With several major infrastructure and downtown projects underway, City Administrator Scott Tanner said his focus after returning to Manning is getting existing work across the finish line before taking on additional major projects.
Tanner returned as city administrator Aug. 11, a little more than a year after leaving the position for Florence County. He previously spent 12 years as Manning’s administrator and oversaw an estimated $40 million to $50 million in water and sewer infrastructure improvements during that tenure.
About six weeks into his return, Tanner said road resurfacing associated with the city’s 107-year-old sewer replacement project is among the most immediate work residents should begin seeing.
The sewer lines have been replaced, and Tanner said the general contractor is expected to begin resurfacing portions of streets that are the city’s responsibility within the next couple of weeks.
Those sections include Rigby Street between Mill and Brooks streets, Brooks Street between Boyce and Sumter streets, Keitt Street between Boundary and Brooks streets, Mill Street from Keitt to Boyce streets and Maple Street.
Other portions of roads affected by the sewer project fall under the South Carolina Department of Transportation and are expected to be resurfaced in the spring.
The condition of roads following the sewer work has generated complaints, and Tanner acknowledged the completed surfaces are not where they need to be.
“Obviously, somebody dropped the ball,” Tanner said, adding that he was not with the city when the work was completed and could not say where responsibility for the problems fell. “They got to make it right.”
Tanner said the general contractor is responsible for correcting the city portions, with SCDOT inspecting the work to ensure it is completed properly. The resurfacing is tied to the same grant used for the original project, although there could be some additional cost because quantities in the original contract apparently were incorrect.
A separate road problem near Weldon Auditorium stems from a stormwater project rather than the sewer replacement work.
Tanner said an independent engineering firm evaluated that project after issues were identified with the completed work. A punch list will be developed, and the contractor will be required to make repairs, including addressing a significant dip in the roadway.
The work could require repaving the entire road. Tanner said if it cannot be completed soon, he would prefer to wait until after the holidays to avoid disrupting Manning’s Christmas activities.
Meanwhile, construction has picked back up at the Church Street Town Centre and Venue, the city’s long-planned downtown park and event space.
Playground equipment is being installed, and work is continuing on the pavilion and other structures. Tanner said he hopes the project can be completed by the end of the year.
The contractor has passed the original deadline and is expected to request an extension. Tanner told council Sept. 18 he would be satisfied with completion by year’s end but believes the city may need to take action if work stretches into 2027.
Another downtown project is moving forward at City Hall, where the city received a $115,000 grant for façade improvements to two city-owned buildings behind the municipal complex.
The exterior work is expected to cost about $190,000, with approximately $75,000 in city funds required. The buildings are eventually expected to become part of an expansion of City Hall.
Design is about 90% complete, and the architect has been asked to move forward with construction documents. The grant money must be drawn down before next summer.
Work is also beginning on a longer-term effort to improve downtown sidewalks.
Manning received a $25,000 Problem Solver Grant from the Municipal Association of South Carolina to hire an engineering consultant to assess downtown sidewalks and develop improvements. The study will look at uneven and deteriorating sidewalks and could also consider additional lighting and streetscape improvements along Mill Street.
The city has requested proposals from three pre-approved engineering firms. Once the study is complete, Manning plans to pursue a larger SCDOT Transportation Alternatives Program grant to help pay for construction.
The Dinkins Street well project remains in its early stages after City Council accepted a $1.62 million Community Development Block Grant earlier this month. The overall project is estimated at about $1.83 million, with the city committing approximately $214,000 toward the required local match.
The planned 660-foot-deep well is expected to primarily serve northwest Manning and produce about 800 gallons of water per minute. Tanner said engineering design and the required environmental study are underway, noting that projects of that size can take about two years to complete.
Looking farther ahead, Tanner identified several additional infrastructure needs, including water work in another area of the city, maintenance on elevated storage tanks and replacement of about 1,000 water meters that still must be read manually each month.
Most of Manning’s other meters can be read electronically as employees drive past them. Tanner said converting the remaining meters is a priority because manually reading them can stretch the process over two or three weeks.
The city is also preparing repair work at Gibbons Street and other municipal parks.
For now, Tanner said the city has to balance future needs with completing and paying for projects already underway.
“My focus now is let’s complete all of these projects we’ve started,” Tanner said. “We need to just complete them.”
Each new project typically requires some level of local matching money, he said.
“The city’s very strong financially,” Tanner said, “but we want to stay that way.”
