Spartanburg City News

It might just be the coolest thing to ever come completely out of left field in Downtown Spartanburg's history. Yes, the rumors (and the slightly incorrect piece in the local newspaper) are true. Thanks to the generosity of a private donor, for 12 days starting August 14, a 90 ft. ferris wheel named WOLI (Wheel of Lights and Illuminations) will dominate the Morgan Square skyline from its position along Spring Street in front of the clock tower ().   Standing 20 feet taller than the clock tower, and festooned with enough lights to throw off an owl's circadian rhythm, WOLI spends most of the year at some of the nation's biggest outdoor festivals, including a stint at Bonnaroo earlier this summer. In our humble opinion, there's no better way to bring a little of that festival spirit to Spartanburg as summer winds down. Want the full details? Listen to the podcast below, and get ready to be taken to new heights in Downtown Spartanburg!

As another July gets ready to pass by in Spartanburg, and another August is set to plow into us with all its usual brow-wiping, humidity-cursing charm, it's important to remember that autumn isn't as far away as it may seem.  To help you get in that sweater weather spirit, the City's dynamic podcasting duo wholeheartedly recommends a trip to Wofford College's  to visit the Carolina Panthers Training Camp. Practices run nearly every day until August 13 (), and are free and open to the public. Need a little more convincing? Listen to the podcast.

Back in February when we first sat down with Kate McCarthy, Program Director for The Iron Yard in the Spartanburg, renovation had just started on their future space beside Hub Bub's Showroom in the Grain District. Even then, the idea of a business accelerator and coworking space in Downtown Spartanburg was enough to make local boosters like us giddy at the potential. Fast-forward a few months, and we're not talking about potential anymore. Last week, The Iron Yard welcomed its first class of ten tech startups, all focused in the healthcare industry. We sit down with Kate to get her take on the potential impact these businesses could have beyond their three-month stay in the Grain District, along the way learning useful alliterative phrases like "surfaces of serendipity."  Afterward we take a few minutes to talk with Max Gillespie, Jim Ness, and Mike Roberts of MyDocTime, one of the startups taking part in this year's accelerator program.

 Sunday afternoon generally isn't the busiest time in Downtown Spartanburg. Sure you can grab a little lunch, take a little walk, and enjoy the sunshine (assuming we still get sunshine in the afternoon anymore). But what if you wanted a little more? What if you'd like to hear a little live music, or maybe take in a few cultural offerings, or what if you're looking to take home a cool piece of local art? Up until now, you might have been out of luck.   The  has plans to change all that. This week on the podcast we sit down with Jennifer Evins, President and CEO of the Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg to talk about "" at the Chapman Cultural Center (). With a Sunday Art Market featuring the work of local artists, live music from local singer-songwriters, and free admission to the center's history and art museums, the question of "what to do on a Sunday in Downtown Spartanburg" just got a great new answer. So give a listen, and be sure to come out this Sunday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. for a little m

Earlier this week,  of options for downtown streetscaping projects that could be undertaken over the next year. Enough funding exists to allow the City to take on one of three possible "big" streetscaping projects (with a couple of the smaller projects possibly in the mix as well) over the next 18 months. Always looking for ways to better engage with our city's residents, yesterday we posted some photos of these streets with a brief explanation of how each streetscaping project would work, and asking you to give your take on which one deserves to move forward first. Today on the podcast, we're hoping to continue that conversation. So give a listen, , and join in on the conversation. 

Impossible to miss on the drive up South Church Street into Downtown, the 13-story  has been a fixture in the Spartanburg skyline since 1950. Now, thanks to a , a building that was originally constructed to provide housing for a post-World War II boom will get another chance to serve the same purpose for a rapidly redeveloping Downtown Spartanburg.   Where does the Schuyler building renovation fit into the big picture? With new businesses opening and new announcements coming seemingly every week at times, how far are we from that "tipping point" Downtown Spartanburg boosters have talked about for so long? Today on the podcast, we sit down with  Executive Director and City Council member Cate Ryba and Hub-Bub Showroom Director Stephen Long to have a little discussion on everyone's favorite topic. Listen and enjoy!

June. Temperatures soar. Vacations are taken. Children roam free and unencumbered by school, books, and teacher's dirty looks.   And of course, no June would be complete without....   Today on the podcast, we break down that most wonkish of all City documents, the fiscal year 2014 budget. You'll learn what fancy terms like property reassessment actually mean, and how that process (which takes place every five years in our state) affects your tax rate. You'll also learn what a property tax millage rate is, and how it's calculated.    Most importantly, if we've done our job with this podcast, you'll learn a little about the budget itself, and about the "why" behind what your City Government does with your tax dollars. If you have any questions regarding the budget, or points you'd like to have clarified, please feel free to contact City Communications Manager Will Rothschild by phone at (864) 596-2491 or by email at .

As many of you have heard, the  earlier this week to continue the transfer payment to the City through 2028.    The agreement, which is expected to be approved by both bodies based on staff recommendation, will:    ° Provide for the transfer of $1.2 million to City Council in FY 2014, $1.1 million in FY 2015, and $1 million in FYs 2016-2018. Starting in FY 2019 and continuing through the end of the agreement in FY 2028, the $1 million transfer payment will be adjusted annually by the , up to a maximum of 4.5 percent over any 2-year period. ° Require new or redeveloped commercial properties located within one mile of the City’s corporate limits and that receive new or expanded water lines to sign an annexation agreement.   Today on the podcast, we sit down with Assistant City Manager Chris Story to get his take on the new agreement. What does all of this mean for you as a city resident? Listen to find out?

Last week,  of our  to a packed house at . The Local Hiker, Haute Mama, and Motte & Sons Bootlegging Co. will all be coming to Downtown Spartanburg later this year. Thanks to their amazing business plans and unique concepts, and no small measure of hard work to win over the judges, each of these great new businesses will be receiving $12,000 in rent assistance for their first year of operation, as well as thousands of dollars of in-kind services from other businesses in the area. Today on the podcast, we sit down with members of the Motte family to talk about the family-owned micro-distillery they plan to bring to Downtown Spartanburg. When will you be able to pick up some delicious libations distilled right in here in our City? Listen to the podcast to find out.

Last week,  of our  to a packed house at . The Local Hiker, Haute Mama, and Motte & Sons Bootlegging Co. will all be coming to Downtown Spartanburg later this year. Thanks to their amazing business plans and unique concepts, and no small measure of hard work to win over the judges, each of these great new businesses will be receiving $12,000 in rent assistance for their first year of operation, as well as thousands of dollars of in-kind services from other businesses in the area.   On this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Sara McLean Riddle, owner of maternity specialty store,  to learn about this great soon-to-be addition to East Main Street. What will Haute Mama offer for expectant mothers in Spartanburg that the big boxes just can't match? Listen to the podcast to find out.

In case you , the three winners of our  were announced last night to a packed house at . The Local Hiker, Haute Mama, and Motte & Sons Bootlegging Co. will all be coming to Downtown Spartanburg later this year. Thanks to their amazing business plans, and no small measure of hard work to win over the judges, each of these great new businesses will be receiving $12,000 in rent assistance for their first year of operation, as well as thousands of dollars of in-kind services from other businesses in the area. On this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Michael & Kathy Silverman, owners of  to get the skinny on their plans to bring a new specialty hiking and backpacking store to East Main Street. When might you be able to walk inside and buy yourself that new backpack you've been wanting? Listen below and find out.

This week on the podcast, we're talking about what most everybody in Downtown Spartanburg is talking about these days: the . Last week, after our selection committee had whittled down the original pool of nearly 60 applicants,  for this unique competition to bring three new businesses to Main Street. To put it plainly, we (being Spartanburg-boosting dorks) are giddy about the great concepts these potential entrepreneurs have brought to the table, and if there's one disappointment, it's that in the end, there can be only three winners.    And that's where things get even more exciting, with the seven finalists set to make their final pitches to the judges at a public event being held at The Showroom on May 22 at 6:30 p.m., after which the final winners will be announced. Tickets for the "Main Event" are $5 and are on sale now. You can buy them online by , or at The Showroom on the night of the event (). Proceeds from the sale will go to the crowd favorite to be picked at the event.

If you've been staying up to date on Spartanburg city news lately, you've probably heard at least something about the the dispute between Spartanburg Water and the City over the $1.4 million annual dividend payment made by the city resident-owned utility (if not, ). Discussions have continued, and while progress has been made, a resolution to the dispute still hasn't been reached.    Ahead of public forums being held this Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the , and Thursday at 7 p.m. at , we sat down with Assistant City Manager Chris Story to get the latest on this very important issue, and how it affects you. At the forums, City Council members and staff will be on hand to answer questions and hear residents' concerns.   So give a listen to the podcast, and come out to one of the public forums and let your voice be heard.

There are cycling races, and then there's "The Crit." On Friday, May 3 cyclists will race around a half-mile loop of Downtown at speeds fast enough to literally make your head spin as you try to keep up with the action in the .   If you've never seen this exciting event, you've been missing out. This week on the podcast our special guest Anne Piacentino from  joins us to talk a little about what you might've been missing, and to give us the rundown on what else is going on in Spartanburg on the pedal-powered front for May, which is National Bike Month.

New B-Cycle Stations at Wofford and Converse Colleges. Joint agreements allowing the public to use school playgrounds in the City. Spring is here, and the options for getting outside just keep growing. This week on the roundtable with Hub-Bub Executive Director Cate Ryba and Showroom Director Stephen Long, we talk active living in Spartanburg, and look forward to some great events coming up for Bike Month in May. Listen and enjoy!

Unless you're new to Spartanburg, you've most likely, at some point in the past few years or so, heard of an organzation called . But what is Hub-Bub? If you're not "in the know," you might not have any idea, but after today it'll be safe to officially call yourself an expert. On this podcast, we sit down with the organization's Executive Director, Cate Ryba (also member of City Council) and the Hub-Bub Showroom Director, Stephen Long to talk about the organization's history, and its place in the local community.   Along the way we also get the skinny on some of Hub-Bub's great events coming up in the next few weeks, including a  featuring a presentation by a member of our fearless podcasting duo, City Communications Manager Will Rothschild. Listen and Enjoy!

When most people think about tourism, they likely think of pristine beaches or majestic mountainous landscapes, but when  Executive Director Chris Jennings things about tourism, he thinks about sporting events like the Carolina Panthers Training Camp, held annually at Wofford College, and about a historical downtown walking tour for Spartanburg, and about our area's vast agricultural wealth. This week on the podcast, we sit down with Jennings to learn a bit about the huge impact tourism has on our local economy each year, and what the CVB and the City are doing in partnership to make sure that impact keeps growing.

It's been 20 years since first got going down at Denny's Plaza on East Main, and while some things never change, like the great music and family-friendly atmosphere, the location for Spartanburg's favorite after-work social gathering is changing, moving to the heart of downtown at  in the grassy area beside the iconic Downtown Clock tower. Additionally, the start time for the event has been moved back 30 minutes to 5:30 p.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m.    The change bring's Music on Main into the center of the action in Downtown Spartanburg, within easy walking distance of 19 different restaurants and bars, allowing folks who come out for the music to get some great grub afterwards. And with at the Magnolia Street Parking Garage (literally, a 2-minute walk from the new location), getting there couldn't be easier.   Sitting down with us to talk about this year's Music on Main Series, which , is City Special Events Manager Mandy Merck. Along the way, we also talk about some other events going on downtown as Sprin

On parts  and  of our conversation with Council member Linda Dogan, we learned about her history growing up in Spartanburg and about her hopes for the future for our city's Northside. We round things out on this week's episode with a discussion about the history behind the , and the City's plans to build a replacement. Council member Dogan shares her thoughts, and her hopes for this new center destined to serve the residents of the Northside she loves and calls home.

Last week, on  with  Linda Dogan, we learned about her experiences growing up during turbulent times in Spartanburg, and how that shaped a desire within her for social justice, ultimately leading to a life of public service.   On part two of our conversation, we talk with Dogan more about the Northside in a broader sense, focusing on her perspective as City Council's longest-serving member. We learn how her roots, first put down during an era of segregation and divisiveness, have grown into a desire for a more inclusive and just City, and about some of Dogan's hopes for the future of the area she calls home.