Town Council Envisions the Future

It may just be a "baby step" on the way to transforming Lexington into the town it can be, but members of the Town Council and key staff and department heads are sitting down this week and trying to chart a path for the town's future.

Meeting in the bucolic confines of Buck Ridge Plantation near Orangeburg, Council and staff spent a good deal of Monday (and will spend a portion of Tuesday) coming up with a basic "vision plan" for Lexington.

"We've never done a vision plan; this isn't a strategic plan," said Mayor Randy Halfacre. "A vision plan looks way into the future. To get to the future, you've got to take baby steps. This is kind of a baby step to get to the long-range future."

Halfacre was quick to stress that the vision plan that arises from the two days of meetings is not written in stone and is not guaranteed. Fulfilling the vision, he cautioned, will take time, and money, and support from the county, town residents, the business community, and others in order to bear fruit.

That said, the goals of the vision plan are taking shape nonetheless. They include:

• Improving traffic flow and easing congestion
• Creating a vibrant Main Street
• Supporting and encouraging the town's presence on Lake Murray
• Preserving and celebrating the origins of Lexington
• Improving pedestrian and bike access and connectivity
• Retaining Lexington's small-town character amid growth
• Meeting the social and recreational needs of residents
• Respecting the unique rural character of Lexington
• Creating "front porches" -- areas of beautification along the major corridors leading into the town

Some of these issues, such as traffic flow, are pressing now, but depend largely on the cooperation of other entities. In the case of traffic abatement, major improvements are already planned, but are being held up by the S.C. Department of Transportation. 

Other issues, such as creating a town presence where Lake Murray and the town limits coincide, will take cooperation between the town, the county, and SCANA, Council members said.

Halfacre, however, believes that some things can be done fairly quickly with a little cooperation. At the top of that list is revitalizing downtown and making Main Street a destination, rather than just a thoroughfare.

Council members said they would like to add another major community event downtown, likely coinciding with the Christmas season or else sometime during the winter. Halfacre and other Council members also believe that the new park under construction at the corner of Main Street and South Lake Drive, along with Virginia Hylton park and the Old Courthouse, provide a wealth of opportunities to liven up a moribund downtown.

The new park, which Council members hope to christen as "Lexington Square" would be an ideal spot not only for hanging out, but also for events and concerts once it is completed this summer. And, they said, the majestic courtroom inside the Old Courthouse, would serve as ideal spot for a downtown performing arts space -- and Council set a goal of inaugurating a concert there by Christmas if it can get permission.

Further, recent and planned sidewalk improvements and trails in and around downtown should only add to the viability of the town center, said Council member Ted Stambolitis.

"Once the economy rights itself, I think this community is going to explode, so we need to have those building blocks in place," Halfacre said. "The downtown is the heart and soul. If you don't have a vibrant downtown to identify with, and go to, to talk, to gather with and make new friends, you kind of lose your heart and soul…. Here, we want this to be an experience, that people can come down to shop, or eat, or see a play. Whatever. All that happens on Main Street. All that happens downtown."