Stuart McMillan, president of the Downtown Charleston Business Improvement District (BID), addressed council Oct. 6 to outline planned downtown investments including new lighting, new trash cans and a BID ambassador program.

"What we have on tap for 2025 and going to 2026 is we are gonna be getting new lights... This is a big project. We got a bunch of funding, a lot of federal money. This city council supported this with some funding as well, and we also got some funding from the governor's office," McMillan said, describing plans for lighting on Summer Street from Virginia to Washington Street.

McMillan also said the BID will procure new trash cans to replace existing units that "lack functionality," and introduced BID ambassador Sid Gilles as a street-level liaison between business owners and city services. He credited Susie Salisbury and an alliance that secures grants for the BID's work and invited council members to a stakeholder meeting on Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. at the Kanawha Valley Foundation to review lighting plans.

The remarks were delivered during public comment. The BID's presentation identified a mix of federal, state and local support for the downtown projects; council members and staff did not take a formal vote on the remarks, but the BID requested continued council support for planned improvements.