BLYTHEWOOD – A 13-year-old Lake Carolina boy, Jaylan Jones, slipped into the lake around 2 p.m. on Sunday and drowned, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts. His body was recovered about 4:30 p.m. that afternoon.
According to Lt. Curtis Wilson of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, a friend told deputies he and Jones were playing in the spillway near the dam when Jones slipped and fell into the lake.
The friend called 911 and led first responders to the site where Jones went under water.
Jones was a seventh grader at Kelly Mill Middle School.
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County administration discovered, during the recent reorganization of the County’s airport management, that the airport’s gas tanks had never been properly regulated by the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
In September, the Administration and Finance Committee approved the restructuring of the airport’s management from an independent fixed based operator (FBO) to a director who answers to the County Administrator.
County Administrator Jason Taylor told Council Monday night that the County is now faced with the $9,600 bill for all past permitting fees that were not paid under the management of the former FBO.
“Is there any way we can charge that to the previous fixed based operator?” Council Chairman Billy Smith asked.
“I don’t know that’s the case that we can do that,” Taylor said.
“I think we need to find out,” Smith said.
According to Taylor, due to lack of proper inspection, the current tanks are going to be removed and have to be replaced.
“We’ll find a temporary solution and, hopefully, we’ll have that resolved by Wednesday so there will be almost no interruption for gas services at the airport,” Taylor said.
The FBO was previously responsible for airport management, collecting gas fees and fees for hangar rentals. An operational assessment conducted in June found the airport to be below average in safety levels and professionalism.
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Deputy Administrator Davis Anderson announced last week the hiring of two new directors for the County – Russell Price as Fairfield County Parks and Recreation Director and Denise Bryan as Airport Director.
Bryan
Bryan, a private pilot with over 12 years in commercial aviation, has served as interim director since the summer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics with a minor in airport management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. She is a certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives.
“This is an airport with so much potential to grow,” Bryan said, “I’ll be working to make it one of the most valuable tools in Fairfield County to attract new business.”
Bryan and her husband, Joe, have lived in South Carolina for 24 years and are both involved in the general aviation community.
Effective Dec. 4, Price, who serves as a Fairfield County magistrate, will begin his new role as the Fairfield County Parks and Recreation Director.
Price
“I’ve worked with Russell for 18 years, including his successful tenure at Drawdy Park,” D Anderson said, “and he always gives 100 percent to his job.”
“I’m looking forward to working with the youth of the county again and improving recreational opportunities for the entire county population including seniors, get-fit participants, after school programs and youth sports,” Price said. Price said he also wants to improve the county’s facilities/parks and many of the recreational programs.
“The commitment by the county administration to improve recreation in the county played heavily in my decision to accept the position,” Price said.
Price and his wife, Julie, and their two children, Georgia Kate and Brody, live in Fairfield County.
“Having someone in this job who is from the community who knows the people and has a background in recreation is a plus for the department as it moves forward,” County Administrator Jason Taylor said. “Both of these new directors are an asset to the County. “Having someone at the airport reporting directly to administration will, I think, improve the safety, professionalism and customer service at the airport,” Taylor said.
BLYTHEWOOD – Stepping down after four years helping guide the Town, Councilman Tom Utroska was bid farewell by the Mayor, his fellow Council members and many friends who attended the meeting. Next, Blythewood Magistrate Josef Robinson swore in Councilman Larry Griffin for a second term, assisted by his wife Leanora and their grandson, Jordan Frazier. At right, Judge Robinson administered the oath of office to new Councilman Brian Franklin, assisted by his wife Dusty, right, and five of their eight children.
BLYTHEWOOD – Failing after a year and a half to sell the Doko Depot shell building across from Town Hall as a restaurant, Council passed first reading Monday evening to authorize the sale of the building to a developer, Wheeler and Wheeler, LLC of Columbia for $325,000.
About five years ago, Town Council borrowed $900,000 from Santee Cooper Electric and received a $456,881 grant (free) from Fairfield Electric that had to be spent on economic development or returned.
The original intent of that Council was to build a restaurant on park property in front of Town Hall (for approximately $1.4 million) and lease it to an established restaurant operator. The loan was to have been repaid from the proceeds of lease payments.
In the interim, the proposed lessor was unable to obtain a performance guarantee to cover the Town’s expense and the lease was never finalized. As a result, the Town returned $900,000 to Santee Cooper, and a new council voted to construct a smaller, less expensive building with the $325,916 remaining from the $456,881 Fairfield Electric grant.
But the building could only be used for “economic development” such as an office building, start-up company or restaurant.
The Town budgeted $410,000 for the new building.
The winning base bid to build the shell building was $379,850 submitted by Lyn-Rich Contracting Co., Inc. of West Columbia. With options, which Council voted to accept, the bid came to $388,100. Those options included walkways and special fire protection equipment.
Town Administrator Gary Parker suggested that any costs over the $325,916 could probably be taken from Hospitality Tax revenue. He said the intent was to recover that revenue with the sale of the shell building.
When the Town broke ground on construction of the building in September, 2016, The Town’s economic development consultant, Ed Parler, said he expected to begin marketing the building in November and that he expected to have a buyer shortly after the first of 2017.
While Parler has had several prospects for a restaurant, none have materialized.
“We’ve been dealing with this for a long time,” Mayor J. Michael Ross told Council, “and we finally have a contract.”
“Since this company (Wheeler) is a developer, we still don’t know how this property is going to be used. Is that correct?” Councilman Malcolm Gordge asked.
“As part of the contract, the property is in the Town Center District (TCD) and there are certain activities in the TCD that would not be appropriate for use on that property,” Parler said. “The excluded uses and allowed uses are defined in the contract.
“Mr. Wheeler has indicated that the clients he is working with seem to be very conforming to the nature of the property’s intended use,” Parler said.
“If we decide not to go through with this on second reading, can we void the contract?” Councilman Larry Griffin asked.
“No,” Parler answered.
But Town Attorney Jim Meggs said that if the ordinance doesn’t get enacted on the second reading, the deal is off.”
Council voted 5-0 to authorize the mayor to sign the contract.
BLYTHEWOOD – Attorney Ray Jones of Parker Poe, the Town’s bond consultant for the $5.5 million bond issued by the Blythewood Facilities Corporation in 2010, told Council Monday evening that it might want to take advantage of an opportunity to refinance that bond under advance refunding which, he said, is a financing technique that allows an issuer to obtain the benefit of lower interest rates at a time when the outstanding bonds are not currently callable.
Jones told Council that because Congress is considering dropping advance refunding as part of their tax reform law proposal, and because interest rates are lower than they may be in the summer of 2018 when the 2010 bonds are callable, they might want to act right away.
Jones said that under current law, the Town may do an advance refunding now when interest rates are low and possibly lower than in summer of 2018. Projections are, he said, that the Town could save several hundred thousand dollars by doing so.
Jones said that if the Town does not act now to refinance the bonds, and Congress passes the legislation, the Town would not be able to do an advance refunding until the normal call date time frame, which would be within the 90 days of the Sept. 1 call date.
“We felt it wise to put the question before Council and are doing so with a first reading of the proposed ordinance on this refinancing,” Town Administrator Gary Park told Council. “If Council agrees, there will be a public hearing and second reading.
Council voted to pass first reading and has scheduled a special called meeting on Dec. 8 to meet the bond issuance schedule.
Parker said Jones would be at the meeting to answer questions.
WINNSBORO – County Council approved second reading Monday night of Ordinance 683 to purchase 336 acres east of I-77 between exits 41 and 46 for $1.8 million, a price that is subject to change based on future grants.
“I applaud this group for several things with this ordinance,” Randy Bright said during open citizen comment. “Number one, the investment in jobs and the economy. It’s what we need. We’re in the top 10 or so in the worst unemployment rates in the state. We’ve got a long way to go, so I applaud this Investment.”
The ordinance has been amended since the first reading from 508 acres to 336 acres. That dropped the original price of $2.7 million down to $2.153 million.
“The reason the price and acreage is being amended is because there is one parcel that we are not going to be purchasing,” County Economic Development Director Ty Davenport told Council. “It’s more economical not to buy it.”
A $300,000 grant from the Department of Commerce lowered the price tag further, and the County is awaiting word on another grant that could reduce the cost to around $775,000.
“The amount is up to the grantor, so we don’t know what it will end up being. It could be significant, or it might be nothing,” Davenport said.
Included in the sale are three parcels. There is a Parcel M at the entrance of the property that is owned by a third party and is not included in the sale. Because the 336-acre property does not offer a good entrance area, Council wanted assurances that the owner of Parcel M would allow the County enough right of way on Parcel M to allow for an access road into the 336 acres.
Council Chairman Billy Smith said he understood that the landowner has given assurances to allow the access road.
“But I want to know if we not only have assurance that we’ll be able to have a right of way for a road in there for access but that we’ll also be able to do any staging work necessary there,” Smith said. “Lighting, landscaping, things of that nature.”
Smith also requested a fixed-priced agreement on the property to prevent Parcel M’s owner from inflating the cost if the County were to find someone to purchase it.
“He would give right of way to part of that property and he would keep the rest and, later, if someone wanted to put industry there he would sell it to them,” Councilman Jimmy Ray Douglas said.
County Administrator Jason Taylor and Davenport had meetings with the Parcel M landowner in an effort to forge an agreement in writing before third reading.
“I’m not down on the deal. I think it’s a good deal,” Smith said. “We’ve got the number down to potentially around $775,000. I think it’ll be fantastic if we can work that out. I just think there are some other details we need to take care of in the process.”
According to Smith, the County can delay the third reading until another date, to give County Officials more time to get a fully lawyered agreement in place.
“But I will not vote for it on third reading if that’s not done. I’m telling you today,” Smith said.
VC Summer Nuclear Plant, May 2017 | Courtesy of High Flyer
WINNSBORO – In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, County Council approved a motion by Councilman Neil Robinson to authorize the County’s attorneys to move forward with the filing of a lawsuit against SCE&G/SCANA and any other necessary parties based upon SCE&G/SCANA’s failure to comply with the terms of the fee-in-lieu contract between SCE&G/SCANA and the County, and to also file a temporary restraining order to prevent SCE&G from abandoning this project and not protecting the assets at V.C. Summer.
“SCE&G and the V.C. Summer Station have been valuable members of our community for many years,” Council Chairman Billy Smith said. “However, the Council owes it to the citizens of our County to do whatever we can to recoup the financial losses created by SCE&G’s decision to abandon the project.
The County is not looking for any kind of financial windfall, we just hope that this litigation can get our County closer to the position it would have been in had SCE&G acted in good faith, diligently completed these projects, and not chosen to abandon the construction of the plants.”
The County issued a statement explaining that, on Nov. 21, 2017, Council approved filing a lawsuit against SCE&G over the decision to abandon construction of two new power plants located at the V.C. Summer nuclear power station in Jenkinsville.
In July of 2010, the County and SCE&G entered into a contract known as a fee-in-lieu of taxes agreement. That gave the utility preferential tax treatment by the County in exchange for future payments of fees by SCE&G to the County once the new nuclear units were generating power.
In reliance on the agreement, according to the statement, Fairfield County undertook a number of long term financial obligations including the issuance of $24 million in bonds to finance multiple construction projects and upgrades that were needed in anticipation of SCE&G’s operation of the plants. SCE&G’s decision to abandon the projects has left the County with significant obligations that would not have been undertaken but for the company’s representations to the County.
Also, according to the statement, the decision will cost the County millions of dollars of lost revenue from the abandonment of the fee in lieu of taxes agreement.
WINNSBORO – The Midlands S.T.E.M. Institute (MSI) board of trustees announced Wednesday that the school will begin its 2018-19 academic year in a new location.
The Winnsboro-based public charter school’s board voted to purchase the White Oak Conference Center in Fairfield County and will move its entire operation from Rockton Baptist Church to the new facility next summer.
Now in its fourth year of operation, MSI will expand to grade nine for 2018-19, a move made possible by the board’s decision to relocate, board chair Kevin Thomas said.
“We are enormously grateful for the congregation of Rockton Baptist Church and all of its support during our first few years of operation,” Thomas said. “We would not be in the position we are in without them. But we also have grown to the point where moving is necessary. This will be an exciting new chapter for MSI as we continue to fulfill our mission to provide a quality educational choice for students and parents.”
The 200-acre site will give MSI 23 classrooms, a 400-seat dining hall, an 850-seat auditorium, and a 230-seat lecture hall. The facility also has an outdoor pool and a gymnasium. MSI plans to offer busing services from multiple Fairfield County pickup locations as well as sports for their students.
In addition to giving MSI more room for enrollment growth, the new facility’s amenities will give the school greater capacity for extracurricular offerings and scientific discovery, executive director Marie Milam said.
“The new school facility offers a great deal of potential for growth not only in our student body, but also what courses of study we might offer in the life and earth sciences just by having more outdoor space,” she said. “The large auditorium also gives our students more room to explore their creative, performance potential and a larger campus with a gymnasium will also give our students opportunities to compete in sports.”
MSI is currently accepting students in grades K5- 8th grade and ninth grade students for the 2018-2019 school year. MSI anticipates maxing out enrollment when the facility opens next fall.
MSI will add a grade each year until they offer grades K5-12 in the fall of 2021.
Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery updated neighbors of the Cambio Academy last week on what his department is doing to keep residents safe from Cambio runaways who, Montgomery said, roam Greenbrier day and night causing damage, leaving residents fearful for their safety.
GREENBRIER- After making more than a hundred calls to Cambio Academy in the Greenbrier community since May and hearing from many residents about runaways from Cambio breaking and entering and causing property damage and harrassing Greenbrier residents, Sheriff Will Montgomery held a community meeting last week at Greenbrier United Methodist Church.
While Montgomery didn’t have a lot of answers, the Greenbrier neighbors had a lot of questions:
“What kind of in-house security does Cambio have?”
“What are you (the Sheriff) doing about this?
“What structure does Cambio have in place to keep these kids busy?”
The Sheriff’s answers:
“None.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Breaking and entering,” someone in the audience joked
There were numerous testimonials about property damage and runaway teens roaming the neighborhood day and night.
“How long is it going to be until something serious happens? That what worries me,” a woman from the audience said.
Another asked, “When one of these kids goes missing, why aren’t we notified?”
Montgomery suggested residents could sign up for the County’s reverse 911 service that will notify them of emergencies and that he will consider using the service for the Cambio issue.
Cambio Academy is located in Greenbrier.
Montgomery said that after talking with the Academy’s Director, Pamela Woods, he is trying to work out some type of security for the facility such as fencing or an alarm system that will alert management when a teen is leaving the facility.
Resident Laura Thomas suggested residents call the governor’s office to complain about the community chaos created by Cambio.
Asked how the facility got approval to operate in the County, Administrator Jason Taylor said Cambio representatives did not have to come before the County to ask for rezoning of the property.
“It was already zoned for that use,” Taylor said.
County Council Chairman Billy Smith addressed the process for getting the state to close the facility.
“Part of the process of trying to get them closed is to basically identify to them what problems they are causing, give them a period of time to fix those problems and then if they don’t, we can petition the court to grant an injunction to close it,” Smith said. “So it is very important that we have everything documented, anything that you are aware of, be sure to make those phone calls to the County or the Sheriff’s department. That will be the information we have to have to present to a judge.”
Another community meeting is set for Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. at Greenbrier Methodist Church to discuss the issue.
The Winnsboro-based public charter school’s board voted to purchase the White Oak Conference Center in Fairfield County and will move its entire operation from Rockton Baptist Church to the new facility next summer.
