FLORENCE — Parking problems may be significantly alleviated at the Florence City-County Complex after a series of construction efforts at the downtown building.
County officials contracted Palmetto Paving Co. of Conway to construct parking areas and alter current side streets.
The construction is taking place around the complex, near the intersections of North Irby and Cheves streets, as well as North Irby and Coit streets.
The efforts initially got under way after Florence County Council members voiced the concerns of their constituents about the constant traffic hassles around the complex.
County building officials say work on the new parking spaces began in mid-February. The project was expected to take about 30 days to complete at a cost of about $98,000, said Arthur C. Gregg Jr., the county’s director of public works. The 30-day time period was extended, however, because of weather problems he said.
Many people who have to work or do business at the complex say the parking situation is very bad at the site and they welcome any improvements.
“It’s something they really need to look into because you know, Florence is growing,” Florence County resident Michael Thomas said. “Florence is rapidly growing, so as Florence grows, they need to improve parking — and not just here, but all over the city.”
Fellow county resident Ruth Blackburn said she avoids coming to the complex when possible because of the congestion problems.
“It is so frustrating and the way the parking lot is set out, it’s like you go down one lane and you have to go all the way around to go down another lane,” she said. “You can’t go down one and then down the next.”
Gregg said county officials were aware of the increasing problems when it came to parking at the site and wanted to help fix it as quickly as possible.
The complex not only houses the Florence Police Department, but also various city and county offices and courtrooms.
Many residents say the parking situation is at its worst during days when many employees are at the site and many residents show up for general sessions court and to take care of tax matters.
“I know there’s a lot of employees that they need for parking, but there’s also a lot of people here that need to take care of business, and need parking for that as well,” Blackburn said.
County officials said once the project is complete, it will provide about 130 new parking spaces for employees and county residents at the complex.
Barring any other weather setbacks, the entire paving and parking project is expected to be completed in early April, Gregg said.
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