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Channing Robinson is South Pointe’s record-holding high jumper.

Robinson cleared six feet, nine inches at a March 10 meet involving the Stallions, Lancaster, Indian Land and Chester.

His jump eclipsed the six feet, eight inches cleared in 2015 by Khalil Jackson.

Robinson, a 5-foot-8 senior said he’s surprised to have the record, but he’s proud of his achievement.

“It felt very good,” Robinson said. “I didn’t expect me to be able to have that record because I’m like 5’7, 5’8, so it felt good.”

When Robinson broke the record, it was a big moment for him and his family. Channing’s father, Demorrious, has helped Channing with jumping since eighth-grade. Demorrius started coaching South Pointe’s high jumpers this season.

He was the first person to greet Channing when he walked off the mat after setting the record.

“The particular day that he broke the record, I got a call earlier that day where the head coach was like, ‘Hey, I need you to run high jump,’” Demorrious said. “It was cool because he broke the record the day I was actually on the track with him. We were able to give each other a fist bump at that moment after he reached that achievement.

“That would probably be one of my greatest moments in life, just being able to share that moment with him because it was so special to him.”

Channing isn’t just a track athlete.

He’s also a member of South Pointe’s football team, where he plays wide receiver and defensive back. Those around him thought football would be his main focus.

“I never knew he would have the ability to jump so high,” Channing’s mother Kendra said. “He always carried a football in his hand when he was little. I never knew anything about track.

“I never ran track. He played football. He played basketball. His dad was a standout basketball star at Northwestern back in the 90s, so I thought he would pick up those type of traits. But he didn’t. Track is his thing and I’m so happy for him.”

Channing isn’t content with just having the record.

He wants to reach a personal best of seven feet high before the season is over. He’s approaching that the same as his most recent record.

“It was a lot of hard work and dedication,” he said. “Believing, really, more than anything. Telling myself ‘I can do it.’ Having support from my dad, my mom, brother and sister. Everybody just pushed me. Staying on top of me. Coaches as well.”

Channing received his first Division I scholarship offer earlier this month, in track, from Coastal Carolina.

This story was originally published April 18, 2023, 12:59 PM.

Rock Hill will get its first chance to make cases for York County roads that need fixing. Starting with two groups that look beyond just Rock Hill.

The Pennies for Progress commission will host its second of at least eight community meetings to collect road input on Wednesday. The commission will gather countywide feedback and county staff budget figures before settling on final road list that, if approved by York County Council, will go to public referendum in fall 2024.

Wednesday’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Rock Hill Operations Center, at 757 S. Anderson Road. The Pennies commission will hear from two of the largest groups involved in area road planning.

The Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation Study handles federal road funding for a planning area that includes all or part of Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Lake Wylie, Indian Land and the Catawba Indian Nation. Catawba Regional Council of Governments aids a four-county area in a variety of development functions, including road planning. Both will offer their lists of York County road needs.

The meeting also will have time for citizens to suggest projects. Anyone can submit ideas for road widening, intersection work, repaving, new road alignments or related topics online, too, at penniesforprogress.net.

The first community meeting came March 15 in Tega Cay. Others are planned in Fort Mill, Lake Wylie, York, Clover and Sharon before a second Rock Hill meeting in September. Government centers, community centers and a school auditorium will host events that allow public councils and planning departments to participate, but also any citizen who chooses. Additional meetings may be scheduled.

The next vote is deemed Pennies 5, the fifth public referendum asking York County voters whether a cent sales tax should be charged and money from it used to fund road work. The first Pennies referendum narrowly passed in 1997. Then, 51% of voters opted for a tax to produce an estimated $99 million in road funding.

In the next three campaigns, Pennies passed with no less than a 73% approval. The third campaign in 2011 garnered a top approval rating of 82% in favor.

Pennies campaigns collect for seven years. Voters must then approved a new referendum, each with its own project list, to continue Pennies. Timelines are established to where a favorable public vote on a Pennies referendum will start collections as soon as the prior period ends.

Two more public commission meetings will come, on May 3 in Lake Wylie and May 17 in Clover. York has its meeting in June, Fort Mill in July and western York County in August. The September 20 meeting in Rock Hill will return to the operations center.

Pennies was the first campaign of its kind in South Carolina. Now, communities statewide fund roads and other infrastructure costs using the same or a similar model.

The first four Pennies programs combine for more than $600 million in money that appeared as estimates on ballots. Early Pennies projects cost more than was budgeted, due to construction cost increases and delays. The county brought Pennies in-house and largely those issues were absent during the most recent campaign.

Money from Pennies also brought in state and other funding to partner on large projects. Since 1997, more than $1 billion has gone into York County road improvements, according to the county.

The citizen commission in charge of creating the road list will present it to York County Council. Council can vote to put it to a referendum vote or not, but can’t change it. So public meetings across York County are the opportunity citizens get to make cases for roads, intersections, sidewalks and other transportation spots of interest.

One local leader hopes future development at the site can bring up to 2,000 jobs to the area.

Crews began the demolition of the failed facility on Friday in Rock Hill.

ROCK HILL, S.C. (WBTV) - We’re just weeks away from the one-year mark from when Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper pulled out of plans to bring a multimillion-dollar practice facility to Rock Hill.

Tepper’s real estate company filed bankruptcy following the squashing of the plans, before the City of Rock Hill took over the site this past December.

Plans for the future of the site means the partially-constructed practice facility will have to be torn down, a process that got underway on Friday.

One day into the demolition process, many are wondering what’s next for the site.

Previous Coverage: Panthers terminating agreement with City of Rock Hill for new facility

Local leaders said they hope a new owner will bring thousands of good-paying jobs to the area.

“The best scenario would be to land a company that can bring in and probably bring us 1,500 to 2,000 jobs on that property,” City Councilman William Roddey said.

Originally, York County estimated demolition would cost up to $10 million, but the city worked out a plan to tear down the complex for a single dollar.

The contractor responsible for tearing down the incomplete facility will be allowed to make a profit from the steel and personal property sold from the site.

“It’ll start to come down, not all of the personal property is out, so the contractor is planning to start on one edge of the structure, he’s got a big crane, he’s just going to pull it down,” Gettys said. “As to the site itself, we’re really moving around quickly, as to what might happen with the site, it’s going to go a little bit more slowly, we’re going to take our time and do something that we’re all comfortable with.”

Whatever becomes of the 245-acre site, Roddey hopes its future brings new jobs to the area. The councilman is against more warehouses in the area and wants to keep people in York County instead of traveling north to Charlotte for work.

He believes commercial options for the space could be used for manufacturing, retail and distribution centers, as well as other businesses.

“We have an opportunity that nobody else has right now in the Charlotte metro region and in the state of South Carolina, and we fully expect that we’re going to get the highest and best use and have something that everybody is proud of,” Gettys said.

According to the City of Rock Hill, it will take approximately six months for the demolition process to be completed.

In that meantime, Roddey is hoping a buyer or developer will purchase the property with plans to bring jobs to the area.

Previous Coverage: Site of Panthers’ failed Rock Hill facility listed for sale

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Mayors and road planners say they want to learn from past projects before settling on final designs for a critical Rock Hill interchange.

They also want to temper public expectations.

The reconfiguration of Exit 82 in York County is a top area priority. It’s long been a choke point and spurred debate a decade ago about another bridge over the Catawba River to alleviate congestion. The South Carolina Department of Transportation is now designing a way to upgrade Exit 82. A final configuration could come later this year.

Traffic will improve where Cherry and Celanese roads hit I-77, experts say. It won’t disappear.

“There’s no silver bullet that’s going to make everything better for everybody,” said Berry Mattox, project manager with SCDOT.

David Hooper, administrator with the Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation Study (RFATS), said the Rock Hill interchange is complex. It’s the only one in the area where two major roads share one interchange, Hooper said.

And modeling actually shows more traffic coming.

“Demand is virtually slated to double in every direction,” Hooper said.

Mattox and other road officials held a public meeting in February to outline some options.

They showed a diverging diamond setup — similar to I-77 and Gold Hill Road between Fort Mill and Tega Cay. Another option, called a contraflow left, would use new lanes to avoid left turns.

Mattox said final design could be either, some combination or something new.

On Friday, Mattox updated the RFATS policy committee. One concern: the need to keep traffic moving while improvements are made.

“Obviously we want to maintain traffic throughout construction,” Mattox said. “We know that people aren’t going to stop going to work when we’re building.”

Other factors that will steer the design decision are loop ramps, how changes affect traffic lights, widening of U.S. 21 in Fort Mill (which becomes Cherry Road in Rock Hill) as part of an interchange upgrade at Exit 85 and the new Exit 81 under construction where the Carolina Panthers headquarters site would’ve been.

On Friday, Mattox said a combination of the two designs presented in February is gaining momentum. The designs could include a diverging diamond at Celanese Road and a modified contraflow look — minus one ramp from what the public saw in February — at Cherry Road. Mattox stressed no final decisions have been made.

“We like where this is heading,” Mattox said of those options.

Fort Mill Mayor Guynn Savage, a policy committee member, cautioned her counterparts in Rock Hill to look closely and critically at the diverging diamond option before committing to it.

“What data do you have to support that it works?” Savage said, referencing the first-in-the-state diverging diamond at Gold Hill Road. “Because I can tell you it is still as congested as it ever was, and it’s even more dangerous.”

York County Councilman Tom Audette said he got lots of calls about Gold Hill Road early on — particularly the timing of the traffic signals. Tega Cay Mayor Chris Gray said he heard complaints about a lack of lighting on roads.

“They couldn’t see at night,” Gray said.

Road planners said there were issues at the beginning with the diamond on Gold Hill, but they were largely resolved with final pavement markings and signs.

“I’ve heard very little negative feedback (since),” said Patrick Hamilton, who manages Pennies for Progress in York County.

Vic Edwards with SCDOT said traffic improved as the public acclimated. Which isn’t to say Gold Hill is perfect now. There may never be design changes that fix everything, Edwards said.

“There’s probably not one at Gold Hill either,” Edwards said.

Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys pointed to other parts of the project that involve Riverview Road and Riverchase Boulevard. Fixes at those roads, including changes to a traffic signal, are just a few years old.

“Surely there’s some report we’ve done to see if we accomplished our objective,” Gettys said.

That’s what Savage wants at Gold Hill — to help planners decide if a diamond is the best fit in Rock Hill.

“I would like to think that when we spend that sort of money,” Savage said, “that it’s obvious.”

SCDOT traffic count figures show the ramps at Gold Hill see 5,600 to 11,100 vehicle trips per day on average. The nearest count sites to it show 24,900 vehicle trips on Gold Hill Road and 11,100 from Springfield Parkway.

At Cherry and Celanese, the ramps see 8,900 to 25,700 vehicle trips per day on average. The area between those ramps sees 71,900 vehicles. Just west of the interchange, Celanese Road shows 47,400 vehicle trips and Cherry shows 41,200 trips.

The interstate has more traffic at Gold Hill, likely due to its closer proximity to Charlotte. Interstate counts immediately above and below the Gold Hill interchange average 124,000 vehicle trips per day. The Cherry and Celanese interchange sits between counts of 119,800 trips on the Fort Mill side of the Catawba River bridge and 90,200 trips near the new Exit 81.

Road planners know traffic is an issue now, and they know more demand is coming. They also know fixes to push traffic through key intersections will only invite more traffic.

“By the time we catch up, the demand is greater than when we started,” Mattox said.

Chief Bill Harris with the Catawba Indian Nation said despite efforts of groups like SCDOT, Pennies or RFATS, people in this area have to acclimate themselves with the idea that traffic is never going to be ideal. It’s been an issue for years and will remain one, even with planned fixes.

“Unless you close the borders you’re never going to solve this,” Harris said, “and nobody wants to close the borders.”

This story was originally published March 27, 2023, 2:30 PM.

Rock Hill serves as an example for South Carolina communities in transition from a mill town production past to a more modern future. Now, Rock Hill also will serve as host.

The first week of May, the city will host the 2023 South Carolina Community Capital Conference. Economic development professionals from across the state will come to learn about investment and community financing options. They’ll tour Rock Hill from Knowledge Park to Freedom Walkway to Clinton College.

Mayor John Gettys said people have come to Rock Hill for years to talk about sports tourism, community empowerment or special projects like the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.

“It’s nice to now have them come specifically to talk about investing, how you create those opportunities,” Gettys said.

Gettys is a panelist at the May 2-3 conference, and will open alongside UNC public policy and business professor Jeanne Milliken Bonds with a presentation on Rock Hill’s strategic vision. Gettys said the success Rock Hill had the past four decades of reinventing itself isn’t some closely held secret.

Rock Hill is South Carolina’s fifth largest city.

“Historically, it’s very easy to explain,” Gettys said. “It’s relationships.”

Community members and groups like the Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation put a critical eye toward the city in key moments of transition, to set a vision for what Rock Hill could become.

In fall 2019 a large gathering of economic leaders and investors came together in Rock Hill to outline more than half a billion dollars of planned downtown revitalization. Much of it stemming from economic incentives available at the time, like federal opportunity zones. Former mill, warehouse and other buildings would become apartments, restaurants and business sites. Despite COVID-19, some of those projects are open and others are under construction in a rapidly growing center city.

However, Rock Hill isn’t all success.

The high-profile plan to bring Carolina Panthers headquarters to the city fell through after disputes between the team, city and county on financing. Yet that site remains a key piece of the city’s future. It’s now hundreds of acres the city owns through bankruptcy proceedings by the team, with new roads under construction and a new interchange off nearby I-77.

Gettys said work on roads, a bridge, the interstate and demolition of the former Panthers facility will take another six months. Then the city will be in a better place to determine what will go there.

“We do have, it seems like almost daily, contacts,” Gettys said. “Interested people or interested companies. We’re in no rush.”

As mayor, Gettys often talks about the transition in Rock Hill from successful city to a significant one. As change at the downtown mills and warehouses brought opportunity in recent years, so can the former headquarters site off the interstate.

“Opportunities like this are what allows successful cities to become significant,” Gettys said.

The upcoming conference centers on the theme “Forget What You Thought You Knew: A New Vision of an Old Town.”

It will dive into community financing options and new capital sources for economic growth in South Carolina. Speakers include Tara Sherbert whose company is behind The Power House project, Justin Smith with Hoppin’ and Gary Williams with Williams & Fudge to explain how deals came together at Knowledge Park.

“The economic growth and robust community development projects in the Rock Hill community make it an ideal venue to showcase and learn about how community development financing can grow and evolve a community,” said Bonds, who also chairs the capital alliance board of directors.

Other speakers bring a wider view. Tonya Matthews is CEO of the International African American Museum set to open in Charleston this summer. Jennifer Clyburn Reed is federal co-chair of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission. Both will serve as keynote speakers.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for community development financiers and leaders to hear first-hand about the powerful and positive impact provided by creative financing tools for community economic development projects,” Matthews said.

Clyburn Reed co-chairs a federal-state partnership that focuses on economic development for 428 counties and areas in seven Southeastern states. She served almost three decades in education with South Carolina public schools.

“South Carolina communities are in constant need of more creative financing tools and capital sources to drive economic growth,” Clyburn Reed said. “I look forward to connecting with leaders from around the state to discuss ways we can move community financing forward.”

With a revitalizing downtown corridor, Rock Hill has something of a new challenge.

Anyone can look at dilapidated structures or failing areas and see the need for change. But can the city maintain that momentum -- that decades-long foresight -- when the present seems so promising?

Gettys said it’s still about relationships, about taking success and extrapolating it to parts of the city that haven’t yet seen it, to all areas and for all citizens.

“Successful as Rock Hill’s been for a while now,” Gettys said, “you still see something like Miracle Park built. You still see Clinton ConNEXTion come together.”

The city has an ongoing commerce corridor plan focused on zoning and land use implications for close to 3,000 acres along I-77 in the southern part of the city. It will look for ways to best match residential, commercial and industrial uses as land develops. It’s one of several large projects aimed at creating what Rock Hill wants to become, before the city gets there.

“It was just a few years ago we were talking about the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of development downtown,” Gettys said. “Now we’ll see, who knows what the numbers are now?”