Water pressure has been a predominant issue in the debate about why construction of the James E. Clyburn Transportation Center at South Carolina State University hasn’t begun.

S.C. State and Department of Public Utility officials did engage in talks to build a water tower to settle the matter. The problem is, there is a hefty $4.4 million price tag, according to S.C. State Senior Vice President John Smalls.

“We don’t $4.4 million,” he said.

Smalls believes the university has found another way to solve the problem by tapping into the city of Orangeburg’s existing water lines. Smalls said that would generate enough water pressure to satisfy state fire safety regulations for the Clyburn Center, which has been in construction limbo for the last decade.

“It’s a major revelation,” Smalls said.

However, DPU Manager Fred Boatwright said, “I know nothing about this.”

Boatwright said “everybody’s confused” because so many entities are involved with the project.

“Nobody knows what everybody is doing,” he said. “Nobody tells me what is going on.”

Agencies involved with the project include: S.C. State, the State Office of Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, the state Department of Transportation and the city of Orangeburg.

Boatwright did say there is a water booster pump station on Ellis Avenue that S.C. State could tap. It would provide sufficient water pressure. But he said a water tower still would be needed.

Smalls said there is a water line near Robert E. Howard Middle School that S.C. State also could use. Boatwright said that wouldn’t provide near enough water pressure to meet state regulations.

Both men say the water tower would benefit S.C. State and the city.

Smalls said DPU’s monopoly of the city water supply once left the university with no options but to build a water tower.

“These are the people that supply the water to S.C. State. They have a monopoly. We have nowhere else to get water from,” Smalls said.

That’s until Smalls said the possibility of tapping into existing water lines was discovered by the university.

Smalls say university officials previously may not have asked the right questions to DPU officials to gain that knowledge. The university has hired the engineering firm Wilbur Smith and Associates to do a feasibility study on tapping the lines, Small said.

He said the university has also completed the first phase of a traffic study that is mandated by the Federal Highway Administration. The first phase dealt with how traffic flow from the Clyburn Center would affect the building itself.

The final phase of the study will outline how traffic is impacted campus-wide.

Small said the university has $26 million to move forward with the first of three phases to build the Clyburn Center. Columbia-based Construction Dynamics Inc. has been named the construction management firm for the project.

Smalls would not commit to a timetable for construction to begin, saying there are still hurdles to overcome.

However, Smalls said he is hopeful. “All things are coming together,” he said.

The Clyburn Center will house a research center, university offices, archives, executive guest suites and a conference center.

During a Thursday S.C. State board meeting:

* President Dr. George Cooper announced that author Terry McMillan will be the commencement speaker at next month’s graduation ceremony.

She has written such novels as “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” and “Waiting to Exhale.”

* Cooper said the renovation of the university’s pool is complete. He said the pool would be reopened soon.

He also said a bowling alley on campus is nearly finished.

* Cooper and the board discussed a pending agreement between the university and the STATE Club to generate revenue from parking at football games. Under the agreement, the STATE Club would manage tailgating parking while S.C. State would handle campus parking during game days.

* Trustee Maurice Washington said he was recently contacted by Commission of Higher Education board member Cynthia Mosteller. She told Washington the university’s state funding for need-based scholarships has been increased from $700,000 to $1.8 million per year. The increase is to due to a change in the state’s formula for dispersing the money, Washington said.

Board Chairman Lumus Byrd said an ad hoc committee is being formed to revise the board’s bylaws.

* T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by email at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060.

You must be logged in to comment.