Grooms proposes restructuring management to change culture
COLUMBIA - Greg VanDerwerker is worried about what the extension of the Mark
Clark Expressway could do to Johns Island.
He drove nearly 140 miles from Kiawah Island to testify before the Senate
Transportation subcommittee on Wednesday as its members debated
restructuring the state Department of Transportation.
VanDerwerker's afraid the planned extension will isolate part of Johns
Island, invite unwanted traffic and affect the Gullah culture there. He used
it as an example to question the Transportation Department's decisions on
road projects and his perception of the state's lack of strategic planning
regarding road construction and maintenance.
"On what basis can anyone claim this to be proper prioritization of the
limited highway funds available to South Carolina?" VanDerwerker said.
Like VanDerwerker, many others have urged the senators to write an objective
system for approving road projects into reform legislation. The subcommittee
is one of three legislative groups studying reform after an audit released
in November exposed potential mismanagement in the department.
Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, introduced proposed legislation he drafted
using input from the subcommittee members. The bill includes a requirement
that the department must evaluate projects using specific criteria.
"This proposal does bring meaningful reform to the DOT, and it is not window
dressing," Grooms said. "It is structural reform in the way we handle the
management. That is real change. If it doesn't change the culture within the
DOT, it doesn't do anything."
Grooms said he doesn't expect the proposal to get full support from the
subcommittee, but he wants to move the bill to the Senate floor as soon as
possible.
The legislation as it stands now would get rid of the state Transportation
Commission and establish a seven-member board appointed by the governor with
Senate consent. The board would approve projects and associated budgets, a
statewide plan for a mass transit system and be given the right to approve
and issue highway bonds.
The new department director also would be recommended by the governor with
Senate consent and board approval. Members of board would be reviewed and
recommended by a legislative committee and appointed by the governor.
The Senate subcommittee did not get into particulars about how an objective
selection process would be set but heard testimony from environmental
groups. The groups asked the senators to include requirements that the
Transportation Department maintain the state's roadways before it builds new
ones and hold public hearings on new projects that involve more resident
feedback, among other recommendations.
A House study committee and Senate finance subcommittee are also debating
reform options.
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