Monday, November 10, 2014

Upstate News Update, Fall 2014

Welcome to November. I have been a bit busy lately, so please forgive the slack in posting. However, there has been and continue to be some great things happening in the Upstate as 2014 continues on. Let's get right to what's the latest in the Upstate.

SC Rolling Bike Summit. The PCC will bring folks in communities together throughout the state during the state's first bike summit. Two years ago PCC joined with Georgia Bikes to put on the Georgia-lina Bike Summit. Next week, November 17 - 21, the Summit will spend two nights in the Upstate. On Monday November 17, the Summit kickoff's in Greenville, and Tuesday November 18 the conference rolls into Spartanburg. It's open to everyone, and hope to see you out there!

The City of Spartanburg has been busy! In early October, Partners for Active Living met with the City Council to discuss the next steps in expanding trail development in the area. Of the $750,000 set aside for bicycle and pedestrian paths, $650,000 has yet to be allocated to future projects. The City has also continued working on plans for the Northside. The Northside Initiative Master Plan is a powerful project that calls for the transformation of the community. Some of the plans include taking "Nasty Branch" creek and turning it into Butterfly creek with an adjacent greenway, the reinvention of Pearl Street with bike lane installations, the better connections between the Northside, Wofford College and Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.

The City of Anderson unveiled it's master plan this past September for more bicycle and pedestrian paths. The proposed trails would connect key places in the city like Anderson University, the AnMed Health Medical Center, the AnMed Health North Campus, the  Recreation Center, the Westside Community Center and several of the city parks. This plan would be the next level of improvements and connections beyond a few existing greenways in the city. Check out these renderings and images for some great visuals for the future improvements.

Greenville County Penny Sales Tax Vote. Disappointingly, it did not pass when folks went to the polls on November 4. The referendum would have helped improve county roads, sidewalks and bike lanes across Greenville County. Getting national support from People for Bikes and The Alliance for Biking and Walking, there was a great moment for the Upstate of South Carolina to shine. However, there were a few holes, including a major one that did not exclude groceries from the sales tax, that the voters could not overlook.

I've also spent the last 6 months getting familiar with twitter. For the latest events, news stories or to join in the conversation, you can follow me at BikingintheUpstateSC. I look forward to carrying the conversation further with you! Feel free to say hello!

If there's anything else that has gone on in the Upstate that I missed or any future events, please feel free to post in the comments below.

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