Echols brought his own vision to job of mayor

Rock Hill Mayor Doug Echols spent his first years in office building on the programs and projects initiated by his predecessor Betty Jo Rhea and City Manager Joe Lanford. But over nearly two decades as mayor, Echols has established his own lasting legacy as a leader of vision, stibility and compassion.

Echols announced Tuesday that he would not seek re-election to a sixth term and will step down when his current term ends in October. Including two four-year terms on the City Council before his election as mayor in 1998, Echols has served Rock Hill for almost 30 years.

He was among those who helped promote the city’s Empowering the Vision campaign. That effort eventually succeeded in removing the roof from TownCenter Mall, which comprised most of the city’s downtown, and restoring the facades on historic Main Street buildings.

As a council member, Echols supported the building of Cherry Park, which was extremely controversial at the time. In fact, Echols and fellow council member Melford Wilson lost their seats largely because of that vote.

But the dissatisfaction with Cherry Park was short-lived. And with his re-election to the council and then election as mayor, Echols presided over the transformation of Rock Hill as a destination for sports tourism.

In addition to Cherry Park, the city added the Manchester Meadows soccer complex, a new tennis center and, most recently, the cycling venue at Riverwalk.

The Velodrome and supercross tracks at Riverwalk are among the most advanced in the nation and the only Olympic-level training and competition sites on the East coast. The UCI BMX World Championships scheduled for July 25-30 at Riverwalk’s Supercross track, are expected to draw thousands of competitors and spectators, and generate $13 million in economic activity for the city.

The city also is planning to include an indoor sports complex near downtown Rock Hill that could generate another $14 million a year in tourism dollars, bringing the projected total yield from sporting events to $36 million annually. The growing success of sports tourism in Rock Hill undoubtedly is sweet for Echols, once booted from office for backing what became the city’s immensely successful softball complex.

The indoor sports complex is part of the development of Knowledge Park, the retail, office and residential center evolving on the site of the former Rock Hill Printing & Finishing Co. in the heart of the city’s historic district. That mammoth project, long dormant, also has found new momentum on Echols’ watch.

Echols has presided over a number of new additions to downtown, including new office buildings, new apartment and condo complexes, new restaurants and Fountain Square – with a fountain that may work again someday soon after extensive repairs. Riverwalk, in addition to being the site of the cycling center, also is a significant new residential site with restaurants and a public walking path along the Catawba River.

As mayor, Echols oversaw improvements of neighborhoods such as Hagins-Fewell and Sunset Park, including the cleanup of the charred remains of the Arcade Mill. During his tenure, the city also has made extensive improvements to two major thoroughfares, Cherry and Saluda roads.

Echols insists that these successes are a team effort, and he is right. He has had the backing of capable council members and city staff, and a series of talented city managers.

But Echols also has offered his own special vision and expertise. As a head former football coach at Northwestern High School, a member of the NCAA Division II Restructuring Task Force and the first commissioner of the South Atlantic Conference, he was well qualified to oversee Rock Hill’s transition to a major sports tourism center.

Rock Hill has been blessed with leaders committed to preserving the city’s unique character while also expanding its attributes in ways that enhance the quality of life for all. Echols has been an imaginative and energetic caretaker of that tradition for close to three decades.

We hope that whoever succeeds him will be as successful in carrying that banner forward.

This story was originally published April 4, 2017 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Echols brought his own vision to job of mayor."