John Culbreth of Thomas & Hutton engineering presents information about the proposed wastewater treatment plant to packed chamber during council’s meeting Monday night. | Barbara Ball
WINNSBORO – Over a hundred residents from lower Fairfield
County, Cedar Creek and the northwestern section of Blythewood, including the
mayor of Blythewood, filled Fairfield county council chambers and an overflow
room Monday evening during a three hour council meeting over concerns about a
wastewater treatment plant that council has proposed on a site near the
intersection of Syrup Mill and Broom Mill Roads.
While the county has only optioned the site at this point,
residents expressed concerns about the proximity of the site to their homes.
Their urgency was to stop or delay the third and final reading of Ordinance 738
which many thought would finalize the purchase of the Syrup Mill Road site.
County officials said, however, that the ordinance is not
for a particular parcel of land but authorizes the county to purchase at least
50 acres of land not to exceed a cost of $300,000 that would be suitable for
construction of a wastewater treatment facility.
After several false starts, council approved the ordinance
with a 4 – 3 vote with councilmen Moses Bell, Mikel Trapp and Douglas Pauley
voting against. Pauley represents the Syrup Mill Road area.
Residents voiced their concerns during public comment time
at the beginning of the meeting. But as the meeting wore on, tempers flared
with frequent interruptions and outbursts from the audience. At one point
chairman Neil Robinson threatened to eject those who continued to interrupt.
Addressing council, Don Quick, a resident of the Center
Creek community in Ridgeway, said the big issue is the stigma attached to a
wastewater plant and the effect it would have on home values in the area.
David Valentine, who also lives on Center Creek Road, said
the county’s proposal would be using antiquated processes. He addressed the
wastewater treatment plant as being located on an industrial site.
“Modern technology drives for a zero discharge proposal with
on-site holding ponds,” Valentine said.
While many of those attending the meeting live in proximity
to the plant, others who live downstream on Cedar Creek west of Blythewood in
Richland County expressed concern that the plan calls for the wastewater plant
to discharge treated wastewater into the creek.
“It’s bad enough that council would consider building an
industrial wastewater treatment plant in the midst of this bucolic residential
setting, but you would propose to flush the large toilet down Cedar Creek,”
George Walker, Jr., who owns a farm in Blythewood, said.
“What guarantees do we have that this discharge water will
not pollute the aquafers around and under the creek that so many families
depend on?” asked Sean Goff who owns a farm on Cedar Creek. “Data shows
elevated bacteria levels downstream of similar facilities. How can we let our
kids play in this creek with this in place?”
Other residents addressed odors, contamination, traffic and
the eyesore of the plant itself.
John Culbreth, principal/regional director of engineering
firm Thomas Hutton addressed those questions as well as another 100 or so
council had invited residents to send in.
With a power point presentation, Culbreth displayed what he
said the facility would look like – a state-of- the-art water treatment plant
recently constructed in the town of Isle of Palms.
“The type of system we’re proposing is what is being done in
coastal communities where you’re dealing with property next door worth upwards
of $2 million,” he said. “The one shown here is right next to a golf course.”
Culbreth said the golf course uses some of the discharged water for irrigation.
“It’s nice and clean. The system is all enclosed. There are
not big open aeration basins that you’re looking at. It’s not the old school
stuff you see driving down I-77. That’s not what’s being built. This,” he said,
pointing to the screen, “is what’s going to be built.”
“An odor scrub system will be in place, and as far as noise,
sound attenuation walls on the structure will minimize pump sounds. You
probably wouldn’t hear anything unless you’re on the property, and it would
sound more like office type activity, nothing more than that.”
Culbreth said there will be at least 100 feet of buffer
around the property and could be more if that particular sight is eventually
settled on. He also said a membrane
bioreactor (MBR) system, the latest technology, was chosen for its advanced
level of treatment of the wastewater that will come out and because it has a
small footprint.
“The system can be put inside of a facility that will look
like a golf club house. It’s all inside and covered,” he said. “This is the
state-of-the-art that we can do right now. It’s not your typical wastewater
treatment plant. ”
Pauley asked if there was a reason the plant could not be
built on the megasite.
“The issue is that the megasite is not the best site
countywide,” Culbreth said. “If you’re going to try to serve just the megasite,
then put it there. But the goal here is to have larger investment to the
overall regional community, to benefit the overall area, and the best location
for that is closer to where the site is that it benefits. And it’s the area
that’s going to grow first. If the state’s going to help provide $40 million to
pay for a wastewater treatment plant, it has to benefit the entire region, not
just the megasite.”
While County Administrator Jason Taylor said the county has
looked at other properties and that a couple of others are still in play, all
of them are going to discharge into Cedar Creek.
As far as the possibility of water well contamination along
the creek, Culbreth said with this type of system that will be used, he didn’t
see any concerns with discharging into the creek.
“It’s septic tanks that are about five to 20 percent of the
causes of any kind of well contamination,” he said. “That’s on DHEC’s website.
I’ve never been asked to fix a well that was impacted.”
“Are you saying it [water discharged from the plant] won’t
affect their wells?” Pauley asked.
“Yes sir, I am saying that,” Culbreth said.
“The level of treatment we’re talking about is near drinking water standards. [This discharged water] will be about as clean as the water in the creek.”
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department
is not commenting on a reported chase and subsequent crash involving two County
Sheriff’s Department vehicles in pursuit of another vehicle, which ended with a
shooting with injuries.
The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday night, with the
chase commencing on Highway 321 and ending in the vicinity of Highway 200 and
Mobley Road.
When The Voice requested an incident report, Major Brad
Douglas of the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department referred The Voice to the
S.C. Highway Patrol, saying he could not comment on it at this time.
“We turned the investigation over to the Highway Patrol so
it will be up to them to issue the incident report,” Douglas said.
A spokesperson for the S.C. Highway Patrol referred The
Voice to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) which had not, at
press time, responded to a voicemail The Voice left on Monday.
This is a developing story, and more information will be
published as it becomes available. The investigation is being conducted by the
S.C. Highway Department and SLED.
Jenkinsville Water Company board members. | Barbara Ball
WINNSBORO – The Jenkinsville Water Company’s president Greg
Ginyard was awash in adulation during the company’s annual meeting last week.
Ginyard announced that the company’s water had, for the
second time in two years, received the “Best Tasting Water in SC award.” This, despite facing multiple DHEC violations
citing tainted water supplies.
Sen. Mike Fanning D-Great Falls and House Rep. Annie
McDaniels were on hand to call upon the name of the Senate and House to shower
Ginyard with praise over the award which had been handed out by the S.C. Rural
Water Association (RWA) at its annual meeting in October.
“It is well known at the Statehouse that you kept up with
the legislation concerning water companies and districts and that you keep
others well-informed while fighting for growth and quality,” Fanning said,
reading from a framed personal letter signed by himself that he presented to
Ginyard.
Fanning’s praise comes amid JWC facing multiple water
quality violations, including one this past summer noting radioactivity in the
water supply.
It is at least the fourth violation in the past five years,
according to agency records obtained by The Voice.
On several occasions during the past year, JWC members have brought water samples to public meetings to support their claims that the water from their JWC taps is murky and bad tasting.
It turns out that the rules and standards for RWA’s water
tasting contest are equally murky.
“Whoever wants to can bring their water samples [to the
annual meeting] and they are judged on taste, clarity and a few other things,”
Amy Kinard, events and marketing coordinator with the RWA, said.
“We have about four people who are in the water industry who
served as judges this year,” Kinyard said.
Of RWA’s 240 member water companies, she said only about 5
or 6 entered the taste-test contest that JWC won.
She confirmed that RWA has no specific standards for the
contest and does not test the water samples that are entered for competition.
She said RWA leaves it to the contest entrants to collect their own samples and
bring them in for taste testing.
Kinard acknowledged that winners aren’t required to
authenticate the source of their drinking water samples.
“We give them the benefit of the doubt,” she said. “We take
them at their word. They’re members of our organization.”
Compliance with DHEC drinking standards isn’t listed among
the RWA’s award guidelines.
In other business, Ginyard read aloud the company’s annual
financial statement, but did not make copies available to the members.
When asked by The Voice for a copy of the financial
statement, explaining that it’s a public record, Ginyard refused, saying he would
have to contact his board members at a later time to ask if he could provide
it.
Ginyard also noted that JWC dug a new well last year at a
cost of $800,000, paid cash for a new truck, had investment earnings of $67,085
and a cash and investment balance of $239,386.
During the meeting, members re-elected the following board
members to their seats: Greg Ginyard, Tim Yarborough, Tangee Brice Jacobs and
Jerald Smith. Clemart Camack was elected to replace board member Preston Peach
who resigned last month after serving four years.
Following the meeting, board members sequestered themselves
in a back room without a prior vote to go into executive session as required by
S. C. statute. When board members came out a few minutes later, Ginyard
announced that they had elected officers among themselves while behind closed
doors, a clear violation of the state’s Freedom of Information Act, which
states: “To adjourn into executive session, a vote must be taken in public. The
only actions that can be taken in executive sessions [behind closed doors] are
to adjourn or return to public session.”
BLYTHEWOOD – Looking for work? Want to earn $14.50 – $15.50
per hour, aid training and flexible hours? Then you won’t want to miss this
opportunity being offered right here in Blythewood.
The 2020 Census will hold two job fairs at the Blythewood
Library – one this week and another one next month. The first will be held on
Saturday, Jan. 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The second will be held on Tuesday,
Feb. 18, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Flexible hours will be offered as well as paid training.
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County is one vote away from
unleashing a ban on animal tethering, an important protection animal advocates
say will help reduce animal injuries and abuse cases.
On Dec. 9, council members unanimously passed second reading
of the ordinance, which also includes provisions curtailing animal hoarding.
Third and final reading will likely occur in January.
A key component of the Fairfield ordinance is a set of
guidelines for a trolley system, which resembles a zip line. With a trolley,
leashes are attached to an overhead cable that gives dogs greater freedom.
Trolley lines must measure at least 20 feet between
endpoints, and dogs attached to trolleys must wear a harness. The ordinance
prohibits attaching the trolley leash to a collar. Harnesses are considered
safer because they wrap around a dog’s chest instead of having a collar around
a dog’s neck.
Dogs must also have access to adequate food, water and
shelter, according to the draft ordinance.
An earlier version of the ordinance allowed limited
tethering for short durations, but the latest ordinance bans tethering
altogether.
“[This ordinance] takes the tethering concept away,” said
Tommy Morgan, the county’s attorney.
“This [revision] is needed on so many levels,” said Kathy
Faulk, a Fairfield County resident with the Hoof and Paw Benevolent Society,
who spoke during the public comment session. She thanked council for their
promotion of animal welfare in Fairfield County and also called for an end to
overbreeding and hoarding in the county.
Chain, Collar Injuries
To illustrate the problem of animal abuse, Faulk distributed
to council members a stack of graphic photos of dogs with deep neck wounds that
resulted from tethering.
“We were mortified, very sad and angry as we looked at these
photographs,” Faulk said.
“We seem to be picking up more and more animals that are
injured by chains and collars,” Bob Innes, the director of the county’s animal
control and adoption center, added.
While the ordinance also cracks down on animal hoarding, Morgan
said the ordinance isn’t directed at legally operated kennels or livestock.
Ridgeway resident Randy Bright called all kinds of animal
abuse a “stain on our entire county.”
Bright repeated his previous calls for the solicitor’s
office to more aggressively prosecute animal abuse and neglect cases. He also
noted some cases could be prosecuted under the new federal animal cruelty law,
which carries penalties of up to seven years in prison for the most serious
offenses.
“How can we leverage that? Federal laws have the highest
penalties it seems,” he said.
Winnsboro resident Randy Sisk cautioned council members
against adding more restrictions.
“While you’re doing this, think very carefully,” Sisk said.
“This could cost the county significantly with lawsuits.”
In July 2018, Sisk was charged with ill treatment of animals
after, according to an incident report, his two dogs were discovered in a back
yard, chained to a tree and tangled in the chain so that one of the dogs couldn’t
reach shade.
The dogs also didn’t have access to food, water or shelter
and were subsequently taken into protective custody, the report said. However,
a Fairfield County magistrate dismissed the case in October 2018.
At the Dec. 9 council meeting, Sisk said one of his dogs had
died while in the county’s custody.
But veterinary documents previously obtained by The Voice
state the dog was already suffering from severe dirofilariasis, commonly known
as canine heartworms, when it was taken into protective custody. A necropsy
report stated that there were “large numbers of nematodes within the heart, the
pulmonary artery and its branches.”
This is Fairfield County’s second revision in as many years
to its animal control ordinance.
In 2018, council revised the ordinance to include a $500
civil fine for violations. The updated law also includes more detailed
definitions of nuisance animals and requires all pets to be fed once a day and
provided potable water. It also requires mandatory reporting of pets struck by
a vehicle.
As proposed, the Fairfield County’s anti-tethering ordinance
mirrors a similar ordinance that Aiken County adopted in 2017. Aiken County
Administrator Clay
Killian told The Voice that the ordinance has not faced any
legal challenges.
Taxpayers Pay for Abuse
Innes said all types of animal abuse cases, including over
breeding and hoarding, burden taxpayers in the long run.
“There’s a lot of people in this county that are just
chaining a dog and just breeding it and breeding it,” Innes said. “They dump
puppies on animal control, which means taxpayers are picking up the bill.”
COLUMBIA – Richland Two school board approved $1,000 bonuses
for its 3,600 district employees during a special called meeting Tuesday night.
The district allocated $4.1 million of a $16.9 million
budget surplus for teachers and all full-time permanent employees.
Superintendent Dr. Baron Davis said the allocation is an effort to be
competitive with surrounding school districts that have recently approved
similar bonuses.
Teachers’ salaries in Richland Two, on average, are $52,149,
higher than the $50,182 average of teachers statewide.
Besides the bonuses, other allocations from the surplus
approved by the board include $750,000 for classroom supplies ($25 per
student), $750,000 for media center upgrades ($25 per student) and $3.5 million
for building renovations to help lessen the impact on taxpayers for the funding
of annual capital improvement expenditures, according to an email released by
the district following the meeting.
The remaining $7.8 million of the surplus will be rolled
over into the FY 2019-20 budget rather than into the fund balance as the
district has done in the past.
The source of the surplus was a combination of $9.3 million
in lower expenditures than budgeted (primarily in salaries and fringe benefits)
and $7.6 million in higher than anticipated revenues ($3.6 million in local
taxes and $4.1 million in state revenues), according to district officials.
Last year, the state legislature spent $160 million for a
four percent raise for teachers.
School officials say
the $1,000 bonuses could be paid out as early as next month.
WINNSBORO – Allen Jeter Johnson, 57, is missing and the
Winnsboro Department of Public Safety is asking the public to contact the
Department should they see him or know of his whereabouts.
Johnson was last seen Friday, Jan. 3, about 12 noon when he
walked from his residence. He was wearing black pants and a grey and black
shirt.
Johnson is about 6 foot 2 inches tall and weighs
approximately 165 pounds.
Contact Lt. Mike Carrell with Winnsboro Department of Public
Safety at 803-635-2222 with any information.
2019 In Review: New Industries Brought Jobs, Investment to Fairfield County
WINNSBORO – A year
and a half ago, a Lowcountry newspaper lamented Fairfield County’s double digit
unemployment. What a difference a couple of years has made.
Today, the county’s unemployment rate has shrunk to 3.1
percent and, according to County Administrator Jason Taylor, industrial
prospects over the last couple of years have accounted for the creation of more
than 700 new jobs and a $70 million impact.
In fact, Fairfield County has completed one of its busiest
years on record, with county leaders tackling a flotilla of projects and inking
a number of important deals. The new year saw the opening of the Providence ER,
complete with additional outpatient services. The transformation saves the
county some $600,000 annually over the previous funding of the former Fairfield
Memorial Hospital.
Economic development, infrastructure improvements and
revitalization highlight a laundry list of accomplishments that followed in
2019, and county officials say they plan to continue growing that list in 2020.
County Council Chairman Neil Robinson said while much was
accomplished in 2019, he predicted that 2020 could be a breakout year. He
credited Taylor, who was hired a little over two years ago, for guiding the
council’s directives to fruition.
“His vision and knowledge of where we should be and how we
get there surprises me every day,” Robinson said. “If Fairfield’s 2019 could be
summed up in one word, it’s jobs.”
Taylor agreed.
“Between the various projects, it’s been a very good year
for us,” Taylor said. “One of our responsibilities in local government is to
improve the quality of people’s lives. A job is critical to someone having a
good quality of life.”
Taylor, council and county employees have taken that
responsibility seriously and the results are popping up in various ways, not
the least of which is a new, cooperative relationship between the county and
the Town of Winnsboro – a far cry from the rancor that had for years stymied
progress for the two governments.
Bringing employment to the county is a trend county leaders
hope to continue in 2020 as the result of groundwork laid the past couple of
years in revitalization, water and sewer infrastructure and the acquisition of
new industry.
To that end, the county is working to expand its newly
created Fairfield County Water Authority as well as construct a major
wastewater treatment facility to serve the I-77 corridor and megasite,
something Robinson says is vital in landing major industry on the order of
Boeing, BMW or Mazda.
Here’s a summary of the major projects Fairfield County
tackled in 2019, as well as the forecast for 2020.
Economic Development
MLILY, Pharmacy Lite Packaging and Sea Pro Boats are the
latest industries to have commenced or announced operations in Fairfield County
in 2019. More job announcements are anticipated in coming weeks, according to
Robinson.
Mattresses at MLILY move along a conveyor belt where they are inserted into mattress covers, then rolled up by another piece of equipment and packaged for shipping.
“Landing MLILY was a major accomplishment,” Robinson said.
“You’re talking about a $48 million investment into the county. That’s a lot of
tax money coming to us.”
Ty Davenport, Director of Fairfield County Economic
Development, said Pharmacy Lite Packaging, which is launching operations in the
former Wal-Mart building, represents a $2.9 million investment, though he
thinks that figure will grow to $3.5 million in time.
“It’s expected to create 33 new jobs, which we think in
coming years will get up closer to around 100,” he said.
Just before Christmas, the county authorized an agreement
with Victory Boats, LLC, which is expanding to Fairfield County. Located in the
former Fazio building on Hwy 34 near the Highway 321 bypass, the company brings
with it a $3 million investment and 135 new jobs.
“We also did a lot of work to save and help expand both Element
and MEKRA Lang,” Taylor said.
“If we continue to target industrial growth opportunities,
commercial and residential growth should follow,” he said. “We were at 14
percent (unemployment) not too terribly long ago,” Taylor said. “The problem is
a lot of people are driving outside the county to work. We have to have
opportunities for people to work here at home. When people stay at home, they
invest and shop here.”
Water and Sewer Infrastructure
Heavily linked to economic development is the improvement of
the county’s infrastructure. Water and sewer are a top priority.
In March, the county formed the Fairfield County Joint Water
and Sewer Authority Commission. So far, the membership is made up of the county
and the Town of Winnsboro.
The authority is vital to the funding and construction of
the wastewater treatment plant, which is seen as needed infrastructure by
industry looking to relocate to Fairfield County.
In 2020, the county hopes to place a sales tax referendum on
the November ballot to help generate additional funds for the plant.
“We’ve been working hard in conjunction with the Town of
Winnsboro and the State of South Carolina to secure funds for the plant,”
Taylor said. “Water and sewer are critical to our future development.”
Over the past two years, the state has provided about $3.8
million to Fairfield County to cover costs associated with engineering and
studies for the new plant.
Robinson said council looked all across the county before
securing a site off Syrup Mill Road for the plant. Piping would funnel
wastewater from the megasite to the plant. It would then be discharged into Big
Cedar Creek.
Once we complete the wastewater treatment facility, that’s
when we’re going to land that big deal,” Robinson said. “Those (deals) could
mean hiring 1,500 to 2,000 employees.
Accommodations, hospitality taxes
The proposed local option sales tax referendum is separate
from the county accommodations and hospitality taxes enacted in 2019.
Expected annual revenue of about $250,000 from these taxes
will be paid primarily by tourists. The revenue can be spent in a number of
ways to benefit the town and county and their businesses. It can also be used
to construct public meeting facilities, other enhancements and tourism services
as well as entertainment events and capital projects that will attract tourist
dollars to the town and county.
The accommodation and hospitality tax revenue can also be
used to pay indebtedness issued by the County for public purposes.
In December, the Town of Winnsboro adopted a resolution
allowing the two taxes to be collected (by the county) from businesses in the
town as well.
“We’ve overcome the last obstacle to implementing the
accommodations and hospitality tax, and that will move forward shortly,” Taylor
added.
Airport upgrades
The Fairfield County Airport is seeing more large corporate jets like this one that arrived for the grand opening of MLILY last month. | Denise Bryan
An especially valuable commodity in the county’s economic
development toolbox is the Fairfield County Airport, located off Hinnants Store
Road in Winnsboro. But it was not always so before Taylor hired pilot Denise
Bryant as director of the airport in 2017. Until then, the airport was
deficient in many areas. The previous fuel farm technically didn’t comply with
regulations set by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
“We found that our fuel farm and our tanks were not what
they should be,” Taylor said. “They weren’t even licensed by DHEC. We have
taken measures to remediate all of that.”
During the last two years, Bryant has overseen the
construction of a new state-of-the-art fuel farm that was completed in
December.
“The fuel farm is very attractive, well-done. It’s something
to be proud of now,” Taylor said.
Two, 12,000-gallon fuel tanks were installed. With the extra
capacity, the airport can take in more fuel deliveries, which translates into
lower costs.
In addition, the pumps feature a card reader display and a
second screen display large enough for pilots to view, even when they’re
fueling their planes from the opposite side of their craft.
“You can actually go to the other side of your plane to fuel
and you can see the dollar amount of what’s going into your plane,” Bryant
said.
Bryant has also overseen other major upgrades including
lighting and signage. The facility boasts a 5,000-foot runway and parallel
taxiway, a modern terminal building with upgraded furnishings, a laser grade
testing center, a pilot’s shop, flight instruction and new T-Hangars.
In 2020, the county plans to resurface all of the airport’s
ramps, taxiways and runways. The work is expected to start sometime in March or
April, and take about a month to complete.
Bryant said the federal government is covering 90 percent,
or about $320,000 of the project. The county and state are each picking up 5
percent, or about $16,800 for their respective portions.
“Upgrang and modernizing the airport is important because
the facility is often the first impression CEOs of prospective industries have
when they fly into Fairfield County,” Bryant said.
“There’s a lot of general aviation traffic that comes into a
community first, especially in the corporate world,” she said. “The general
aviation airport in Fairfield is extremely important in putting down the
welcome carpet.”
Mt. Zion renovation
Fairfield County spent much of 2018 putting together a plan
to revitalize the former Mt. Zion Institute building to serve as a new
Fairfield County government center in downtown Winnsboro.
In 2019, the county devoted considerable efforts to working
with the developer, 1st and Main, a North Carolina firm, to secure the financing
for the renovation.
More than half of the funding of the $11.5 million project
would come from state and federal tax credits associated with the property.
Fairfield County plans to buy the building via interest free
annual lease payments of approximately $4.9 million over seven years. At the
end of those seven years, the county will make a final payment to purchase and
take ownership of the property from 1st and Main.
“We got all the
financing we were hoping we would get and a little more, actually. And all the
design work is done,” Taylor said.
The actual construction is slated to start in January 2020
and is expected to last 16 months, with a projected opening sometime in Spring,
2021.
Market Building
More than 100 people attended the Ag + Art Farm to Table dinner at the new Market building in downtown Winnsboro last June.
The launching of the Fairfield County Market building has
helped increase foot traffic in downtown Winnsboro, which county officials hope
will spill over to existing shops and restaurants.
Opened in May, the Market is located in a renovated former
county building located on East Washington behind the Town Clock. With a
kitchen, classroom, restrooms and a large, open market room, the building can
be used not only by the farmer’s market on Saturdays but for weddings,
receptions and other large community or family gatherings.
Zion Hill Revitalization
During 2019, the county and Town of Winnsboro cooperatively
undertook the revitalization of the Zion Hill and Fortune Springs Park
neighborhoods, with input from the residents of the area. It is a major step
forward in bringing this area back to its Glory days, county officials say.
In November, the county landed the first of several planned
grants to help pay for the project. The initial $488,000 Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) will be augmented by a 10 percent ($48,900) local government
match, giving the county more than $536,000 at its disposal to begin Phase I of
the revitalization effort.
This dilapidated home on West College Street is one of the eyesores county and town officials are aiming to clean up in the Zion Hill neighborhood with CDBG grant funding. | Barbara Ball
That work will include the demolition and clearance of
approximately 40 dilapidated and vacant structures, according to the Central
Midlands Council of Governments’ (CMCOG) planners who are working with the
county and town to guide and supervise the revitalization.
The demolition work made possible by the bond will begin
this spring and must be finished in two years. Both the town and the county are
eligible to apply for two $500,000 bonds each year.
At a community meeting in July, Gregory Sprouse, a planner
with the CMCOG, said he hopes the Zion Hill project represents the beginning of
more broad revitalization work in Winnsboro neighborhoods.
“We want this [Zion Hill] to be a starting point for how we
can move similar types of projects into other areas of the town that need the
same type of commitment,” Sprouse said. “CDBG funds must be spent to benefit
low to moderate income populations based on census data, and Zion Hill and the
Fortune Springs Park area fit that criteria.”
Broadband
County officials ended the year in new pursuit of broadband
expansion in the county – a pursuit that, in the past, has been futile.
“On broadband, I will just say we are exploring potential
opportunities that may be available that could assist us in working with our
existing local providers to expand the service,” Taylor said. “Like other
infrastructure that we are working on, we realize that for the county to grow,
improving our broadband service is critical. In today’s world, people expect
service to be widely available and fast.”
WINNSBORO – Another new company is coming to Fairfield
County, bringing with it a $3 million investment and as many as 135 new jobs.
Sea Pro Boats, LLC is expanding its South Carolina
operations to Fairfield County and will be located in the former Fazio Building
at 396 State Highway 34 East in Winnsboro.
A saltwater fishing boat manufacturer has manufactured
center console fishing boats for 30 years. The new facility will produce larger
center console boats, greater than 24 feet in length, to its product line.
The company’s expansion is expected to be completed by June
2020.
The company will begin hiring after Jan. 2, and individuals
interested in joining the Sea Pro Boats, LLC team should call Gallman Personnel
Services at 803-772-8046.
WINNSBORO – Barring a Christmas miracle, the Midlands
Fatherhood Coalition is in danger of shutting down.
The Coalition, which serves Fairfield County and is part of
the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, is slated to cease
operations Dec. 31. State funding cuts are to blame.
Santanna Hayes with the coalition’s Fairfield County office
said during a recent presentation to Fairfield County Council that the agency
is requesting an additional $60,000 per year from the county for the next three
years. The county already gives $40,000 annually to the Coalition.
“We were able to recoup a good bit of funding through some
efforts we’ve done this year,” Hayes said. “But, unfortunately, Fairfield
remains on the list of offices to be closed.”
The Midlands Fatherhood Coalition provides services to
fathers in need, including support groups, job coaching, transportation
assistance, access to men’s healthcare education and other services aimed at
helping struggling fathers.
The coalition’s Fairfield budget is about $213,000 a year,
including $40,000 from the county, said Laura Johnson, the county’s acting
deputy county administrator.
On Dec. 9, council members voted 6-1 against awarding the
additional $60,000. Councilman Mikel Trapp cast the lone dissenting vote.
The vote comes following a recommendation by the
Administrative and Finance Committee to disapprove the additional $60,000
funding.
Councilman Moses Bell, who voted against the funding
request, wanted to know if there was a way to save the Midlands Father
Coalition. To that end, he proposed absorbing the coalition into county
government.
Johnson said that would cost the county the full $213,000
annually. She said the county does not fully fund any agency.
“Everyone talks about how good the fatherhood coalition has
been in this county.
Can we add this service to another existing group in the
county?” Bell asked. Councilman Clarence Gilbert said he sympathized with the
coalition’s predicament, but also thought the agency’s funding troubles are
beyond the county’s ability to solve.
“To me it’s like having someone on life support. You want to
keep them around, you want them to stay here, but eventually you have to give
them up,” Gilbert said. “It’s a great program, but they understood where we’re
coming from. If we give them $100,000, what is it really going to do?”
Hays clarified in committee earlier that the $100,000 would
not include the total of the staff’s salaries.
The issue of cost has arisen previously. At the Oct. 14
meeting, Councilman Jimmy Ray Douglas said the cost was too great.
“It’s a lot of money to give in addition to what we’re
already giving,” Douglas said.
Councilwoman Bertha Goins voiced sympathy to the coalition’s
plight.
“When you think about the impact it has on personal lives
and the quality of life, you’re investing in the future,” Goins said. “We have
to be concerned about dollars, but on certain things you can’t put a price
tag.”
Midlands Fatherhood Coalition’s budget crunch is the result
of a complex set of funding cuts at the S.C. Department of Social Services,
which funds about half of the coalition’s budget.
In 2016, the state agency reached a settlement agreement in
a federal suit involving neglected and abused children.
As part of that agreement, the state agreed to “make all reasonable
efforts to provide funding and other resources necessary to the implementation
and achievement of the obligations under the Settlement Agreement,” according
to federal court records.
In turn, losing DSS funding has hindered the coalition’s
ability to obtain grants from other sources, Johnson said.
“Even with county funding, the group would have to scale
back operations,” Johnson added. “When they lost DSS funding, federal and state
funding all followed. It is a significant budgetary impact.”
Hayes noted the DSS funding cuts have nothing to do with the
coalition’s performance. She noted that since its inception in 1998, the local
office has served over 256 fathers and 400 children, providing a tax savings of
$331,000.
“We want Fairfield to stay on the map as an office,” Hayes
said. “We’re at a standstill when it comes to DSS funding. There is no promise
of additional funding at this time.”
