Council Moves Forward on New Town Hall

The Town of Mount Pleasant is moving forward with plans for a new $23 million town hall, among other capital improvement projects that could be funded through a tax-increment financing district.

At its yearly retreat, town councilmen signaled support for the new town hall, along with a slate of other projects.

Here's what's being considered:

• Coleman Blvd. revitalization, Phase I
• Town Hall
• Memorial Waterfront Park, Phase II
• Shem Creek Park, Phase II
• Coleman Blvd. Utility Underground
• Ben Sawyer Blvd. Improvements

The projects carry a total cost of $55 million, and the town likely won't be able to fund all those projects before the special tax-increment financing source expires in 2014. The council didn't rank the projects, but councilmen appeared to most support $10.2 million in enhancements to Coleman Blvd.

At Tuesday's retreat, councilmen also heard dim news about other capital improvement projects, which are not eligible for the TIF funds. The town has more than $160 million in capital needs, such as wastewater, road and other building projects, that are underfunded by more than $110 million.

There's no deadline for those capital improvement projects to be completed, so the town has the ability to spread the costs over years. Currently Mount Pleasant has a solid cash position with more than $20 million in reserve.

The council didn't rank the capital improvement projects. They will likely make funding decisions during it's next budgeting process.