recently emerged from the worst effects of the Great Recession, downtown's redevelopment was just starting to regain some its lost momentum, the Northside had only recently approved its transformation plan, and while work the leadership in City Hall was working diligently to move Spartanburg forward, the local landscape didn't provide the kinds of obvious signs of progress we all see today. Moreover, local media hadn't picked up on a turnaround that was too early in its evolution to...
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Angels Charge marks 10 years assisting women in finding new lives after incarceration
Spartanburg City News Podcast
In 2014, Pastor Nannie Jefferies saw a need in Spartanburg that no other organization was filling. After visiting with and ministering to incarcerated relatives of her parishioners, Pastor Jefferies was struck by the lack of assistance and hope those women had once they were released. Many of the women were often left with no alternative but to return to the same environments that had led them down the path to incarceration in the first place, putting them at much higher risk of recidivism. Recognizing the need to offer a better solution, Pastor Jefferies founded , which has been working to...
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A conversation on the City's response to Hurricane Helene
Spartanburg City News Podcast
It was a storm unlike any in living memory in Spartanburg, and while the damage our region experienced from Hurricane Helene far exceeded everyone's estimates, the City and the community came together to put us on the road to recovery. Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Manager Chris Story, Fire Chief Pierre Brewton, and Public Works Director Jay Squires about the City's response to Hurricane Helene and the road ahead for Spartanburg.
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Duncan Park Lake open to boating and fishing for first time in decades
Spartanburg City News Podcast
It was identified during the Duncan Park Revisioning Plan as a priority by a steering committee of nearby residents and stakeholders, and now for the first time in decades, Duncan Park Lake is open to non-motorized boating and catch and release fishing. The new change comes on the heels of other improvements recently made to the park, including removal of invasive species and trails improvements, also identified in the revisioning plan that was spearheaded by in partnership with the City. Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Parks, Recreation, & Special Events Director Kim Brown...
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Fire Chief Pierre Brewton reflects on his journey back to Spartanburg to lead department
Spartanburg City News Podcast
It's been almost four months since City Fire Chief Pierre Brewton returned home to Spartanburg to lead the department where he first honed his skills as a firefighter. Returning after serving for four years as Fire Chief for the City of Albemarle, NC, Chief Brewton began his career with the City of Spartanburg in 1988, assigned to garbage collection in the Public Works Department. In 1994, he successfully transitioned to the Spartanburg Fire Department, rising through the ranks to eventually serve as Assistant Fire Chief, the highest-ranking minority member in Spartanburg Fire Department...
info_outlineAnother important piece of "The Dan" trail system 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 PAL: Play Advocate Live Well and Spartanburg Art Museum, the recently opened trail extension along Lawson's Fork Creek will also feature the new "Creativitrees" 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.