Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
During the meeting of the Madison Rotary Club on Wednesday, July 28, City of Madison Manager Jerome Wyche spoke to the service club about some of the improvements that are around the corner for Madison.
June of this year marked the beginning of Wyche's fourth year at the helm for the city. During that time, there have been significant improvements made in the day-to-day operations of the city. Wyche pointed out that when he came into the job from directing the solid waste and recycling department for the county, morale was at a low point. “There was no sense of belonging or appreciation and perceived theft of city properties was rampant,” said Wyche. “It has taken the better part of two years to pull the employees together to operate in some semblance of a team.”
Some of the improvements made around the City of Madison over the recent years have been road improvements on College Loop, Range St. and E.R. Scott St. Plans are underway for improvements on Horry St. as well. In addition, a massive $15 million project is in the works to upgrade the city's waste water treatment facility, the city's lift stations, the city's potable water systems and a new public works facility. There are several other improvements on the way. In total, $20+ million are planned for the City of Madison over the next few years. One item on the near horizon that will need to be addressed is the condition of the current City Hall building, which Wyche described as a “sick” building. The aging structure has a flat roof and leaking and flood are a constant concern. As a result, mold and mildew have become an issue as well. Wyche told the Rotarians that the city is undergoing a structural assessment of the building. This will help determine if the best course of action would be to either shore up the current City Hall, if possible, or build a new building from the ground up.
The Madison Rotary Club meets each Wednesday at 12 p.m. in the Villa Maria Social Hall of the St. Vincent dePaul Catholic Church, on Orange Ave., across from Beggs Funeral Home, in Madison.