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A Grand Boulevard for Columbia: Assembly Street Improvements


waccamatt

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Does anyone know if they are going to bury the power lines along Assembly St where they are doing the construction? That really needs to be done if this city isn't going to look like a second-rate slum from a third-world city. 

I don't think they are, and I'm disappointed.  That said, power lines and poles haven't stopped the "world's best destination" from becoming the "world's best destination." 

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I don't think they are, and I'm disappointed.  That said, power lines and poles haven't stopped the "world's best destination" from becoming the "world's best destination." 

What a shame. Ok, I'll bite: what is the "world's best destination"? London, Paris, Barcelona? They all have buried power lines, of course. NYC, San Francisco, Vancouver? Same. In fact, most real cities in Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand have buried power lines. It's a sign of a place that cares about itself, its citizens, its visitors. 

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What a shame. Ok, I'll bite: what is the "world's best destination"? London, Paris, Barcelona? They all have buried power lines, of course. NYC, San Francisco, Vancouver? Same. In fact, most real cities in Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand have buried power lines. It's a sign of a place that cares about itself, its citizens, its visitors. 

It's not far away.  It's a simply gorgeous city with people clamoring to get there as fast as they can.  Once they're there they don't want to leave, and when they leave they begin plotting right away to return on the very first opportunity that comes along.  It's so beautiful that even its power lines and poles look special, and as many photographs of it as not have power lines and poles in them.  Conde Naste or whatever said it was the "world's top-scoring destination" of 2012 according to their survey's stringent standards.  My only point is that buried power lines are nice, but their presence apparently doesn't keep a city from shining and moving to the top of the heap. 

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It's not far away.  It's a simply gorgeous city with people clamoring to get there as fast as they can.  Once they're there they don't want to leave, and when they leave they begin plotting right away to return on the very first opportunity that comes along.  It's so beautiful that even its power lines and poles look special, and as many photographs of it as not have power lines and poles in them.  Conde Naste or whatever said it was the "world's top-scoring destination" of 2012 according to their survey's stringent standards.  My only point is that buried power lines are nice, but their presence apparently doesn't keep a city from shining and moving to the top of the heap. 

If you are referring to Charleston - much of the downtown of that beautiful city has underground power lines. Google "Charleston" and click on images and you won't see any power lines. Here is also an interesting article from the Charleston Post and Courier that discusses the burying of power lines in that city:  "Charleston laid the groundwork for underground power in 1996....SCE&G's 30-year deal created a fund to pay for non-standard service, including burying power lines".  Where is the plan in Columbia?   

 

http://news.google.com/newspapersnid=2482&dat=20040101&id=H6dbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tFENAAAAIBAJ&pg=3179,374711  (Edit:  I tried pasting the link here, but for some reason it is not allowing the full link to be posted. If you are interested you can Google the Post and Courier newspaper from Jan 1, 2004 and find the article on the front page)

 

 

 

 

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If you are referring to Charleston - much of the downtown of that beautiful city has underground power lines. Google "Charleston" and click on images and you won't see any power lines. Here is also an interesting article from the Charleston Post and Courier that discusses the burying of power lines in that city:  "Charleston laid the groundwork for underground power in 1996....SCE&G's 30-year deal created a fund to pay for non-standard service, including burying power lines".  Where is the plan in Columbia?   

 

http://news.google.com/newspapersnid=2482&dat=20040101&id=H6dbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tFENAAAAIBAJ&pg=3179,374711  (Edit:  I tried pasting the link here, but for some reason it is not allowing the full link to be posted. If you are interested you can Google the Post and Courier newspaper from Jan 1, 2004 and find the article on the front page)

Try a Google Maps Street View tour.  You won't get far without running into them if you get off the main drags.  They don't kill the deal in my view, although like anywhere it'd be nice if they weren't there.  Same for Columbia.

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Try a Google Maps Street View tour.  You won't get far without running into them if you get off the main drags.  They don't kill the deal in my view, although like anywhere it'd be nice if they weren't there.  Same for Columbia.

I just now googled an intersection right in the heart, at Broad and Logan: power lines and poles.  No biggie to me.

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I just now googled an intersection right in the heart, at Broad and Logan: power lines and poles.  No biggie to me.

And now go to Broad and Meeting, and navigate in any direction. No power lines. Yes, your are correct: the entire city is not yet free from the blight, but large swaths of the core of Charleston have no power lines. And they seem to have a 30-year plan to eliminate the rest of them. Where is Columbia's plan? Where is the leadership in that direction? And while I am on my soap box - why are there still train tracks crossing the busiest streets in Columbia's downtown, and why are there huge tracts of land that can not be built on because of those train tracks. Where is the leadership here? Where is the outcry from citizens?

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And now go to Broad and Meeting, and navigate in any direction. No power lines. Yes, your are correct: the entire city is not yet free from the blight, but large swaths of the core of Charleston have no power lines. And they seem to have a 30-year plan to eliminate the rest of them. Where is Columbia's plan? Where is the leadership in that direction? And while I am on my soap box - why are there still train tracks crossing the busiest streets in Columbia's downtown, and why are there huge tracts of land that can not be built on because of those train tracks. Where is the leadership here? Where is the outcry from citizens?

I had already done the tour when I checked back to see if you had responded.  Columbia's leadership seems to be visionary now, not reactionary, but things don't happen overnight.  After my Charleston tour I did the same for Columbia.  Main Street downtown and way, way beyond Elmwood has buried power lines.  Gervais from Assembly virtually to the river is free of power lines.  Five Points is virtually free of power lines.  Much of Sumter Street in the CBD is, too.  Even Two Notch Road has mostly buried power lines from Forest Drive to about a mile or so north.  I haven't heard of a master plan for power line burial, but my only point is that, while I'm disappointed that Assembly Street's power lines apparently aren't being buried with the current project, I don't dwell on power lines.  Power line burial is extremely expensive.   

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And now go to Broad and Meeting, and navigate in any direction. No power lines. Yes, your are correct: the entire city is not yet free from the blight, but large swaths of the core of Charleston have no power lines. And they seem to have a 30-year plan to eliminate the rest of them. Where is Columbia's plan? Where is the leadership in that direction? And while I am on my soap box - why are there still train tracks crossing the busiest streets in Columbia's downtown, and why are there huge tracts of land that can not be built on because of those train tracks. Where is the leadership here? Where is the outcry from citizens?

For what it's worth, in response to your comment here, I fired off an email to the mayor and my city council reps.  It took about two minutes.  I believe in knowing my reps, keeping their email addresses handy and telling them what's on my mind.  I usually get a response.  They have told me in person to keep the emails coming.

 

Here's a copy of my email.

 

Are the power lines not going to be buried on Assembly from Blossom to Pendleton as part of the current street-scaping project?  Does the city have a master plan and time line for burying virtually all power lines within the two-square-mile original part of the city?  If not, will y'all please draw one up?  I know it's terribly expensive to bury power lines, but a great city can have no excuse on this.  I am aware of the areas where power lines have been buried and I appreciate it.  I would have chosen to bury more power lines in the original footprint of the city over Main north of Elmwood and Two Notch north of Taylor. Columbia residents in the periphery need to understand that the fastest way for their neighborhoods to prosper and shine is for downtown to prosper and shine first and then mushroom out.  Their district representatives need to understand this, too. 
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Everyone is making great points. Ultimately, if the existance of above group power lines is the reason a street, neighborhood, or city isn't prospering then there are probably much larger problems that need to be tackled. Assembly is just too wide, and too unfriendly for pedestrians. Until those too issues are fixed, the rest won't matter. Burying power lines is certainly not a bad idea, but they can also add a lot of character to certain places. Five Points lost a lot of its gritty character after the streetscape process a few years back, and there are probably places there the grittyness can a selling point. I think Greenville is taking a similar approach to Charleston and is working with Duke Power to bury lines within the city over time. It's an incredibly expensive and long-term process.

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Everyone is making great points. Ultimately, if the existance of above group power lines is the reason a street, neighborhood, or city isn't prospering then there are probably much larger problems that need to be tackled. Assembly is just too wide, and too unfriendly for pedestrians. Until those too issues are fixed, the rest won't matter. Burying power lines is certainly not a bad idea, but they can also add a lot of character to certain places. Five Points lost a lot of its gritty character after the streetscape process a few years back, and there are probably places there the grittyness can a selling point. I think Greenville is taking a similar approach to Charleston and is working with Duke Power to bury lines within the city over time. It's an incredibly expensive and long-term process.

I agree on your point about character.  I notice photographers even capturing power lines and poles as essential parts of composition.  They don't destroy a scene for me.  I'll never complain when they're buried, but I can live with them as well.  I glanced north up Main Street from Elmwood today and saw no power lines for what appeared to be about half a mile or so where the street curves.  My main hope for Assembly if the power lines aren't buried is that the trees they plant won't grow into the lines and get butchered by SCE&G.     

I agree on your point about character.  I notice photographers even capturing power lines and poles as essential parts of composition.  They don't destroy a scene for me.  I'll never complain when they're buried, but I can live with them as well.  There are, of course, some areas where at this point they would be unacceptable, like on Main Street and in the heart of the Vista.  

 

I glanced north up Main Street from Elmwood today and saw no power lines for what appeared to be about half a mile or so where the street curves.  My main hope for Assembly if the power lines aren't buried is that the trees they plant won't grow into the lines and get butchered by SCE&G.     

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  • 2 months later...

As I was driving through the intersection of Assembly and Pendleton today I saw with my own eyes two men on their knees on the northeast corner feeding a strand of about five power lines into a hole.

Are you sure they were power lines - I have a feeling that it is the watering system for the plants that will be in the median. Why can't anyone from the City respond and let us know - they should have someone supporting this Forum, and responding to our questions and comments, and giving us information. I am keeping my fingers crossed that you are correct about them burying the power lines, but I have my doubts...

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Are you sure they were power lines - I have a feeling that it is the watering system for the plants that will be in the median. Why can't anyone from the City respond and let us know - they should have someone supporting this Forum, and responding to our questions and comments, and giving us information. I am keeping my fingers crossed that you are correct about them burying the power lines, but I have my doubts...

They definitely looked like power lines, but I stopped back by that intersection and I couldn't detect where a hole was.  They weren't in the intersection.  They were on the corner by the government office building complex.  I really don't know.  I will say that there are things sticking up out of the median that don't look water-related, and the two poles that vehicles will definitely smash their mirrors off on if they are removed are still in one of the left turn lanes.

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The power lines on the east side (from Wells Fargo to the Law School) are not getting buried unfortunately.  I still don't get why they couldn't burry them with this project, it is only 3 blocks.  They actually replaced some of the power poles with new ones.  What you saw may have been wiring for the signals.

 

As far as progress, the bulbouts are complete and most of the mast arms have been put up.  They have not done the median in front of Strom yet but are working on drainage for the other planted medians which will have concrete columns (USC style) connected by wrought iron.  I have seen the landscaping plans and unfortunatly there were no palmettos ;(.  There is a new bus shelter in front of the school of Music with a couple more to be build.

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Thank goodness there are no palmettos. They have a time and place, but they are over used IMO. They don't provide shade.

what! i was hopeing they do put palmettos down the middle of assembly. i love that beach feeling that miami blvd with all the traffic and shops and cars and running down.

 

i think Palmettos  and Bermuda palms would fit perfect down the Assembly

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Palmetto trees are best used for accent.  Shade trees would be best for the median, especially flanking the landings at the intersections.  I've seen palmettos done as the main attraction to line streets, even in shopping districts, and to me it's a missed opportunity to provide dense shade for pedestrians.  Plus, palmetto tree after palmetto tree gets monotonous.  And to me, beachy scenes in Columbia don't fit.

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