6AM City In-house

Repairs on the way ⚒️

$100 million in funding secured for Columbia, SC canal
Columbia Canal busted
Damage from the 2015 can still be seen at the canal in Riverfront Park. | Photo by City of Columbia Water
The City of Columbia Water has secured around $100 million in funding from several sources to repair 60 feet of the Columbia canal, which was damaged in the historic 2015 flood that dropped 20 inches of rain during a five-day period.

Assistant City Manager for Columbia Water Clint Shealy said that Columbia can “unleash the design team” once the environmental review permits are complete.

While work is currently in the permitting stage — which is expected to be complete this month — bidding for the repair process will begin early next year. Expectations are that all repairs will be complete by 2025.

Repairs will come in several steps and include funding from a variety of sources to complete the project. Here’s what Soda Citizens can expect with repairs to the system that serves 200,000 customers from the Columbia Canal treatment plant:

Scope of the work

Step one will be repairing the embankment along the walking trail at the Riverfront Park and behind the SC State Museum.
  • $42 million in funding is provided through FEMA
Step two will be repairing the historic headgates to full operation, and upgrading + returning the hydroelectric plant to operational status.
  • $8 million to repair the headgates will come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Step three is to complete an alternative intake on the Broad River to ensure water supply resilience.
  • $45 million will be required to complete the alternative intake with 75% coming from the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) + 25% coming from ratepayers.
Riverfront Park is one of the Soda City’s most popular destinations known for its picturesque location at the confluence of the Broad and Saluda Rivers and its walking trails. Read more about the history of Columbia’s drinking water.
Use the links below to share this free newsletter with your family and friends who love to stay in the loop with the latest Cola happenings.

Click here to have your event featured.

Today
  • Rolo Tomassi | Tues., Sept. 13 | 6-11 p.m. | New Brookland Tavern, 122 State St. | $18 | English band Rolo Tomassi brings their brand of heavy metal to West Columbia with support from Cryptodira, The Callous Daoboys, and Bathe. 🎶
Wednesday
  • Sewing Machine 101 Workshop | Wed., Sept. 14 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | NoMa Warehouse, 2222 Sumter St. | $40 | Learn the fundamentals of how to set up your machine, how to use all the knobs and buttons, and create an easy-to-make tote bag in the process. 🪡
Thursday
  • Columbia’s 36th Annual Greek Festival | Thurs., Sept. 15-Sun., Sept 18 | 10 a.m.-10 p.m. | 1931 Sumter St. | Free | Enjoy Columbia’s beloved annual Greek Festival. 🇬🇷
  • The Music Man | Thurs., Sept. 15-Sat., Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 18, 3 p.m. | Town Theatre, 1012 Sumter St. | $25 | When a con man tries to swindle an entire town out of its money to start a boys’ band, it leads to an old-fashioned love story. 🎭 *
Friday
  • PARK(ing) Day 2022 | Fri., Sept. 16 | 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | 1600 Main Street Block | Free | PARK(ing) Day is an annual open-source global event where citizens, artists, and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into PARK(ing) spaces – temporary public spaces. 🅿️
Saturday
  • Jubilee: Festival of Black History and Culture | Sat., Sept. 17 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Mann-Simons Site, 1403 Richland St. | Free | This event is a free outdoor festival that brings musicians, artisans, dancers, and storytellers together to celebrate South Carolina’s Black history and culture.
  • Lakeside Litter Sweep Cleanup Event on Lake Murray | Sat., Sept. 17 | 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Murray | Free | Registered volunteers will receive a t-shirt, a sandwich lunch, a thank you gift, and entry for larger prizes from local businesses.
We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*
100+ MORE EVENTS

Healthcare

Prisma Health On Call: Ask primary care providers your healthcare questions
Presented by a COLAtoday Partner
primary care prisma health doctor talking to a patient
Prisma Health primary care providers are here to answer the healthcare questions that matter most to *you*. | Photo provided by Prisma Health
It’s easy to see how primary care providers put the “primary” in care. From being the first point of contact to treating common illnesses to directing preventive health strategies, the physicians who are at the frontlines of your health frequently provide much of the medical care needed by you and your family.

In this month’s installment of Prisma Health On Call, we’re connecting readers to Prisma Health primary care providers who are here, on call, ready to answer your healthcare questions. From the most detailed to the most broad questions, this is your chance to tap into the expertise of the providers who answer these questions everyday.

Think:
❓ I’m young and healthy, why do I need a primary care provider?
❓ What can I do to heal from a cold faster?
❓ Why is it harder for women to lose weight?
❓ Is it safe to take any supplement sold on drugstore shelves?
❓ How do I know which colon cancer screening is right for me?

What are your healthcare questions? Submit your questions below, and we’ll share the physicians’ answers in the next few weeks.*

What healthcare questions do you have for Prisma Health primary care providers?

ASK THE EXPERTS

Weather
  • 87º | Partly cloudy | 6% chance of rain
Coming Soon
  • A new Take 5 Oil Change is anticipated to open on Mon., Sept. 19 at 1846 S. Lake Dr. in the Red Bank area of Lexington County. The ground-up building from Cypress Development includes a 1,500 sqft building with three drive-in bays, and six overhead doors. 🧰
Ranked
  • No. 1. That’s where UofSC’s international business program ranks according to U.S. News & World Report. This is the 24th consecutive year that the program has been ranked as the top international business program and the fourth year in a row that the University is ranked No. 1 for first-year experience. 🔝
  • No. 5. That’s the ranking Bob Jones University earned on U.S. News & World Report’s recent list of “Best Value Regional University in the South.” It also debuted at at No. 8 in the “Least Debt among Regional Universities in the South” category, making it the only university in the Carolinas within that category’s top 10. Congrats, Bruins. *
Biz
  • Great Southern Homes, a Columbia-based homebuilder that is one of the largest in the Southeast, has agreed to expand operations nationwide and become a publicly traded company. Great Southern will merge with Diamondhead Holdings Corp. and will become United Homes Group once the deal is finalized. 🏠 (The Post and Courier)
Concert
  • The Koger Center for the Arts free outdoor performance series begins Thurs., Sept. 15 on the plaza stage with jazz faculty performing a tribute to Aretha Franklin. The concert will begin at 6 p.m. following a talk at 5 p.m. by associate dean Birgitta Johnson. 🎺
Plan Ahead
  • The SC Green Industry Association will hold its 19th annual Fall Field Day on Wed., Sept. 21 at Modern Turf, 5740 Peach Orchard Rd. in Dalzell. The event for Midlands landscape professionals features educational presentations, hands-on courses, and networking opportunities with exhibitors. Registration begins on-site at 8 a.m. 🌿
Pets
  • All pet adoptions from Columbia Animal Services are free beginning Fri., Sept. 16 through Mon. the 21. For more information visit Columbia Animal Services at 127 Humane Ln. or reach them via phone at (803) 776-PETS.
Community
  • Goodwill Industries of the Upstate/Midlands and the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs signed a Memorandum of Understanding to join the Combined Arms initiative. Combined Arms creates a network for organizations to more easily identify and make available services for Veterans and their families.
Regional
  • Enoree River Winery, located in Newberry, kicked off its “Unpack the Porch” series last week running through Nov. 20. The free music series features 12 weeks of afternoon concerts and the chance to try its variety of wines.
Giveaway
  • Enter to win our “$1K Staycation Giveaway” in partnership with AllSouth Federal Credit Union, which will give one lucky winner the makings to play tourist for a weekend here in Cola with their choice of hotel stay, entertainment, good eats + more (total giveaway value: $1,000). Enter now through Fri., Sept. 16 over on our Instagram. 🎉 *
Home
  • Whether it’s upkeep, upgrades, or additions, home expenses are inevitably going to come up. Explore short term financing options (think: home equity loans or HELOCs) with rates as low as 4.75% APR. 🏡 *
Real Estate
  • Local commercial real estate firm Wilson Kibler is growing and on the move. The company is moving its Columbia office in mid-Sept. to the second floor of 1545 Sumter St. (one block from Main St.). Optus Bank’s drive through + branch will remain on the ground level. Bonus: The ±2,600-sqft lower level retail or office space is available for lease.*
Learn
  • Want to be the Soda Citizen at the dinner party who always knows what’s going on in the world? This newsletter compiles the day’s most important + most interesting stories (condensed to 90-second reads) and delivers it straight to your inbox to make you the smartest person at the party. Cheers. 🥂 *

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Zicke zacke, zicke zacke, hoi hoi hoi 🇩🇪

Oktoberfest events in Columbia, SC
Steel Hands Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest returns to Steel Hands Brewery in Cayce, SC with a new Festbier on tap. | Photo by Steel Hands Brewery
Oktoberfest begins Sat., Sept. 17 and if you can’t travel to Munich, Germany to the home of the festival, you’re in luck, several local breweries and bars are hosting events celebrating the annual fest of beer and Bavarian culture.
THE WRAP
Today’s issue was written by David.

Editor’s pick: In my mind, the annual Greek Festival is synonymous with the beginning of fall. Every morning I check the 10-day forecast to see if there are in 70-degree days on the horizon. We’re not quite there yet, but the evenings for the Greek Fest this week look like they’ll be cool enough to enjoy a hot Gyro.

Missed Friday’s newsletter? Stay in tune with Cola by joining these online communities.
Read More
Connect with us.

Editorial: Samantha Robertson, David Stringer, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Kaylee Holland, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea| Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Lindsey Rhinesmith| Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

ADVERTISE | SHOP | CAREERS | ETHICS

Did a friend forward this free newsletter to you?
SUBSCRIBE

Content marked with an * is paid advertising. Content marked with an ^ is created by our content studio. The company may also generate commission from affiliate links in the newsletter.

Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.

Copyright © 2023 6AM City Inc, All rights reserved.

P.O. Box 2505, Greenville, SC 29602

ADVERTISE | CAREERS | ETHICS | PRIVACY | THE BUY