SEASONS: the 2012 Annual Report for the City of Greer
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TEAM GREER SEASONS: The 2012 Annual Report for the City of Greer The City of Greer, South Carolina Founded: 1876 Population: 25,515 (2010 Census) Government: Council City Administrator: Edward Driggers Mayor: Rick Danner City Council: Jay Arrowood Wayne Griffin* Kimberly Bookert Lee Dumas Wryley Bettis Judy Albert * - Mayor pro tempore Area: Total 21.76 square miles Land 19.99 square miles Water 1.77 square mile Elevation 1,024 ft. Departments: Administration Building and Development Standards Fire Municipal Court Parks and Recreation Police Public Services Fiscal Year 2012 Budget: $17,588,375 Greer City Council District Representatives DISTRICT 1 DISTRICT 2 DISTRICT 3 DISTRICT 4 DISTRICT 5 DISTRICT 6 Jay Wayne Kimberly Lee Wryley Judy Arrowood Griffin Bookert Dumas Bettis Albert CONTENTS 9 6 New Map Caps Redistricting Process After seven months of work and public discussion about the 10 redistricting process, Greer City Council successfully completed the arduous task with the Department of Justice’s approval. 7 Transit Oriented Development 101 A national planner helped Upstate elected officials, planners, and residents consider the future of the Highway 29 corridor. 11 14 8 Students Connect with Upstate Soldiers Soldiers in Kosovo received a special Thanksgiving greeting from a group of young artists and wordsmiths in Greer. 9 Concussion Training for Coaches Injuries are nothing new to NFL players and concussions are at the top of the list. What happens when youth league 20 players emulate their heroes when it comes to taking hits? 10 City Website Among ‘Best of the Best’ Departmental Reports A new design and creative features helped the City of Greer 22 Finance website earn honors from the Horizon Interactive Awards. 23 Building and 11 The Prescription for a Problem Development Standards 24 Fire City residents are eliminating drugs with the assistance of Sgt. Chad Richardson and the Greer Police Department. 26 Municipal Court 28 Parks and Recreation 12 Cannon Centre Debuts . Again 30 Police A “makeover” is deemed a success as hundreds celebrate the opening and dedication of the Cannon Centre. 32 Public Services 14 Police Programs Land MASC Award Special Reports Safe driving initiatives – SIDNE and Alive at 25 – earn the City of Greer a top achievement award for municipalities. 33 Greenville County 16 City Residents Getting Connected Redevelopment Authority 34 Greer Development How can the City of Greer communicate with residents in Corporation the event of an emergency? Greer Connect is the answer. 20 Ports Authority Sails Inland to Greer Team Greer is produced by the City of Greer Communications Office The City of Greer may be more than 200 miles inland, but the S.C. Ports Authority considers it to be the perfect “port.” Copyright 2013 City of Greer, SC You can define Greer’s greatness I was recently asked to sit on some characteristics that I think can a panel at a national conference help Greer to continue to grow by to discuss sustainable communi- choice, not chance, and how you can assist in the process. ties representing the viewpoint of a Rick Danner “small town.” The other mayors on Mayor the panel represented a mid-sized ENGAGE city of 400,000 and a large city of Greer is fortunate to have citi- 1.2 million. zens and organizations that are As the discussion evolved it great places are the same regard- both innovative and visionary, but quickly became apparent that de- less of the population. often that is not enough. We need spite the extreme differences in our In his book, Great By Choice, leaders who are transformative and populations, our goal of improving Jim Collins explores why some com- can blend creativity with discipline. the quality of life for our citizens was panies thrive in uncertainty, even Creating great places is a marathon the same. In fact, despite the differ- chaos, and others don’t. He even not a sprint, so look for opportuni- ence in the size, scope and cost of attempts to define and quantify the ties to engage in the civic process. the projects we were all three work- role of luck in achieving greatness. ing on the same types of issues: I often hear the phrase, “Greer is EMBRACE parks, walkable communities, pub- just lucky because….” But like Col- lic safety, recreational amenities, lins’s analysis of successful compa- Transportation has shaped economic development, workforce nies, I don’t think we are any luckier how and where we have lived for housing, downtown revitalization, than other cities. We were just bet- the last two centuries, but technol- sustainable growth practices, etc. ter prepared to take advantage of ogy will be the driver in the future. I suppose the size of our city the opportunities presented to us. By utilizing smart growth design becomes irrelevant at some point It’s no accident I mention Collins’s we can address our current needs because even as the smallest city book because our staff has used while insuring a sustainable future, in the above mentioned instance, his worldwide best seller Good To but it will require a new mindset on as the 16th largest city in our state Great as a model for staff devel- some issues. Creating great places we are not categorically a small city opment and customer service im- will challenge us on many fronts, so in South Carolina. provements for several years and is look for opportunities to embrace Nor would Houston, Texas, with now implementing many of the con- positive change. 1.2 million residents, be considered cepts from his latest offering, Great a large city in China where even By Choice in a similar fashion. ENVISION small cities often contain in excess Like Collins, who identifies some The change we have seen in of 3 million people – which brings universal distinguishing character- Greer in the last 20 years should me to my point. Many of the guiding istics that cause a company to go eliminate the word mediocrity from principles and practices of creating from good to great, I want to share any conversation about the future of our community. We have set the bar high and you have every right to expect that a commitment to contin- ued excellence is now a part of our DNA. Creating great places pres- ents challenges that require mul- tiple perspectives to solve, so look for opportunities to help envision a community equipped to meet the needs of future generations. Population will never define Population will never define how “great” how “great” a place is to live, but you can. Join me in making Greer a a place is to live, but you can. great place to live, work and play. 4 You can define Greer’s greatness What makes a city a community? In late November, we cut short gender barriers. We were neighbors a meeting of department heads and unified by grief, empathy, and yes, administrative staff at Greer City even patriotism. Hall in order to take a short walk to In the City of Greer, events that Main Street. Ed Driggers bring us together are the norm. It’s a stroll most of us have City Administrator The City’s annual Freedom Blast made countless times – to lunch draws overflow crowds to Greer at a Greer Station restaurant or to City Park and Greer Station to cel- conduct business at the Police and many residents young and old alike ebrate our nation’s independence Court Complex. would set their schedules aside to and support our Armed Forces. On that day, however, the trip honor these young men whom they Visit one of our Thursday night was anything but routine. may have never met and support Moonlight Movies at the Greer City Hundreds of people lined Main their families. Park Amphitheater and you’ll find and Poinsett Streets to honor U.S. Too often, we become fixated grandparents in lawn chairs enjoy- Army Sgt. Channing “Bo” Hicks as with the size of cities in the United ing the evening beside teenagers his body was returned to his home- States. People rank status based stretched out on a blanket. town following a fatal attack in Af- on population and square mileage Each December when the ghanistan. and fixate on the word city when Christmas season arrives, we have Sadly, it was the third time in two compared to a town or village. the privilege of welcoming the com- years that large crowds watched a Population and area can make a munity to events ranging from the hearse drive beneath a giant U.S. difference when it comes to recruit- Christmas tree lighting to the popu- flag on West Poinsett Street. Pvt. ing new businesses and industries lar Breakfast with Santa. The atmo- Geoff Whitsitt of Travelers Rest and or improving a municipality’s ame- sphere at those events is like a very Pvt. Adam Ross of Lyman previ- nities and quality of life, but perhaps large family Christmas. ously paid the ultimate sacrifice in the real keyword of interest should A New York Times article asked Afghanistan while protecting our be community. the question last year: What makes a freedoms. Does it mean simply a group house a home? The writer answered Amid the salutes, tears, hands of people? Certainly to some, but her question in the next sentence: over hearts, and blessings offered to Mr. Webster’s primary definition in- The lives lived in it, of course. all three heroes, I found that heart- cludes a key word: a unified body of What makes a city a commu- ache was tempered by a sense of individuals. nity? I think a very good argument pride – not only that our country has The crowd that lined streets to can be made for the same answer.