Darlington County Council OKs I-20 Corridor Alliance agreement

DARLINGTON - Darlington County officially became a part of the newly organized I-20 Corridor Alliance Monday with unanimous approval of an agreement by Darlington County Council.

The I-20 Corridor Alliance is a coalition of counties, cities and regional economic development agencies formed to promote economic development and improve the quality of life along the eastern portion of Interstate 20 between Columbia and Florence by coordinating and supporting regional infrastructure extension and expansion, industrial site and industrial park development and improving access to technical training in the area.

The coalition has made the I-20 corridor a priority for increasing future infrastructure investments to make the region more competitive and better position it for economic growth, according to an August 2009 report on an economic impact study of the corridor performed for the coalition.

The report says the I-20 corridor from Columbia to Florence is one of the most underdeveloped areas in South Carolina, with major job losses occurring in 2008 and 2009 in the area, higher unemployment than much of the rest of the state, higher poverty levels and lower per capita income in the rural areas along the corridor.

Darlington County Economic Development Partnership Executive Director Robert Long said the effort to establish the alliance started with former Columbia Mayor Bob Coble and former Florence Mayor Frank Willis. Long said he has been involved with the project for more than a year.

Participating entities include the cities of Columbia and Florence, Darlington, Lee, Kershaw and Sumter counties and the economic development agencies of the participating counties and cities.

The agreement approved by council gives the organization some formal structure, Long said. The organization will have no employees. Decisions will be made by a board consisting of the mayors of participating cities and chairmen of participating county councils or their designees. City and county administrators will serve as the organization’s technical advisory committee and provide administrative support to the board.

Long said start-up dues will be $10,000 per member entity per year for three years to provide funding for preliminary engineering when required for grants, legal and other administrative costs.

The economic impact report says prioritizing the needs in the area will cost an estimated $275,000. “This funding will allow the coalition to prioritize infrastructure projects through meetings, engineering analysis, reviewing existing plans and preparing preliminary cost estimates,” the report says.

“It is projected that this region will have approximately 812,000 residents by the year 2020, which will be approximately 17 percent of the entire population of the state,” the report says. Current figures put the population of the targeted area at 738,714, according to the report.

“With this in mind, it should be noted that along with providing for the economic benefits of the citizens, infrastructure improvements would also improve the health, safety and well-being of all citizens in the region,” the report says.

“These infrastructure improvements will support the future economic growth and create more of an opportunity to stimulate capital investment from new industries and businesses,” the report says. “This new economic growth will then provide for more and better paying jobs for citizens within the corridor and entire region.”

The agreement itself cites a number of opportunities that it says can enhance economic development in the region through a collaborative approach. Those include rail links in Columbia and Florence, the proximity of the corridor to the planned Boeing plant coming to the Charleston area and the presence of technical colleges in the area. The corridor could also take advantage of South Carolina’s potential for the development of biofuel industries, the agreement states.

In other business, council scheduled a special called meeting for 6 p.m. Wednesday to consider the employment of an interim county administrator. Darlington County Administrator Phyllis Griffitts announced on July 6 that she is retiring from the position she has held for nearly 12 years on July 30.

That meeting will take place at the Darlington County Courthouse Annex/EMS Building at 1625 Harry Byrd Highway, Darlington.