Columbus City Council members approved funding design work and cost estimates for infrastructure improvements in the Walesboro Industrial Park Area.
The vote to approve the resolution was 8-0. Council Member Jerone Wood, D-District 3 was absent.
The Columbus Redevelopment Commission committed to fund the improvements to Deaver Road and the nearby area in order to support additional industrial traffic that will be a result of Toyota Material Handling’s $96 million expansion to a new facility at the corner of Deaver Road and County Road 225W where Toyota will produce electric forklifts.
The redevelopment commission on Sept. 16 agreed to enter into an agreement with American Structurepoint to complete the design and engineering work for the improvements for an amount not to exceed $1.15 million, which the council agreed to do. The funding will come out of the central tax-increment-financing district.
Columbus City Council members must give consent to any city expenditure greater than $500,000.
Redevelopment worked with city engineering, along with Columbus City Utilities in identifying the needed improvements, while working from the thoroughfare map in the city’s comprehensive plan, Mikala Brown, redevelopment project coordinator told council members.
The improvements are the following:
- Road widening and ditch installation along County Road 225 from Deaver Road to County Road 300S
- Road widening and ditch installation along County Road 300S
- Realignment of County Road 225W and a pedestrian cross walk across Deaver Road near the new intersection of County Road 225W
- Intersection/road improvements at County Road 175W west to County Road 225W
- Realignment of County Road 150W to County Road 175W
- Widening of Deaver Road from County Road 150W west to County Road 225W
- Installation of a new sanitary sewer line along Deaver Road to the new Toyota Material Handling plant
American Structurepoint will create a topographic survey, route survey and survey field book for the above improvements, according to a copy of the agreement.
While improvements to County Road 175 and the sanitary sewer construction were explicitly required as part of TMH’s expansion, some of the other improvements the city had been eyeing for awhile.
Redevelopment Commission President Al Roszczyk said in September that the work is also about encouraging further growth in the area.
“This is not about just the Toyota improvements, but also it’s going to open up that which we desperately need- shovel-ready ground,” Roszczyk said. “It will further enhance the ability for businesses to locate in Walesboro.”
According to City Engineer Andrew Beckort, improvements like the realignment of CR 150 W to CR 175 W had been apart of the thoroughfare plan for “at least 10 years.”
“I think it’s important to recognize this ties into existing planning documents that have gone through a lot of public input over the years,” Council Vice President Kent Anderson, R-district 5 said. “… That realignment also ties into an eventual movement of 150 all the way up into SR 46 to increase our north-south transportation capabilities.”
The sewer line will likely go in first because its critical to Toyota’s new plant, Beckort said last month.
He estimated construction getting started in the area next year, calling it “a pretty short timeline” for American Strucurepoint to get the design work finished.
