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Record of Proceedings

Columbia Health, Social & Environmental Affairs Committee Meeting – May 26, 2026

City Council Standing Committee — Tuesday, May 26, 2026
BodyColumbia, South Carolina
SessionCity Council Standing Committee
DateTuesday, May 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 37:08

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:00

Down.

Unassigned speaker

0:00

Mr.

Unassigned speaker

0:01

Johnson.

Unassigned speaker

0:02

President.

Unassigned speaker

0:07

Of

Speaker 1

0:07

course, the things uh approving our meetings from our April 28th, 2026 meeting.

0:13

So move.

0:16

All in favor?

0:18

Yes.

Unassigned speaker

0:20

Thank you.

Speaker 1

0:23

And we will move on to our first presentation from the illustrious climate.

0:33

Good morning.

0:33

Mr.

0:34

Bailey.

Speaker 2

0:35

Mr.

0:36

McDowell.

Unassigned speaker

0:37

Mr.

Speaker 1

0:37

Johnson.

Unassigned speaker

0:42

I think

Speaker 1

0:42

it might just

Unassigned speaker

0:43

be

Speaker 1

1:09

in here shortly.

1:11

But certainly I would encourage folks who have questions.

1:16

We did hear before we get started.

1:19

I would also love to add that we heard maybe two meetings, health uh environment and social committee meetings ago.

1:30

It certainly was a lot of no pun intended cross-pollination.

Speaker 3

1:40

He's been waiting for weeks.

1:43

I

Speaker 4

1:44

just had someone beat you to that, but

Speaker 1

1:46

we still like it.

1:51

That's from a triple OG.

1:56

I was gonna say that.

1:57

I would encourage folks who may be viewing who have an interest in getting involved to let Mayor Pat know, let council know.

2:04

We need as many folks, as many hands at the table as possible.

2:08

So with that, I'll turn it over.

2:09

Alright, thanks.

2:10

And

Speaker 4

2:10

thank you for all the meetings you've attended this year.

2:13

So thank you for that.

2:14

Yeah, today I want to go over kind of what we've done in 2025 as well as press.

2:21

How do I?

Speaker 5

2:23

Oh, you know.

Speaker 4

2:25

Okay, cool.

2:25

Yeah.

2:26

So just give an update over what we've done this year, where we're going um over to next year, and also just uh reminding you who we are and as far as uh what we do.

2:36

Uh next slide, please.

2:42

So just as a reminder, we are over we are now 20 years old.

2:46

We were initially formed in 2006.

2:48

Uh, in short, our mission is to uh promote the well-being of the city of Columbia's environment, um, basically giving us a good home to live.

2:58

So uh part of that is also reducing emissions as well.

3:02

And we're doing this through overseeing uh different parts of the implementation of mission-based programs and projects with the city of Columbia.

3:11

Uh go ahead with the next slide.

3:15

Uh to make this all happen, we have two uh broad goals that really oversee how this uh is fulfilled.

3:22

The first one is through uh the ready 4100 resolution that was approved by city council.

3:28

Um and basically by 2026, uh the goal is to have all operations to be powered 100% by renewable energy, and then the second one is going to be to engage the public in climate action, as councilman Johnson said.

3:42

We need an army to make this happen.

3:44

So uh the engagement and getting people excited about it and involved is uh very much a top priority

Unassigned speaker

3:51

of

Speaker 4

3:51

ours.

3:51

Go ahead to the next slide.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Environmental Protection████████████████████████████████████████40%
Water And Wastewater Management████████████████████████24%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Technology and Innovation████████8%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Public Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Columbia Health, Social & Environmental Affairs Committee Meeting – May 26, 2026

The Columbia Health, Social and Environmental Affairs Committee met Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at City Hall's Mayor's Conference Room in Columbia, SC. Chair Sam P. Johnson called the meeting to order at 11:05 a.m.; Tyler D. Bailey was present and Edward H. McDowell Jr. was absent. The committee received three presentations — an update from the Climate Protection Action Committee, the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program stormwater mitigation opportunity, and the Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant solar project — and adjourned at 11:43 a.m.

Approval of Minutes

  • On a motion by Tyler D. Bailey, seconded by Sam P. Johnson, the committee voted unanimously to approve the April 28, 2026 committee meeting minutes.

Climate Protection Action Committee (CPAC) Update

  • Cameron Cohran, CPAC chair, reviewed the committee's mission and goals, including achieving 100% renewable energy for City operations by 2036 and increasing public engagement in climate action.
  • He reported ongoing building audits, a transparency dashboard ready for deployment, a 2030 benchmark of 50 MW of clean energy, Canal Hydro Plant renovations, and a planned solar farm near the wastewater treatment plant.
  • Public engagement achievements included Columbia's 2025 Bee City designation, a 13% increase in monthly newsletter viewership over 12 months to 900 readers, 200 climate action pledges collected at the Earth Day 2026 Climate Action Fair, a new Smart Growth Subcommittee, and quarterly environmental roundtables drawing about 20 participants each.
  • Bob Petrilus described CPAC's subgroup structure, which allows non-appointed experts to participate. He expressed hope that the City will continue implementing Smart Growth principles, including walkable communities, quality-of-life-focused development, and improved communication across City departments. He announced the next CPAC meeting is June 5, 2026.
  • There was discussion about CPAC providing an update to City Council, pending bylaw changes, and new appointments.
  • Note: The chair initially said the next environmental roundtable would be in August; Bob Petrilus later said the next environmental roundtable is October 16, skipping the summer.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program – Stormwater Mitigation Project

  • Dana Higgins, P.E., Director of Engineering, updated the committee on the Saluda Bypass and Maxcy Gregg stormwater project intended to reduce flooding in Five Points.
  • The City applied for $45 million through the Hurricane Helene Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) with a $15 million match and was awarded $19 million. Staff is evaluating how to address the remaining funding gap.
  • The project includes two conveyance branches redirecting stormwater from Martin Luther King Jr. Park, Santee Avenue, and Blossom Street. Dana Higgins stated the conveyance portion is $50.8 million and downstream Maxcy Gregg Park work is $7.7 million, for a total of $58.5 million; the adopted minutes list the project's total cost as approximately $50.8 million.
  • The improvements are projected to reduce the current 38-acre inundation area from a 10-year storm by about 55%. Downstream work in Maxcy Gregg Park includes stream realignment, channel widening, and a flood bench, with continued efforts to protect the site's grand trees.
  • Clint Shealy explained that the minutes attribute the initial grant outreach to Charleston County Emergency Management, while the transcript refers to SCEMD (South Carolina Emergency Management Division). The opportunity arose during uncertainty about the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant, making the additional $19 million an unexpected benefit. He said neither the conveyance system nor the Maxcy Gregg Park improvements works alone.
  • Staff is coordinating with Parks and Recreation on park enhancements and working with the rate consultant to evaluate stormwater fund health and rate adequacy for a potential next bond issuance.

Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant Solar Project

  • Clint Shealy reported the Regional Solar Farm at the Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant is now feasible because of new grants and regional partnerships. Partners include Richland Public Service District, City of Cayce, Richland County, and other wastewater providers.
  • The preliminary site plan proposes a canopy-type solar array on vacant, low-lying land with high visibility from I-77, sized around 1.5–1.6 MW AC / 2 MW DC and expandable.
  • A contract is planned for the June 9, 2026 City Council meeting agenda so the City can spend 5% of project costs before July 1 and secure approximately $3.5 million in Inflation Reduction Act tax rebates. Combined with a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, the $8–$9 million project's City share would be about $2.1 million.
  • Construction is expected to begin in fall 2026, complete in summer 2027, and connect to the grid by late 2027. A possible bid protest could challenge that timeline and the Inflation Reduction Act rebate opportunity.

Key Outcomes

  • Staff agreed to arrange an update from Eau Claire Cooperative Health at the next meeting, including its new CEO, chief medical officer, and new facility.
  • The committee asked for an update on the energy savings contract and discussed a future Canal Recovery Project status report, potentially at the August meeting.
  • The committee reached consensus to meet in June and not meet in July.

Meeting Transcript

Down. Mr. Johnson. President. Of course, the things uh approving our meetings from our April 28th, 2026 meeting. So move. All in favor? Yes. Thank you. And we will move on to our first presentation from the illustrious climate. Good morning. Mr. Bailey. Mr. McDowell. Mr. Johnson. I think it might just be in here shortly. But certainly I would encourage folks who have questions. We did hear before we get started. I would also love to add that we heard maybe two meetings, health uh environment and social committee meetings ago. It certainly was a lot of no pun intended cross-pollination. He's been waiting for weeks. I just had someone beat you to that, but we still like it. That's from a triple OG. I was gonna say that. I would encourage folks who may be viewing who have an interest in getting involved to let Mayor Pat know, let council know. We need as many folks, as many hands at the table as possible. So with that, I'll turn it over. Alright, thanks. And thank you for all the meetings you've attended this year. So thank you for that. Yeah, today I want to go over kind of what we've done in 2025 as well as press. How do I? Oh, you know. Okay, cool. Yeah. So just give an update over what we've done this year, where we're going um over to next year, and also just uh reminding you who we are and as far as uh what we do. Uh next slide, please. So just as a reminder, we are over we are now 20 years old. We were initially formed in 2006. Uh, in short, our mission is to uh promote the well-being of the city of Columbia's environment, um, basically giving us a good home to live. So uh part of that is also reducing emissions as well.

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