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City continues storm-debris cleanup; Juneteenth and Pride events to proceed as Spring Fling is rethought
Summary
City staff told council they are still addressing storm-related debris and green-waste backlogs and urged residents to report remaining needs. The city confirmed it will support Juneteenth and Pride activities this year while re-evaluating the large Spring Fling festival to make future events more community driven and less disruptive to downtown
City staff updated the council on continued storm-debris and green-waste collection and said the city will support Juneteenth and Pride celebrations this year while rethinking the long-running Spring Fling festival.
The staff update followed the annual financial report discussion. Story, a city staff member giving the operations update, told the council crews are still working through debris collection and that green-waste schedules were disrupted by the storm. "We are continuing to work on storm debris collection," Story said, adding that the volume of work has required coordination with contractors and with the South Carolina Department of Transportation. He asked residents to report remaining needs so crews can ensure no areas are missed.
On events, City staff said Juneteenth and Pride activities are planned for 2025. Chris, a city staff member, framed a larger review of Spring Fling: the city is reconsidering the festival—s role because it has historically been staff-driven rather than community-driven. "We will absolutely have a number of activities, celebrating Juneteenth, and we'll have a number of activities celebrating pride and many other things, throughout the year," Chris said. He said the city wants future festivals to be "community driven" and less disruptive to downtown businesses, and that staff will pursue events that complement other downtown activity, including ballgames and restaurant visits.
Several council members urged the city to work closely with downtown businesses and local organizers to ensure events support commerce and do not unduly block street access. Council members also referenced prior work on reimagining Spring Fling and suggested pulling from community committees and local arts and musician networks when reshaping future festivals.
No formal council votes were recorded on either the cleanup plans or festival planning during the update; staff characterized these as ongoing implementation and planning efforts.
