Richland County meeting to discuss greenway program changes

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Richland County Transportation officials are hosting a meeting to inform the public about changes made recently to the county greenway program.

The meeting will be held March 11 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The meeting will include an information station for each greenway project where residents will be able to talk with project managers about planned changes, according to a news release from Richland County.

In December, Richland County Council voted to reallocate funds within the program to complete as many outstanding projects as possible. The county decided to realign projects that are no longer feasible or lack public support in order to stay within original funding amounts approved through the Transportation Penny Program.

County voters approved a sales tax referendum in 2012 to fund transportation-related projects. Nearly $21 million was allocated for 15 predetermined greenway projects. The cost of completing the projects is running higher than original funding estimates.

Changes to the program include eliminating eight greenway sections, redesigning other sections and redistributing funding from eliminated projects to finish projects scheduled for completion.

“Realignment of these greenway segments will allow the Penny Program to maximize the use of funding dedicated to creating greenways for the community,” said Richland County transportation manager Michael Niermeier. “This action aligns the projects desired by the public and those that can be constructed based on physical environment.”