BLYTHEWOOD – Three Blythewood women were featured in presentations in the Blythewood Historical Society’s Women’s History Month program on Sunday.
The three women were Frances Riley – everyone’s favorite
first grade teacher; Dorothy Palmer Wilson – Boney Road memories; and Martha
Ann Trapp – Farming in Blythewood, shared their stories of growing up, working
and raising families in Blythewood.
The program was emceed by Blythewood’s Bob Wood, above, a Blythewood attorney and member of the historical society, and Martha Boney McCoy, above left. The presentations were recorded.
GREENBRIER – The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office is
currently investigating an incident where a student at Kelly Miller Elementary
School was found with a firearm. A school staff member discovered the weapon
and notified an SRO (School Resource Officer) who initiated an investigation.
This incident is still being investigated and the Fairfield
County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to work closely with the Fairfield County
School District regarding this matter.
“While this is very concerning, especially considering
several recent tragic incidents at other schools throughout our nation,”
Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery said, “we are thankful that very
vigilant school district employees discovered this gun before anyone could have
been hurt.
“Although we are not exactly sure how the child came into
possession of this gun at this time, I want to remind parents and other adults
to be responsible gun owners and to safely secure their weapons to protect our
children. We are continuing to investigate this incident,” he said.
Montgomery said that because the investigation is on-going
and because it involves a juvenile, he is limited to the information that can
be released at this time.
During a reception at Smoked restaurant in Columbia on Sunday, hosted by Scout Motors EV, Scout officials and state and county government officials talked about the historic significance of Scout vehicles and Scout’s potential impact on the future of the state, county and Blythewood. Shown here with Scout CEO Scott Keogh, left, are S.C. Governor Henry McMaster and Richland County Councilman Derrek Pugh, who represents Blythewood. | Barbara Ball
COLUMBIA – During a press conference on Monday, Scout Motors Inc hosted an official signing ceremony of the Project Development Agreement with Scout President and CEO Scott Keogh, Governor Henry McMaster and Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey.
Earlier, McMaster signed House Bill 3604, the joint
resolution to approve the largest economic investment in the state’s history.
Following the press conference and signings, Scout and SC state officials hosted a series of media roundtables where Keogh and other state and county leaders fielded questions from the media. The following are the answers to some of those questions.
Gov. McMaster signs the project agreement with Scout Motors. | Contributed
On-Site Job Training
Brad Neese, ReadySC vice president of economic development,
said ReadySC will build a $25 million training center adjacent to or on the
Scout campus that will be staffed and run by ReadySC.
Neese said training has to take place before the production
facility is competed and that he expects training will begin in 2025, before
the plant opens in 2026.
“So, we’re going to be working hard to get the walls up and
get it ready for people to come in and start training,” Neese said.
“As jobs become
available, they will be posted on scoutmotors.sctechjobs.com,” he said. “We already
have about 1,500 people who are looking for jobs and have given us their
information,” Neese said.
Test Track
Asked if Scout Motors would incorporate a test track for
potential customers to drive cars on when purchasing, Scout Motors CFO Chris
Condon said, “Some sort of experience/delivery center we think is quite
important to the brand.”
“One of the things our product offers is just that – a fun
experience – so rather than just being a truck like any other electric truck
that may be out there, getting to come and feel what that looks like, what its
capability is, in our early sketching how to lay out the plant, we’re trying to
reserve some space for some sort of delivery experience, whether that’s a
formal track or just some off-road opportunities, there’ll be a drive component
to it should we find a way to include that.
Hiring for 3 Different Types of Jobs
Jobs that apply to the actual planning and building of the
production facility.
Jobs for experienced professionals – a supply chain leader,
a director of fire and safety, a director of talent acquisition, etc.
Early career/entry level jobs around functions like
purchasing and supply chain.
“We are not yet hiring for manufacturing,” Alexis Juneja
said. “Those will come as we get closer to the start of production.”
State Incentives
“The total state incentive package is $1.291 billion,”
Lightsey said. “In addition to that, Scout will have the opportunity to earn
job development tax credits based on the number of people they hire over a
period of time, and then they have to maintain that number over a period of
time. That comes to about $180,000 if they (Scout) max it out.
“Scout is committed to invest $2 million and hire 4,000
people. Their performance against that will determine how they earn the tax
credits in terms of making sure that the state is protected first of all,” he
said.
“A study by an economist at the Darla Moore School of
Business at the University of South Carolina established that by 2029, three
years after the start of production, the state will already be over $15 billion
to the good, and for every year after that, we will accrue an additional annual
benefit of over $4 billion dollars,” Lightsey said. “So we believe that the
growth generated by Scout justifies this investment.
“In the extremely unlikely event that Scout does not stay in
South Carolina, they would be subject to clawbacks for all of the investment
that is not public infrastructure. So the investments we’re making in preparing
the site for them totals about $790 million that is subject to clawback,” he
said.
“In addition to that part of the $1.291 billion is a $200
million loan to Scout Motors to invest in some soil stabilization work on the
site. That will be repaid by Scout with interest,” Lightsey said.
Both the loan repayment and the clawback provision are
guaranteed by Volkswagon.
Richland County Council Chair Overture Walker said the
County paid about $31 million for the site Scout will locate to, plus the
county offered a 40-year fee-in-lieu of tax agreement at a 4 percent assessment
ratio.
“There’s also a special source revenue credit on the table
that doesn’t kick in until year 16,” Walker said. “The county is also offering
an unprecedented stipend for child care for employees’ children.”
Child Care Stipend
“It has not yet been decided how the child care stipend will work – whether it must be used only on an on-site child care facility or whether it can be applied to the cost of other child care facilities in the community,” Director of Richland County Economic Development Jeff Ruble said.
Richland County Director of Economic Development Jeff Ruble, left, and panelists answer media’s questions.
Former Fairfield County Sheriff Herman Young’s family gathered in front of the Detention Center at Tuesday’s dedication. | Photos: Martha Ladd
WINNSBORO – The Fairfield County government held a ceremony Tuesday morning honoring former Fairfield County Sheriff Herman Young by placing his name on the Fairfield County Detention Center.
Young
Sheriff Young, who
died in May, 2020, was first elected Sheriff in 1992, and served the county for
22 years before resigning in 2014 for health reasons. He won six consecutive
bids for office.
During his service to the county, Young enjoyed many honors
including being named Sheriff of the Year in 1996 and serving as the 2011-12 Sheriff’s
Association’s President. Young was credited with creating a Summer Kids Camp
that has been nationally recognized.
Upon Young’s death, a statement on the Sheriff’s
Association’s Facebook page stated: Sheriff Young was a gentleman and the
consummate professional. He served as a mentor to many, both in the community
and within his profession.
In 2014, Young stepped down from office after over two
decades, citing medical reasons.
In 2015, he was awarded the S.C. Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest award, for his 62 years in law enforcement.
Eric Skidmore
Curtis Wilson
Former Fairfield County Sheriff Herman Young’s family sat front row as the Fairfield County Detention Center was named after him. Pictured above from left: Curtis and Keisha Wilson, Peggy Young, Chaz Wilson, Peggy and Mike Young.
Sheriff Will Montgomery
Council Chair Doug Pauley
SC House Rep Annie McDaniel
Mike Young and Peggy Young, Sheriff Young’s son and wife
Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery spoke to the crowd of family and dignitaries gathered at Tuesday’s dedication ceremony.
BLYTHEWOOD – Efforts to depose a Blythewood attorney are
proper and a vital component of an ongoing FOIA lawsuit, according to a March
14 memorandum filed by MPA Strategies, the Town’s former marketing firm.
The filing comes in response to a motion to quash that was
filed by Blythewood attorneys who are trying to block attorney Shannon Burnett
from testifying. No rulings had been made as of press time.
“Plaintiff cannot make the requisite showing to overcome the
skepticism with which courts view attempts to depose an opposing party’s
attorney,” the town stated in court papers.
Burnett is part of the Town’s legal team and was involved in
negotiating a contract between Blythewood and MPA in early 2021 for marketing
services, according to court records.
MPA’s memorandum points out, however, that the Town
previously and successfully argued MPA’s former attorney should provide
testimony.
“Ironically Defendant [Town] named Plaintiff’s [MPA’s] prior
counsel [Joseph Dickey] as a witness,” the memo states. “Meanwhile, Defendant
is obstructing discovery efforts in this case by preventing Plaintiff from
taking a critical fact witness’s deposition simply because that witness is an
attorney.”
MPA filed suit in 2021, alleging the Town violated the S.C.
Freedom of Information Act when it failed to turn over documents to the
marketing firm it had requested through an FOI request.
Blythewood countersued, claiming eight causes of action,
including fraud, civil conspiracy, negligence/gross negligence, and another
misconduct.
MPA referred to those counterclaims as “mostly unusual”
considering the original suit “was filed as a simple FOIA case,” according to
the memo.
“Burnett’s deposition is necessary and will ultimately show
that Defendant [Town] was not defrauded. This is the crux of Defendant’s
counterclaims,” the memo states.
MPA notes in the March 14 filling that there is precedent
for compelling attorneys to testify about non-privileged information, citing
Town efforts to list Dickey as a witness.
“Defense has already opposed a motion to strike Dickey as a
witness and prevailed,” the MPA memo states.
“The authority provided by the Court regarding Dickey as a
fact witness dictates the same conclusion as to Burnett and her role as a fact
witness in this case.”
Blythewood attorneys previously argued Burnett should be
exempt from testifying because she’s representing the Town in the litigation.
They also argue the subpoena for her testimony is overly broad and was
improperly served.
MPA served Burnett via email and certified mail. Town attorneys
stated in court papers that neither method is a proper method of service. They
also note Burnett was out of the country when the subpoenas were first served
and that she didn’t view them until March 7, days before the scheduled
deposition.
MPA says in its memo that, “This is a mischaracterization of
how service occurred,” and that Plaintiff, “offered to re-serve the subpoena
and reschedule the deposition, but Town attorneys didn’t respond.”
They also note Burnett was out of the country when the
subpoenas were first served and that she didn’t view them until March 7, days
before the scheduled deposition.
MPA says in its memo that it offered to re-serve the
subpoena and reschedule the deposition, but Town attorneys didn’t respond.
The memo says Burnett’s testimony is needed because the Town
designated her as an official agent to negotiate the contract between MPA and
the Town.
“Burnett’s testimony is crucial to showing Defendant’s
counterclaims are elementally deficient. Specifically, her testimony will show
there is no fraud, intentional misrepresentation, or material misstatement
here,” the memo continues. “No other witness can testify to this in the way
Burnett can, making her testimony critical.”
The state and county incentives to bring Scout Motors to the Blythewood industrial park include a new I-77 interchange, traffic circles, road widenings, and other road improvements in and around the town. | Graphic: Ashley Ghere
BLYTHEWOOD – Traffic congestion, potential noise and pollution, and hiring locally were among the issues Blythewood area residents raised during a recent town hall meeting about the Scout Motors EV plant coming to Blythewood’s industrial park.
On Monday night, 200 residents packed into Doko Manor to
learn more about the Volkswagen brand, particularly any tradeoffs between the
promise of mass job creation and maintaining quality of life.
Scout plans to build a new electric vehicle plant, investing
up to $2 billion and creating over 4,000 jobs. It’s being built on 1,100 acres
of the 1,600-acre Blythewood Industrial Park, southwest of the I-77 and Exit 27
interchange.
Slated to open sometime in late 2026, the facility will
occupy about 14.5 million to 15.5 million square feet of space.
Public officials preached one primary talking point: in
spite of Scout’s plans, growth is inevitable.
“If this company had not decided to come to Blythewood, we
still would be dealing with traffic issues,” said Richland County Councilman
Derrek Pugh who represents the Blythewood industrial park area. He was one of
four panelists at Monday night’s town hall meeting.
“This project is going to help us move forward and alleviate
some of the stressors we have on our infrastructure,” Pugh said.
Jeff Ruble, economic development director for Richland
County, noted that Scout’s arrival is helping to expedite several intersection
and road improvements Blythewood already has on the horizon.
“We’re trying not to create new problems, but to solve ones
that are already an issue,” Ruble said. “I think we’re getting a good neighbor
and a good employer.”
Road Projects in the Pipeline
Monday’s forum consisted of a cross-section of 20 or so
state, county and town officials. Bryant Davis with Richland County’s Community
Development Department moderated a Q&A session, in which residents
submitted questions beforehand.
Even in the controlled environment, roads and traffic
rapidly emerged as reoccurring themes, with questions covering specific
infrastructure improvements to day-to-day traffic flow.
“How will the facility affect our current infrastructure?”
one submitted question asked.
“During this process, will there be road closures or
detours? We are concerned about traffic issues,” another resident asked.
Political and economic development leaders said road
improvements are needed to address not only increased traffic, but also to
facilitate Scout’s manufacturing needs. Scout plans to produce 200,000 vehicles
annually once at full capacity, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce.
Allison Bush, a civil engineer with Thomas & Hutton
Engineering, said the state previously identified several needed road projects
when a different industry recently considered relocating to Blythewood.
Those projects included:
I-77: New interchange and overpass between Exit 24 and 27
I-77 Connector Road: New five-lane road to U.S. 21
I-77 and Blythewood Road: New turn lane on Blythewood Road
Blythewood Road: Widen from Syrup Mill to Muller roads
Muller Road: Add second turn lane at Blythewood Road
Syrup Mill Road: Add long turn lanes at Blythewood Road
Community Road: Widen to four lanes and add turn lane at U.S. 21
No road closures are expected during construction.
Bush said most local projects would be completed in 2024 or
2025, though she didn’t provide exact timetables for individual projects.
The S.C. Department of Transportation is handling the new
I-77 interchange and U.S. 21 connector road, with that project expected to take
about four years to build.
Richland County is building a roundabout at I-77 and
Community Road and at I-77 and Highway 21.
Scout also has requested installing roundabouts at the
intersection of Highway 21 and the extension from I-77. Bush said the state is
reviewing that request.
Employment Opportunities
Scout’s sizeable job creation spurred a few questions,
ranging from salary structure to whether or not the company would consider
contracting with local businesses for construction work.
The average salaried worker would make about $100,000
annually, with Scout’s hourly workers averaging $58,000 a year. Initial hires
could start work sometime next year.
“These folks pay well and they demand a lot,” Ruble said.
Lightsey said the state recently set up a portal for those
seeking work to express interest in working with Scout. He said about 1,100
people entered their information into the portal, and 90 percent were from
South Carolina.
Scout has also advertised for its first three Blythewood
jobs, he said.
S.C. Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey said Scout wants
to begin construction as quickly as possible. He anticipated a rapid uptick in
hiring occurring by late 2024 or early 2025.
“This area is a largely untapped labor resource,” he said.
“They are very confident they can meet their job needs from the community
itself.”
The company has said it will establish a training program
with Midlands Technical College, and Lightsey said he thinks the company will
also partner with local high schools for training.
Residents asked whether the auto manufacturer planned to
utilize the local contractors for construction work.
“They (Scout) certainly want to work with local companies as
much as they possibly can,” Lightsey said. “In addition to that, we will
probably conduct forums where companies can meet representatives of [Scout].
We’ve had very good luck with that around the state.”
Preserving Quality of Life
Officials said Scout intends to minimize any environmental,
noise, and other negative impacts, characterizing them as minimal or
non-existent based on present plans.
Lightsey said as a manufacturer of EV vehicles, Scout is
“very, very conscious” of environmental considerations.
“Their desire is to keep the impact on the environment
surrounding the facility to the lowest level, and they’ll work really hard to
accomplish that,” he said.
Ruble, the county’s economic development director,
anecdotally noted that a group of Scout’s engineers working at the Richland Co.
offices wouldn’t drink water bottled in plastic containers.
“They consider this waste. They’re a green company,” he
said, holding a water bottle in the air.
As for noise, landscaped buffers measuring 300 feet are
being installed along the property line near any residences, said Corey Wise,
also with Thomas & Hutton Engineering.
“You’ll have not only a tree buffer, but also an offset from
the property lines, which should reduce noise pollution,” Wise said.
Further, any emissions from the plant would be
self-contained and shouldn’t migrate to nearby neighborhoods. Trains aren’t
expected to haul any hazardous materials into the site either.
While some stormwater runoff is expected, Wise said
retention ponds meeting or exceeding all county and state regulations are being
added to capture any discharge.
“I do not expect any adverse effects on any downstream
properties or roads,” he said.
Lightsey said Scout is planning future community events so
residents can meet and further interact with company officials. He hoped
residents would welcome Scout with open arms.
“My recommendation would be to welcome these folks in the way that South Carolinians can do,” Lightsey said. “I think they want very much to consider this as their home. They want to meet with and get to know the community.”
About 20 state, county and local officials attended the meeting, including, from right, Gretchen Barron, County Council Dist. 7, Leonardo Brown, County Admin., Patrick Wright, County Attorney, Chakisse Newton, County Council Dist. 1, Paul Livingston, County Council Dist. 4, Mia McLeod, SC Senate Dist. 22. | Photos: Barbara Ball
Harry Lightsey, SC Commerce Sec.
Derrek Pugh, Richland Co. Councilman
Derrek Pugh, Richland Co. Councilman
First Citizens Bank Commercial Loan Officer Ron Johnson and Ty Davenport, Asst. Director of Richland County Economic Development
Richland County Chair Overture Walker & R2 Interim Superintendent Nancy Gregory
Open government attorney Jay Bender, left, presents the 2022 Assertive Journalist award to The Voice publisher Barbara Ball during the SC Press Association annual meeting last week. At right are former Exec. Director of the Association, William Rogers, and Association President Charles Swenson. | GWINN DAVIS MEDIA
COLUMBIA – The tenth annual Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism was presented to Barbara Ball, publisher of The Voice, during the South Carolina Press Association’s annual meeting in Columbia on March 9-10.
The award recognizes one weekly newspaper and one daily
newspaper journalist in the state each year who stands up to authority in the
public’s interest.
Ball won for the weekly newspapers and Tony Bartelme, an
investigative reporter for the Charleston Post and Courier, won for the daily
newspapers.
It was the fourth year in a row that Ball has won the award.
As one of the top honors presented by the SCPA each year, it
includes a prize of $250 and is named for the SCPA’s attorney of 30 years, Jay
Bender, whose career has been dedicated to preserving open government and First
Amendment freedoms.
The judges’ comments, which were read during the
presentation, noted Ball’s “incredible strength in standing her ground against
small town government.
“We’ve never seen such an attack on a local journalist by a
public body,” the judges said. “Withstanding those attacks and continuing to
report is the essence of assertive journalism.”
“This award recognizes assertiveness in journalism,
particularly by journalists who are covering public officials, public figures
and public life in general,” Bender said when Ball won the award in 2019. “To
be a reporter, you have to be assertive in the first place, but to go above and
beyond is special.”
Ball also won both first and second place awards in
“In-depth Reporting” as well as first and second place for “Government Beat
Reporting.”
She also won second place in General Photography for a
photograph taken at the Fairfield Ag + Arts dinner on the bridge over the Broad
River, titled ‘Dinner on the Broad.”
Also, during the two-day meeting, Ball, a member of the SC
Press Association’s Executive Board, was elected to serve as the Board’s
treasurer.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – An investigation is being conducted into a shooting incident that left a man dead at a home on Reservoir Road in Fairfield County over the weekend, according to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s office.
Altrone T. Burrell, 45, was found dead Friday night from an
apparent gunshot wound, sheriff’s officials said.
Deputies were called to the residence at approximately 11:30
p.m. this past Friday night after reports of an individual being shot. Upon
arrival, deputies found Burrell dead following a shooting incident that
deputies say occurred following a physical altercation between Burrell and his
girlfriend.
Deputies were able to retrieve the weapon. This incident is
still under investigation and no arrests have been made at this time.
BLYTHEWOOD – S.C. Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey, Richland County Economic Development Director Jeff Ruble, Richland County Councilman Derrek Pugh and Blythewood Mayor Bryan Franklin will meet with the public to discuss and answer questions about Scout Motors’ investment in the county and town.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear what this investment will mean for the local community and submit questions to Richland County Councilman Derrek Pugh, S.C. Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey and Richland County Economic Development Director Jeff Ruble.
The event will also stream live online for those who are unable to attend in person at townofblythewood.com and on Richland County’s YouTube page.
State and county incentives will fund new I-77 interchange, several traffic circles in the town, and other improvements to roads to help alleviate traffic in and around Blythewood.
The state and county incentives to bring Scout Motors to the Blythewood industrial park include a new I-77 interchange, traffic circles, road widenings, and other road improvements in and around the town. | Graphic: Ashley Ghere
CORRECTION: There is a traffic light at Syrup Mill and Blythewood Roads – NOT a traffic circle. The map above has been updated to reflect the correction.
COLUMBIA – The Richland County Economic Development Office announced on Monday that Scout Motors EV, which is backed by Volkswagen, is bringing its manufacturing operations to Blythewood’s new industrial park off Blythewood Road.
The plant will build all-electric trucks and SUVs under the
Scout brand with production expected to eventually reach 200,000 vehicles per
year.
“Originally produced by International Harvester from 1960 to
1980, Scout was an early SUV that stopped being made in the 1980’s,” according
to a statement released by the SC Department of Commerce. “Scout Motors is
bringing it back as both a truck and an SUV, both all-electric.”
The company’s planned $2 billion investment and its potential to create 4,000 jobs, would both set all-time records for a Richland County economic development project according to county officials.
Choosing Blythewood
During a remote roundtable Monday morning with Governor
Henry McMaster, Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh and Secretary of the SC Department
of Economic Development Harry Lightsey, Keogh said the company looked at 74
sites around the country before choosing the Blythewood site to establish the
world’s first manufacturer of the Scout electric vehicles.
Incentives offered by the state and county to attract the
company included $1.291 billion over and above tax and other incentives.
Gov. Henry McMaster, left, and SC Department of Commerce Sec. Harry Lightsey discuss the $2B plant during an online roundtable. | Contributed
Blythewood Road Improvements
Approximately $650 million of the $1.291 billion state
incentive package will be used to fund improvements to roads in and around
Blythewood to support this project and to help alleviate traffic in the
Blythewood area that is already unmanageable at times, according to Jeff Ruble,
Director of Richland County’s Department of Economic Development.
“The improvements to Blythewood area roads are in addition to the current penny-tax plan to widen Blythewood Road from the Exit 27 Interchange to Syrup Mill Road and to add a traffic circle near Cobblestone Park,” Ruble told The Voice. “We’ll be making additional improvements between the interchange and the traffic circle, and we’ll continue the four lanes on Blythewood Road from Syrup Mill all the way to Muller Road,” he said.
“Just about everywhere in town that there’s a road leading
to the plant, the company plans to improve the intersections,” Ruble continued.
“The entrance into the industrial site off Blythewood Road will be located at Syrup Mill Road,” he said, “and we’re going to install some long turn lanes to alleviate traffic problems there. We’ll also be landscaping the 300-foot-wide buffer along Blythewood Road across from Cobblestone Park, and we’re going to do it right. Our goal is to make it look like the entrance to Cobblestone,” Ruble said.
Community Road Widened
Community Road, he said, will also be widened to four lanes.
“The goal of the company is to have most of the traffic,
including employees, coming off I-77 at the new interchange or from a new road
extension from Highway 21 through the Google property to the front and main
entrance of the plant. This should keep a lot of the to-and-from plant traffic
out of Blythewood and easily onto the interstate.”
Ruble explained that a rail spur will run from the track on
the east side of Hwy 21 across Hwy 21 and extend to a rail bridge over I-77 at
the lower part of the company’s complex.
“Several traffic circles will also be incorporated into some
of the road improvements, particularly at Syrup Mill and Blythewood Road, at
Highway 21 where it connects to the extension road through the Google property,
and at intersections within the industrial site,” Rubble said.
During the Monday roundtable meeting, Lightsey echoed
concern for easing local traffic.
“The new interchange and these road improvements will
actually help and benefit the residents of the Blythewood community,” Lightsey
said. “It will improve the traffic flow and keep traffic coming to and from the
site out of downtown Blythewood.”
Plans for the $650 million incentive also include upgrades
to the Blythewood fire station, and stipends to support eligible employees’
childcare costs. An onsite child care facility is also planned.
The $1.291 billion incentive package also included $400
million for the company to build facilities on the site; a $200 million loan
for soil stabilization (paid back at 5 percent interest); $25 million to build
a publicly owned Midlands Technical College training center for employment with
Scout Motors; and $16 million for property acquisition for construction of the
railroad spur to the site.
Other county incentives include a reduction in the company’s
property tax assessment ratio from six percent to four percent over 40 years.
County officials say the company would also be eligible for a 50 percent tax
break through an infrastructure tax credit.
Richland County Council is scheduled to give the package
third reading on March 21.
Scout is planning to break ground on the new manufacturing
facility in mid-2023 and begin production by the end of 2026.
“This proposed manufacturing facility marks a major
milestone in the history of Richland County and the potential to be our most
significant economic development project to date,” said Overture Walker, Chair
of the Richland County Council. “This decision represents a transformational
breakthrough that would position us at the forefront of the clean energy future
while promising to boost the quality of life for residents across our county
for generations to come.”
“Richland County has spent years laying the groundwork for
today’s historic announcement, and we are thrilled that Scout shares our view
that this area is the ideal location for a world-class company to plant its
flag,” Ruble said.
Most hiring is expected to happen toward the end of 2025, according to officials. Individuals interested in joining the Scout team should visit readySC’s recruitment website.
