If you've found yourself on the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail any time in the past year or so you've probably noticed a lot of work happening just past where the trail intersects with Forest Avenue. The Rail Yard, a seven-acre multi-use park fronting the trail, is starting to take shape, and the latest amenity is a first for South Carolina: the Panthers Play 60 obstacle course. The course—which is something like an NFL Scouting Combine combined with an American Ninja Warrior course—is set for a ribbon cutting on July 25 at 11 a.m., the day before Carolina Panthers Training Camp kicks off in our city. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Partners for Active Living Executive Director, Laura Ringo about the new Play 60 course, what's next for the Rail Yard, and about some planned extensions that will take the MBF Rail Trail all the way to Spartanburg's Northside. Listen below for more.

Panthers Play 60 course to open along Rail Trail, July 25

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Community Health Awareness Day returns to Spartanburg on Saturday, June 1, 2024 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Carver Middle School (467 S. Church St.). This free community event offers an array of services, resources, entertainment, and activities in one convenient location. The event will kick off with a 5k health awareness walk at 7:45 AM with warm-up exercises. From 8:00 to 11:00 AM, attendees can participate in various health screenings, education sessions, listen to engaging speakers, enjoy line dancing, and access over 55 community resource vendors. There will also be activities designed specifically for kids and seniors. The event is a collaborative effort involving key community partners such as Live Healthy Spartanburg, the Greater Spartanburg Divine Nine, ReGenesis Healthcare, the City of Spartanburg, and the United Way of the Piedmont. Today on the podcast, we're talking with JaLisa Jordan, Program Manager at Live Healthy Spartanburg, and ReGenesis Healthcare Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jami Cokley about what participants can expect at this year's Community Health Awareness Day.

Community Health Awareness Day at Carver Middle School, June 1

As part of ongoing efforts by the City and partnering organizations throughout the Spartanburg community, the Homeless Engagement and Response Team (H.E.A.R.T) program was launched in partnership with the United Way of the Piedmont in 2022 to provide direct outreach to people experiencing homelessness in Spartanburg and to assist in connecting those residents with available service providers.  Responding to the ongoing challenges related to homelessness in our community and recognizing the increasing need for direct assistance for unsheltered residents, the H.E.A.R.T. provides a direct point-of-contact between those in need and the services that can make a difference in their lives. Today on the podcast, we're talking with members of the H.E.A.R.T. program and the leaders who coordinate their efforts.

H.E.A.R.T program addresses needs of those experiencing homelessness in Spartanburg

Back in 2020, the City was fortunate to receive a Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Grant from the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The purpose of these funds is to remediate lead-based paint hazards and reduce other health hazards in the homes of families with children under the age of six and to safely improve the housing stock of older homes in the City of Spartanburg. Over the last four years, the program has turned out to be a great success story, creating a new pathway for improving the lives and health of vulnerable residents while also improving the city's existing housing stock. To date, 38 homes have either completed the program or are currently in the process of doing so. Today on the podcast, we're talking with the program's manager, David Maher about the program and the work the City's team is doing to create safer home environments for residents throughout our city. Listen below for more, and follow this link to learn more about how your home could potentially qualify for assistance with lead-based paint hazards.

City lead-based paint remediation program tackles dangerous health concerns in 38 Spartanburg homes

With a redesign plan for Morgan Square poised to be taken up by City Council in the coming months, one question many may have is how the space can attract more visitors on a regular basis. Long a focal point for some of Downtown Spartanburg's most successful large events, the City's focus now turns to ways to increase Morgan Square's use as a daily communal gathering spot for less structured, smaller scale activity. In other words, what can the City do to ensure that the new Morgan Square is more than just a pretty space? Today on the podcast, we're talking with Dan Biederman of Biederman Redevelopment Ventures (BRV) about exactly that. Working concurrently with the process that created Morgan Square's new design, the team at BRV recently completed a programing plan for the space focused on establishing a daily hum of activity and ensuring that Spartanburg's most prominent public space can reach its full potential, connecting residents and visitors with the square more routinely and boosting foot traffic for the entire downtown footprint. A renowned expert on programming public spaces, Dan Biederman’s work includes the dramatic turnaround of Bryant Park in New York, which in the 70s and 80s was the city's most dangerous park. Today, Bryant Park is an international model of urban revitalization and is among the most actively used parks in the world. Thanks to the work of BRV, the model pioneered there has since become a template for creating successful programming models for public spaces throughout the country.

Discussing a programming approach for Morgan Square with Dan Biederman of BRV

First opening its doors in April of 1961, Spartanburg City Hall will soon be no more, making way for the construction of a new joint municipal government facility to be shared by the City of Spartanburg and Spartanburg County. As the City says its final farewells to the current City Hall—likely the last building to ever carry the name—Dr. Phillip Stone, Archivist at Wofford College and Brad Steinecke, Assistant Director of Local History at Spartanburg County Public Libraries join us to discuss the history of that building and the various facilities the City of Spartanburg has used to do the local public's business over the years.

Panthers Play 60 course to open along Rail Trail, July 25

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