BLYTHEWOOD – During a two-hour zoomed town council meeting Monday night, council spent an hour discussing whether or not to re-open the park’s walking trail before voting 4-1 to open it. Councilman Larry Griffin voted against.
At issue was the fact that the trail has been used steadily since it was officially closed by a vote of town council on March 16.
Councilman Larry Griffin said he was not against the trail
being open, but he felt opening it would be an invitation to citizens to use
the entire park.
Mayor Bryan Franklin disagreed.
“We opened the Farmer’s Market on Wednesday afternoons until
November. If we open the walking trail, and then a bunch of kids show up down
at the [park’s] rugby field, now they’re violating the governor’s executive
order [for social distancing] and they can be prosecuted. So, when you say if
the trail’s open, the whole park’s going to be open, that’s not true,” Franklin
said. “We are allowing only for the walking trail to be open. But if someone
wants to get out of their truck and walk their dog, get back in their truck and
go home, to me that’s common sense. They’re doing what the governor has
mandated in his executive order. I trust the people to use common sense. But if
a crowd gathered in the park and I found out about it, I would call Deputy
Kevin Dukes and have him go over there and break the crowd up because they
would be violating the law.”
Councilman Donald Brock said he didn’t believe access could
be restricted to just the walking trail.
Franklin again said that if people are congregating in the
park, a law was put in place by the governor that can be enforced to break up
crowds. He said separate families have been seen picnicking in the park and
people have been using the walking trail, but he doesn’t see that as a
violation. But he reiterated that a bunch of people congregating is a violation
of the law that is enforceable.
“Don’t go down this road of ‘We can’t enforce it,’ Franklin
said. “If someone steps off the trail, should they go to prison? That’s not
what we’re saying. We’re saying, ‘Come out and walk in this public area, walk
your dog, walk your kids, push a stroller, and then get in your car and go
home. Don’t congregate.’ I think people are using common sense.”
Franklin suggested the town could install signs stating that
the walking trails are open, but the rest of the park, restrooms, playground,
Manor and town hall remain closed to the public.
After making several attempts to call for a vote during the
almost-hour-long discussion of the trail closing, Councilman Eddie Baughman
made a motion to open the trail only. Even then, there were questions from
other council members about whether coronavirus germs might be lurking on areas
of the amphitheater that could infect park visitors and whether or not the
germs could live on concrete surfaces.
“The bottom line,” an exasperated Franklin said, “is that
many, many public areas are open now that are known as grocery stores where the
public congregates. You get my point.”
Baughman’s motion passed just before the clock
struck 9 p.m
WINNSBORO – After four days with no increase in the number of coronavirus cases reported in both Fairfield County and Blythewood 29016 ZIP code, on Tuesday, April 21, DHEC reported those numbers rose again from 25 to 26 in Fairfield and from 35 to 38 in Blythewood 29016 ZIP code by Wednesday.
The rate of cases in Fairfield County per 100,000 population
remains high – 8th highest for the 46 counties in South Carolina according to
charts on DHEC’s website. The state has not yet reported any deaths from
COVID-19 in either Fairfield County or the Blythewood 29016 ZIP code.
Governor Henry McMaster and State School Superintendent
Molly Spearman announced Wednesday morning that schools in the state will
continue to be closed for the remainder of the school year in an effort to
limit the spread of the coronavirus.
A new site provided by Cooperative Health for drive-thru
COVID-19 testing is now available in Fairfield County and is free, but testing
will only be administered to those who have an appointment. Insurance is not
required for testing or treatment for COVID-19. The tests and treatment are
provided at no charge to patients.
For information about how to receive free testing in Fairfield County, see below.
BLYTHEWOOD/FAIRFIELD COUNTY – On Friday, April 3, Governor
Henry McMaster ordered the South Carolina Department of Environmental Control
(DHEC) to resume the practice of releasing confirmed COVID-19 case numbers by
ZIP code after DHEC had announced earlier last week that it would stop
providing the ZIP code information.
The latest DHEC ZIP code update available (released on April 9 at 4:08 p.m.) lists 26 confirmed cases for 29016, 25 of which are in the Blythewood community, and 1 in a small area of Fairfield County that lies in 29016. The total number of confirmed cases in Fairfield County’s ZIP codes is 17.
Looking at the rate of cases per 100K of county populations, Fairfield County ranks 8th highest at 76.07, just behind No.7, Charleston County.
Those numbers, as of Thursday, included four new cases in
Blythewood and one case in Fairfield County (29055), but DHEC’s estimated
current cases for both Blythewood and Fairfield County are much greater – 160
in Blythewood 29016 and 94 in Fairfield County’s ZIP codes.
Estimated cases are calculated by DHEC based on evidence
that for every known case of COVID-19, there could be up to 9 people with the
virus who remain unidentified in the community.
“There are many people within our communities who have the
virus and have never been tested,” DHEC said. “[Those with] undocumented
infections often experience mild, limited or no symptoms, which is why they go
unrecognized, and they can expose a far greater portion of the population to
the virus.”
The DHEC chart also includes ‘possible’ cases which would
bring Blythewood 29016’s total cases to 186 and Fairfield County’s to 111. The
number of total possible cases is derived from combining the reported and
estimated cases.
While the official number of cases who have tested positive
for the coronavirus in South Carolina is 2,792 as of Thursday, health officials
said there could be nearly 19,500 cases currently across the state.
As South Carolina moves from containment strategy to a
disease mitigation strategy, there’s less focus on the number of individual
cases in an area and more focus on limiting overall spread throughout the state,
SCDHEC officials stated.
FAIRFIELD/BLYTHEWOOD – Governor McMaster has directed South
Carolina DHEC to again report coronavirus cases by zip code instead of just by
county.
“Starting today, I have directed SC DHEC to publicly disclose the up-to-date numbers of confirmed cases by local zip code. In addition they will provide the estimated number of residents who are likely infected and untested within that same zip code,” McMaster said in a news release. He further stated that providing this non-identifying information violates no state or federal privacy laws and is in the public’s interest.
“It is my hope this disclosure will reinforce to South Carolinians the seriousness and dire necessity of staying home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Those zip code numbers are not yet posted but are expected to be posted later today. The Voice will post cases at blythewoodonline.com by zip code for Fairfield County and Blythewood each day after 4 p.m.
RND restaurant owner Crystal Paulk delivers a family meal curbside to Dominique Gladden. | Contributed
BLYTHEWOOD – The social restrictions that come with the
Covid-19 pandemic have presented a real challenge for our local small
businesses in Blythewood and Fairfield County. But they’ve also presented new
opportunities that are likely to impact how these businesses operate even after
it’s over.
“We’re trying to be innovative and creative, and each and every
day utilizing curbside dining. We’re doing a lot of takeout. We’ve now gone
into delivery,” says Crystal Paulk, whose family owns The Restaurant Next Door
(RND) and The Donut Guy in Winnsboro.
“Were doing like everybody else is doing: sanitizing, sanitizing,
sanitizing,” she says. “And we’re staying prayerful, hopeful, and optimistic.”
At her restaurant, Paulk says, revenue is down about 60
percent since the appearance of the virus prompted government-mandated
shutdowns of restaurant dining rooms and other businesses in an effort to slow
its spread. But she’s working to make up lost ground by helping to meet needs
that have arisen in the era of social distancing.
For example, she’s put together a meal prep menu aimed at
seniors who are staying home to avoid getting sick but may not want to eat
microwave meals – and families who are feeling stressed by trying to balance
all the changes that have come to their lives in recent days.
The put-together meals, she says, provide the right quantity
of ingredients to make the desired portion size – without a trip to the grocery
store or the ahead-of-time work, like marinating meat and vegetables, already
done. The concept is similar to that of online meal kits – except that it’s
local, and the prices reflect that.
“It’s just one area,” she says, “that we can try and help in
a little way.”
Blythewood business owners – like Carla Lomas, who owns
Bloomin’ Bean Coffee Bar and Blythewood Gloriosa Florist; and Scottie Opolyn,
who owns Scottie’s Café & Grill – say that for them too, staying open is
about continuing to serve the community.
Blythewood Pharmacy clerk/technician Arran Montgomery, assisting customers curbside, gloved and masked. | Barbara Ball
Though the flower shop, coffee shop, and restaurant are
closed to the public, Lomas says she’s still doing business by curbside pickup
and delivery, handling orders through the phone and computer.
Scotties is open as well for takeout and curbside pickup.
Plus, because a number of people show up to pick up orders at meal time,
Scottie has tables and chairs set up outside his restaurant for spaced seating
for those waiting on orders.
Fairfield’s boutiques like Over the Top and Shades of Blue
have closed their stores for the most part but are stepping up their online and
Facebook sales.
“We’re posting a lot more items on Facebook, 40 or so at a
time,” Robbie Martin, owner of Shades of Blue in Winnsboro and Bella and Blue
in Ridgeway, said. ”While we don’t have online ordering as such, we offer
shipping and are constantly updating our Facebook posts. Our customers can look
through our posts and call the store, pay over the phone and pick it up or
we’ll be happy to bring it curbside for pickup. It’s not just about shopping,”
Martin said. “It’s about therapy.
“We just want everyone to be safe right now,” she said. “And
we want our customers’ shopping experiences to be safe and enjoyable.”
Phyllis Gutierrez, store manager at Over the Top Boutique in
Ridgeway said the store has long had online shopping at
www.overthetopridgeway.com, but is offering other online shopping experiences
as well.
“We also post items on Instagram and Facebook that may or
may not be on our website,” Gutierrez said. “We offer home drop offs when
possible, phone sales, mail and curbside pickup.”
The store will also start offering private appointments at
the store on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“We are cleaning and wiping down the shop after each
customer and providing hand sanitizer for customers while in the shop,”
Guiterrez said.
Everyone, it seems,
is trying to muddle through the situation together – and sometimes even
businesses of a similar type land on different answers to the question of what
to do in the face of Covid-19: try to stay open, or close completely?
For Robert and Bobbie Pemberton, whose Oldies and Goodies
antique and consignment shop is one of several new businesses in downtown
Winnsboro, have made the difficult decision to close temporarily, at least
through the end of March.
“It’s not the ideal situation for us as a small business
because we still have rent and utilities and things like that to pay, but we
feel like if we just tighten our belts and stay in, maybe we will get through
this faster,” Bobbie Pemberton says.
Liz Humphries, owner of Blythewood Consignment, has kept her
business open – mainly, she says, because even with 75 percent less traffic in
her store, for those who have come in, the shop has met an important need.
So far, she’s observed the significance of small businesses
in a small town – even ones that some policymakers might deem non-essential.
For example, there was a waitress in need of grocery money
who came to pick up the check from items she’d sold through the consignment
store. There was an older lady who just needed to get out of the house – and
was able to come and shop after hours, when no one else was around.
There were countless people who called looking for hand
tools to plant their gardens, or household items like small appliances, because
they wanted to avoid shopping with the crowds at big-box stores — and the
greater risk of exposure to the virus.
“It’s a surreal situation, and I’m just trying to be here,”
Humphries says. “We’re wiping everything down, we’re cleaning stuff… I’ve never
been in a situation like this before, so I really don’t know what to do except
to stay positive, stay clean and just pray.”
If the situation wears on, she says, consignment shops like
hers may become an important income source for people whose income is
disrupted. Already during the pandemic, she’s had some major drop-offs of
furniture that people want to sell.
But whatever is to come in the next weeks and months, she’s
looking forward to the end of Covid-19 and social distancing that will
eventually come – and what it will be like when everyone who’s been cooped up
at home can come out and shop again.
“It’ll be good when it’s over is all I can say,” she says. “If small businesses can just hang on, it’ll be good when it’s over.”
The Voice will continue to update cancellations and closings at blythewoodonline.com. To submit a closing or cancellation notice, email voice@blythewoodonline.com.
BLYTHEWOOD – When Governor McMaster mandated on March 13
that schools, colleges and universities across the state had to shut their
doors until at least March 31, teachers and administrators had to prepare and
execute, in a very short period of time, a plan to continue educating their
students remotely.
Richland Two School District administrators wasted little
time in formulating a plan and prompted their teachers, several days ahead of
the shutdown, to be proactive in planning for the Covid-19 closing of schools.
The plan began to unfold as the district packaged 10 days of
learning activities in remote e-learning packets for grades Pre K- 5 district-wide.
R2 teacher Dr. MaryPaul Hoile finds innovative ways to reach her students remotely. | Contributed
“Teachers at my school were given all day on Tuesday to
prepare to teach our students remotely,” Dr. MaryPaul Hoile said. Hoile, a
25-year veteran teacher, is in her first year of teaching at Bridge Creek
Elementary, a STEAM-M school. She teaches child development for children age
four (CD-4).
“We immediately focused on getting our rooms prepared for
the long absence. We gathered up materials and contacted our
students/families,” She said the teachers at her school were given specific
schedules and directions for the first few days of the shutdown.
According to Hoile’s review of week one, all is going as
smoothly as possible, and students and teachers are now in their second week of
e-learning. She said her students receive their learning packets every Monday
morning either by email, in person by way of car rider line pick up or online
via her class’s private Facebook group.
Hoile depends heavily on Facebook and other social media to
connect with her students during the pandemic. She begins class each weekday
morning by going ‘live’ at 9 a.m. and greeting her students and their families.
“I had previously set up an online Facebook group connection to share a virtual newsletter with all my 20 students and their parents. They (her students) need connection in order to allow for optimal learning,” Hoile said. “We didn’t have an opportunity to say our goodbyes for such an extended period of time, so Facebook provides that connection,” Hoile said. “All of my students’ parents and guardians actively participate with their children by logging in each morning and responding to questions or by greeting each other using the CHAT feature. It’s been a wonderful experience as I read books and sing songs with them. I have also had guest readers/speakers share videos in our group,” Hoile said.
In addition to following her typical morning meeting time as
much as possible, she allows time for her students to work on their remote
learning packets. Throughout the day she will go “live” again to add a video of
herself or another guest reader and to add resources for the parents to use.
“I realize that this is a very stressful time for families
as they work hard to teach their children at home, so I don’t want to overwhelm
them with too much work. Resources are a great way to allow parents the
opportunity to extend learning.”
Hoile credits her previous online teaching experiences in
helping her to be prepared for this unique situation. She is also in contact
with her co-teachers in the child development program by way of virtual
meetings where they can plan and share ideas with one another.
“I feel that we have taken this negative situation and made
it the best possible experience for all of our students,” Hoile said. “By
joining each other’s Facebook pages, we (CD teachers) have been able to observe
and learn from each other to better teach our students,” she said.
As teachers, students and parents learn the ropes of remote
teaching and learning, posts are popping up on social media comically depicting
frustrated parents, and students eager to get back into the school setting with
real teachers and teachers, like Hoile, proving their metal under difficult
circumstances.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Blythewood town council held an emergency council meeting at 1 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, at Town Hall and voted to: 1) close all town government facilities to the public indefinitely, 2)- lock the doors on town hall to the public (staff may work in office or telework, but will return phone calls and emails), 3)cancel all public government meetings indefinitely
These changes were to take effect immediately.
The story below appears in this week’s paper and is a review of the two special called meetings March 12 and March 16 that were held prior to the final emergency meeting on March 18 meeting.
The Voice will follow up online and in print with more information as it becomes available.
BLYTHEWOOD – A special town council meeting was called on
March 12, to discuss how the town government should move forward with regard to
public events in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Council members voted
unanimously to go ahead with two events scheduled over the next two days that
they said were on course to draw thousands of visitors to Doko Park, pointing
out that the two Fests’ attendance numbers could swell over estimates after
many other events in the area had been cancelled.
Four days later, on March 16, after an estimated 2,000
people attended the Doko Rib Fest and Doko Film Fest, Council held a second
special called meeting at the Manor and voted to close all town facilities with
the exception of town hall until March 31. The park, playground and Manor (that
had several scheduled weddings in March) would be closed. Town hall would be
open, continuing to provide services. Walk-ins, however, would be discouraged
in favor of phone calls and emails. Town hall employees would be allowed to
work from home at the discretion of Town Administrator Brian Cook.
That vote also required all town hall facilities, including
the playground, to be professionally cleaned and sanitized after the closing.
The playground would be cleaned and sanitized again prior to being reopened to
the public.
There was also some consideration during the March 16
meeting about the possibility of closing town meetings to the public in the
future if the COVID-19 crisis worsened and providing live stream video with an
option for the public to call or email/text questions to council during the
meeting.
At the prior March 12 meeting, Mayor Brian Franklin said he
had some concerns about allowing the Rib Fest and Film Fest to go on in the
park. Council had awarded a total of about $20,000 to both events.
“So we thought it prudent to come together with
precautionary measures, learn a little bit about this virus and how it may or
may not affect Blythewood and area citizens, but more importantly to alleviate
any fears we may have about gatherings,” Franklin said. He said he was
following the Governor’s lead in calling on citizens to not cancel their
events.
“I agree that I don’t see the need to have a knee jerk
reaction and immediately cancel events,” Councilman Donald Brock said. “I’m the
least concerned with the outdoor events. It seems like common sense should
prevail. If you’re sick, stay home. Let everyone make their own decisions.”
Councilman Eddie Baughman agreed. “If you’re sick, stay at
home. We’re asking people to just take care of yourself. That’s about all we
can do,” Baughman said. “We’re grown adults. We know we can either go or stay
at home.”
Councilman Larry Griffin said he leaned toward erring on the
side of caution – to shut the events down.
“In the beginning I was willing to roll with it, but now I’m
torn. Do we want to put ourselves in position to have a rash of COVID-19?”
Newly elected Councilman Sloan Griffin, Emergency Manager
with the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), was given the
lead by Franklin in presenting the health and safety ramifications of leaving
open or shutting down the festivals.
Franklin pointed out that, as part of (Sloan) Griffin’s work, he meets
with the Governor regularly for COVID-19 updates.
“We need to follow the heartbeats of the folks around us,”
(Sloan) Griffin said. Besides bringing council up to speed on the virus and the
constantly changing effect it’s having on the Midlands, (Sloan) Griffin
explained DHEC’s strategy in preventing the spread of the virus and encouraged
council to follow suit, noting that the Governor, at that time, had encouraged
communities to not cancel events.
At the second special called meeting on March 16, however,
council members leaned more quickly toward closing the town’s facilities to all
gatherings, including weddings at the Manor.
“We may turn some brides into bride-zillas,” (Sloan) Griffin
said, “but I think we need to close things down for at least two weeks. We need
to provide for town hall staff to work at home and take care of their families
while we continue to provide their pay and benefits.”
Council will not meet for its regular monthly meeting on
March 23. There will be no town government meetings until further notice.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Earlier this week, TruVista
Communications announced its plans to provide free internet service to new
customers in homes with K-12 and higher education students.
“We recognize that our company plays an important role in
helping customers connected to their loved ones, workplaces and schools through
the internet,” the press release stated.
Truvista will offer free 60 days of basic internet service,
including free installation to K-12 and/or college students without a current
TruVista subscription. Normal service agreements and deposits will also be
waived.
Closings and cancellations in Blythewood and Fairfield County.
BLYTHEWOOD :
Blythewood Artists Guild Spring Market – Cancelled (originally scheduled for March 28-29)
Blythewood Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting – Cancelled (originally scheduled for March 16, 2020)
Blythewood Garden Club Annual Community Garden Event – Cancelled (Originally scheduled for March 19, 2020)
Blythewood Presbyterian Church & Bruce’s Greenhouse Spring Plant Sale – Cancelled (Originally scheduled for April 4, 2020)
Dollar General – First hour of each shopping day is for senior shoppers.
Doko Manor – Closed until March 31.
Doko Meadows Park – Closed until March 31.
Joyce Dickerson – Press ConferenceCancelled announcing campaign for reelection Richland District 2, County Council (previously scheduled for Monday, March 16, 2020)
Richland County Library – All locations will close, starting Monday, March 16. Loan periods on materials will be extended until they return to full operation.
Richland County Recreation – All events, including practices and games, are canceled through April 4th, 2020
SCDOR – Tax returns and payments due April 1, 2020 – June 1, 2020 will now be due June 1, 2020.
Town of Blythewood Facilities – Closed until March 31, except for Town Hall.
Tricia’s Trunk at Sandy Level Baptist Church – closed for March; hoping to re-open April 18.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY:
Arts on the Ridge – Postponed to Sept 26 (originally May 2)
Blair Coalition of Churches Auction – Scholarship fundraiser is postponed (originally March 21) and will be scheduled for a later date.
Dollar General – First hour of each shopping day is for senior shoppers.
Fairfield County Arts Council – April 7 meeting cancelled
Fairfield County Democratic Convention – Cancelled (scheduled for March 16)
Fairfield County Library – Ceasing all operations March 16 with hopes to reopen on April 1. WiFi remains available outside of the building; digital resources are available on the website. Outstanding items will be due April 1.
Fairfield County Recreation – All programs and athletics suspended until March 31.
Laura’s Tea Room – Café menu and High Tea to go from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Mt. Moriah Baptist Church – Pastor Lee’s Retirement Celebration (scheduled for 3/22) and Sunday worship service are cancelled.
Mt. Zion Project Groundbreaking – Postponed (originally March 27)
The Restaurant Next Door –
Offering curbside pickup, delivery and standard takeout.
Richard Winn Academy Mix & Mingle – Postponed (originally March 21); will be rescheduled for a later date.
SCDOR – Tax returns and payments due April 1, 2020 – June 1, 2020 will now be due June 1, 2020.
SC Railroad Museum – BBQ Dinner train cancelled (March 28); Easter Bunny Express cancelled (April 2 & 7). A decision on Steam Trains (April 25, May 2 & 9) has not yet been made. Ticket buyers will be offered an alternative date, or a full refund, their choice.
St. John’s Episcopal Church – The Goliards musical presentation for March 29 is cancelled.
Town of Ridgeway General Election – Will be rescheduled to occur after May 1, 2020. Specific dates will be announced later.
Wings & Wheels Festival – Cancelled, will not be rescheduled. (Originally scheduled for May 9).
SCHOOLS:
The Early Learning Center at Richard Winn – Closed March 16 – March 31.
