Business Alliance Takes First Steps

Larry Norton see progress in the Broad River Road area. 

Norton, who has owned Norton Stereo on Broad River Road for 25 years, said the Broad River Road Corridor Alliance will bring more progress to the area. 

The group of business owners and community members met at Remington College Thursday morning to establish bylaws and committees. 

"We're getting more and more done," said Norton, president of the alliance. "It's obvious that we're starting to progress."

The alliance formed as part of the Broad River Road Corridor and Community Master Plan, an effort of Richland County and the Central Midlands Council of Governments to improve Broad River Road and the surrounding areas. 

Tiaa Rutherford, neighborhood planner for Richland County, said the goal for each person was to bring five new business owners to the next meeting.

The next steps are for the alliance to make small steps toward the implementation of the master plan, Rutherford said. Members of the organization also must decide whether the alliance should operate as a non-profit or a corporation, she said. 

Deputy Steven Tapler with the Richland County Sheriff Department's Community Action Team was also at the meeting. He told members that crime at businesses in the area decreased. The major problem now is shoplifting, he said. 

He also told the members of the alliance to call him with any concerns about crime in the area. If business owners are concerned about safety, the sheriff's department can send someone to give presentations on safety issues, Tapler said. 

Norton said it's important for the sheriff's department to be involved. 

"It's always good to see those guys interested in what's going on in the community," Norton said. 

Norton said the decline in the area is just a reflection of the economic situation of the country as a whole. With the help of Rutherford and the sheriff's department, Norton said he thinks the area will turn around.

"Up until the last year or so the area really started to go down," he said. "I think this area is really going to rejuvenate."  

The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 16 at Remington College. For more information, contact Tiaa Rutherford at rutherfordt@rcgov.us.