The City of West Columbia is on a roll.

“The amount of activity in our city is phenomenal,” said West Columbia Mayor Bobby Horton. “In order for so much to be done, a large amount of multi-tasking is required by our staff at city hall. They think outside-the-box. They are a talented and an experienced bunch. Everybody works together and with the best interests of the city in mind.”

And there are many examples of the activity.

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. next Tuesday for West Columbia’s enabling park that is being designed for children of all abilities.

The new park is at 212 Hudson Street, adjacent to the West Columbia Riverwalk. The park is partially funded by a Connected Communities grant from the Central Carolina Community Foundation via the West Columbia Beautification Foundation. Also, State Sen. Nikki Setzler and Rep. Micah Caskey presented the City of West Columbia with a $250,000 to help build the park. Construction of the park is scheduled to be completed in March.

The city is also sponsoring the fall Back Fest. It’s from 6 p.m.-to-9 p.m. Nov. 2, in the 100 block of State Street. It features live mural art and live music by Rian Adkinson.

There are other opportunities for live music in West Columbia, too.

The Rhythm on the River free concert series drew its largest crowd ever, on Oct. 7. The City of West Columbia is a sponsor, with the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce. The city provides a shuttle service for the free Riverwalk concert, using Hospitality Funds. The last in the fall concert series is Friday at 6 p.,m. and features Ashes of Old Ways with Emma Kate McLain.

To iron out the details of the many projects in West Columbia, a concerted effort is required by city planners on staff, and elected officials.

West Columbia Councilman Tem Miles represents much of The River District, where the enabling park will be.

“The staff at city hall is doing a tremendous job of balancing and managing the day-to-day operations of the city, and working on the long term plans,” said Miles.

He also said the projects that are coming to fruition now are the result of three or four years of planning. Miles said he appreciates all of the hard work the city staff puts in.

The enabling park is just one of two parks being initiated by West Columbia’s City Hall. Tara Greenwood, Director of Grants and Special Projects, said at Tuesday’s city council meeting that artists are being vetted for the city’s proposed interactive art park, in The River District. The park will contain eight works of art created by local artists.

The park is billed as a one-of-a-kind park that will feature musical events, art displays, artists booths and a farmer’s market. In the area of the park, there will be parking space for patrons of the area’s restaurants and users of Riverwalk. The park is being planned for Meeting Street, behind Terra’s restaurant, which fronts State Street.

While the parks are being constructed for public use, the Brookland residential, office and retail development at State and Meeting streets is a landmark commercial project in one of the most distinct sections of West Columbia. Residents have already moved in to unit one of the complex. The multi-million dollar facility also comes with 125 public parking spaces.

“Brookland is changing the face of West Columbia,” said Horton. “It will be a hub of activity and I think it will certainly lead to more investment in West Columbia.”

Another high-profile deal that the city has been involved in, is the commercial use of the old Brookland Fire Station/City Hall property at 430 Center Street.

Savage Craft Ale Works will develop the 1925 property as a brewery. It’s just another part of the effort to revitalize the River District. The goal is to draw activity to create a vibrant outdoor community space for visitors and residents.

The first floor of the city hall building, about 1,600-sq.-ft, will contain the tap room. The second floor will be a private dining and meeting space. There will also be a stairway to a rooftop gathering spot.

In addition to the old city hall and jail, a building of about 2,000-sq-ft. – for a restaurant and catering service – will be included in the complex. It will be on the Meeting Street side of the property and extend, via walkway, to a public area (art park) on Meeting Street.

It is an exciting time for the growth of West Columbia. Miles said if the city keeps adding projects, it will have to change its motto to: “West Columbia – We got it going on.”