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Category: News

  • County Council casts second vote approving rezoning of golf course

    COLUMBIA – On Tuesday night, Richland County Council cast a second vote in as many weeks in favor of a rezoning that could turn a former golf course bordering Crickentree neighborhood into hundreds of homes. A third vote, to be taken Sept. 17, will be the final say on the issue.

    The 9-1-1 vote came after Councilwoman Joyce Dickerson, who represents the Crickentree area, presented a plan for developing the 183-acre golf course property that she said was a compromise reached during talks that occurred on July 2, between six Crickentree residents and E-Capital, a Texas investment firm that purchased the property out of bankruptcy last year.

    But Crickentree resident Dr. Traci Cooper, who, along with the majority of Crickentree residents, opposes the rezoning, said she was shocked when she heard the plan presented by Dickerson.

    “That was not a compromise reached at our meeting,” Cooper, one of the six negotiators, said following Tuesday night’s council meeting.

    Dr. Traci Cooper, right, rallies her Crickentree neighbors outside Council chambers Tuesday night following a second defeat by County Council. | Barbara Ball

    “That was an exploratory meeting that started out very healthy with both sides putting all their options on the table. But no conclusions were reached,” Cooper said.

    “We proposed a map with a 500-foot buffer and a maximum of 140 homes. The E-Capital representative, to his credit, listened to us and said he would take the options we presented back to his planner to see if they would work and that E-Capital would get back to us. We were to have another meeting that never materialized. That’s what Ms. Dickerson should have presented to council, because we had not yet heard back from E-Capital and no consensus had been reached.”

    In an email sent hours after the July 2 meeting to inform his fellow residents of the status of the evening’s negotiations, Crickentree resident Russ St. Marie wrote, “We offered a 500-foot buffer option that would have allowed E-Capital 138 homes. However, Mrs. Dickerson said she would not support a 500-foot buffer.”

    In that email, St. Marie wrote that Dickerson had agreed to doubling the 150-foot buffer to 300 feet.

    The next day, July 3, residents received an email from Dickerson indicating an agreement had been reached at the July 2 meeting for a 250-foot buffer and 205 homes.

    “We did not hear back from E-Capital, so we sent a letter to Ms. Dickerson on July 7 reiterating our proposal but heard nothing further from either Ms. Dickerson or E-Capital until she announced her plan to Council last night,” Cooper told The Voice on Wednesday.

    “The negotiations were cherry-picked and presented as an agreed-upon plan. How were the other council members to know her plan was not something we had agreed to?” Cooper said.

    “Our proposal is a win-win for everyone,” Cooper told The Voice. “They still get to build and make a profit of about $24 million, and we get something that we want. I hope they [council] will look at our plan.”

    Dickerson told The Voice on Wednesday that she left the July 2 meeting with the understanding that a consensus had been reached for 205 homes and a 250-foot buffer.

    “I wasn’t going to make E-Capital give up any more homes since they were giving another 100 feet of buffer,” Dickerson said.

    “While I don’t doubt what Ms. Dickerson is saying was actually discussed [with residents], I would like to see it in writing,” Councilman Calvin ‘Chip’ Jackson said after Dickerson made her proposal to council.

    Jackson moved to table the issue until specifics could be worked out and sent back in writing to council.

    “I don’t see why there is such a rush to do this, why can’t we defer it until the August meeting, until the details are worked out and if not, then it can be deferred again until the details are worked out and presented to this council,” Jackson said.

    Jackson’s motion to defer failed.

    Council voted 9-1-1 to approve the rezoning with Councilwoman Allison Terracio voting against and Jackson abstaining.

    On June 25, the council voted 7-3 in favor of the rezoning requested by E-Capital. While the county’s planning staff recommended the requested rezoning from Traditional Recreational Open Space (TROS) to Low Density Residential (RS-LD), the Planning Commission voted twice against recommending the rezoning to Council.

    The third and final vote is set for Sept. 17 at County Council Chambers.

  • Mayor’s seat, 2 council seats open for November election

    BLYTHEWOOD – Three seats on Blythewood Town Council will be on the town’s election ballot Nov. 5 – two council seats and the mayor’s seat.

    Because the mayor’s seat has term limits, Mayor J. Michael Ross will not seek re-election.

    Councilman Eddie Baughman told The Voice that he will be seeking re-election. Councilman Malcolm Gordge, whose term is also up, said he will campaign to become the town’s next mayor.

    Whether running for a seat or voting for one, the following is information residents need to know to participate in the Nov. 5 town election.

    Filings for seats open at noon on Aug. 22 at Town Hall. Because Blythewood is not districted, the town’s candidates are at-large. Candidates will file by Statement of Candidacy.

    Filings close at noon, Sept. 6. Candidates must file Statements of Economic Interests electronically with the State Ethics Commission and paper copies with the Blythewood Town Clerk by 5 p.m. that day. Candidates are certified by the Richland County Election Commission.

    For residents who plan to vote in the November election, Oct. 5 is the last day to register to vote in person (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.) Oct. 6 is the last day to register to vote by fax/online (until 11:59 p.m.) Oct. 7 is the last day for a by-mail registration to be postmarked.

    Oct. 7 is also the day absentee ballots are available at Richland County Voter Registration office.

    The general election is held on Nov. 5. Winners are determined by non-partisan plurality method.

    For information call Blythewood Town Hall at 803-754-0501 or the Richland County Election Commission/Voter Registration at 803-929-6000.

  • Council OKs zoning for land for incinerator despite heated opposition

    WINNSBORO – A Fairfield County incinerator proposal remains a hot topic between Winnsboro area residents and county leaders.

    Over the objections of residence in attendance, Fairfield County Council voted 5-2 Monday night to rezone 11 acres off Old Airport Road as part of a plan to replace a wood chipper with an incinerator.

    Council members Moses Bell and Mikel Trapp voted against the rezoning.

    Those voting in the majority said the incinerator represented the cheapest and most environmentally viable option. They also said the rezoning vote doesn’t mean the incinerator is automatically a done deal.

    Others weren’t convinced.

    Shirley Seibles, an opponent of the incinerator, questioned whether it really falls outside a 500-foot buffer zone with residents’ homes. She said true distance is closer to 387 feet.

    “It is not 500 feet unless it goes into someone else’s property,” she said. “We think that’s a matter of environmental concern.”

    William Ott, an engineer with Davis and Floyd, Inc. of North Charleston, said measurements show the incinerator does lie at least 500 feet from the nearest home.

    Ott added that state and federal regulators would closely monitor the incinerator, especially in the early months, to ensure it complies with regulations. He said environmental impacts on residents would be minor to nonexistent.

    “These same pollutants are emitted out of your car,” Ott said. “These standards are set so that they will not be a hazard or health concern to the community.”

    Seibles and others pressed the council to consider acquiring property located behind the site and locating the incinerator there, further shielding residents from its impacts.

    “We are asking again you not put our property in jeopardy by voting for this air burner,” Seibles said. “Are you financially ready to accept the liability that will come from the citizens of Airport Road and the surrounding area for health concerns that may come, that will come, from being exposed to these kind of carcinogens?”

    County leaders, however, said acquiring the eight acres wouldn’t be economically feasible.

    “I really don’t want to be a part of something that’s going to add to their illness. Have we looked at a plan B?” Councilman Clarence Gilbert asked.

    “Your concerns are valid. We should have a plan B, we do not have at this point,” County Administrator Jason Taylor answered. “It’s expensive to do that.”

    Councilwoman Bertha Goins didn’t think purchasing the property was even possible since it’s owned by Dominion Energy, which acquired the eight-acre parcel after acquiring SCANA.

    “My understanding is the county does not own that property,” Goins said. “The previous contract has expired. What they allow to go into that particular area will not be up to us.”

    Council members were originally set to approve third reading on June 24, but deferred the matter so residents and elected officials could tour a similar, but substantially larger incinerator in Richland County.

    Residents and opposing council members said the Richland County incinerator emitted large amounts of smoke, affirming their opposition to the Fairfield County incinerator.

    “The one in Richland County was old and smoking from everywhere,” Bell said.

    Ott said the Fairfield County incinerator would limit smoke emissions.

    “The one in Richland County was overloaded. That’s going to cause smoke to release,” Ott replied, noting that with the rezoning, the county would still need to obtain air quality and solid waste permits, offering residents further opportunities for public comment.

    Ridgeway resident Randy Bright said just because a facility is permitted doesn’t mean it’s right for the community.

    “When it comes to the environment, even though you get a permit, you’ve got to be doubly sure that that’s correct,” Bright said. “How many EPA things have been approved in the past and turned out to not be so good?

    “Let’s not rush to a site, let’s pick a site that won’t bother anybody.”

  • Town Hall hiring for Census

    BLYTHEWOOD – Town Hall will host a hiring event on July 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of the US Census Bureau’s campaign to hire almost 6,000 people across Lexington, Richland and Kershaw Counties. The first phase of hiring started on June 10, and training began in late July. These will be the “Address Canvassers,” and they will have total flexibility in their hours of field work (part-time or full-time).

    These positions will be responsible for confirming the addresses of all dwellings well ahead of the 2020 schedule of enumeration (Census taking) next year. Applications will continue to be taken for the current phase for several positions into the peak operations through May of 2020. The Census Bureau is booking their Career Coaches for select town halls across the Midlands, and Blythewood is one of those selected. For more information, call town hall at 754-0501.

  • County, School District promise free MTC tuition

    A memorandum of understanding to create a Promise Program was signed Monday by Midlands Tech President Ron Rhames, Fairfield County School Board Chair William Frick and County Council Chair Cornelius Robinson. | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – Providing free technical college tuition to financially struggling students is noble. Supporters say the Fairfield County taxpayer-funded Promise Program initiative will open college to more students and boost the local workforce.

    On Monday, representatives from Fairfield County, the Fairfield County School District and Midlands Technical College inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), pledging their commitment to the Promise initiative.

    “This is a wonderful program and a way to move our county forward,” County Administrator Jason Taylor said to those gathered at the signing. “A good education is one of the surest ways to guarantee that our children will have access to good jobs and the opportunity for a better future.”

    Later that night, Fairfield County Council discussed in public, and also behind closed doors, its role in the Promise Program, recently pitched by Dr. J.R. Green, district superintendent.

    “Any kid in Fairfield County could go to Midlands Technical Institute at no cost,” Green said. “Students have to apply for financial aid. They’ll look at all the federal and state aid, and Promise revenue will cover the difference. But no one will be required to pay any tuition.”

    Similar programs exist in Kershaw, Sumter, Lee, Green wood, Clarendon and Williamsburg counties, according to the S.C. Technical College System, which governs the state’s technical schools.

    Most counties make free tuition available, but not unconditionally. The only conditions of note in the Fairfield MOU are that recipients must live in Fairfield County and graduate from a public or private school, approved homeschool or have a GED.

    Greenwood prorates tuition aid based on a student’s length of residency, according to the Greenwood Promise Program website.

    Sixty-five percent aid is offered to students attending grades 9-12, but students attending two years or less receive nothing. Full aid only goes to lifetime residents.

    In Sumter County, qualifying students can attend Central Carolina Technical College at no cost provided they maintain a 2.0 GPA and remain enrolled for six consecutive semesters, according to the CCTC website.

    Aid only covers tuition, however. Books, lab fees and other miscellaneous costs aren’t covered, the website states. What the funding covers is not made clear in the Fairfield Promise MOU.

    Promise creates confusion

    There’s some disparity between how some council members, the school district and MTC perceive the Promise Program arrangement.

    The MOU signed Monday describes the deal as a “nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding to announce their intent and purpose to work together to establish the Fairfield County Promise Program.”

    An MTC media advisory announcing the signing states that dignitaries “will sign an agreement that allows 2019 high school and GED graduates living in Fairfield County to attend MTC at no cost.”

    Both the school district and county have budgeted $75,000 for the Promise Program, but neither body has formally voted to authorize any expenditures for the program, though approval is likely.

    At Monday’s council meeting, Councilman Jimmy Ray Douglas repeated prior assertions that MTC doesn’t attract enough students to its Winnsboro campus to justify holding classes there.

    “I’m not against educating children, I’m all for it,” Douglas said. “I’ve been trying to get Midlands Tech to teach classes in the last five years, yet they’ve had no classes whatsoever. It’s a shame we have to pay them $75,000 to start a class.”

    Speaking to The Voice on Tuesday, Councilman Douglas Pauley identified several elements that concern him, namely cost and accountability.

    Pauley said MTC needs to more clearly state how many students plan to attend and what classes will be offered. He said county’s $75,000 share should be doled out in quarterly installments based on MTC’s ability to meet those standards.

    “To give a lump sum of money with no accountability to the taxpayers how that $75,000 is specifically going to be used, I’m not in favor of that,” he said.

    In addition, Pauley said students should be required to take more classes than the six-credit-hour minimum he said other council members support.

    Many traditional student loan programs require students to register for at least 12 credit hours to receive full financial aid.

    Pauley also said students should meet specific academic standards to qualify.

    “To me, with a C average, you’re just kind of coasting along,” he said. “If someone else is paying for your college tuition, you can do better than a C average.”

    Other council members embraced the Promise Program.

    “This is a huge deal to be able to allow our students to go to school tuition free,” Councilman Moses Bell said. “This is big, this is a good thing. This is something we ought to be jumping up and shouting about.”

    Council Chairman Neil Robinson also supports the Promise Program.

    “I just think investing in our future for the kids is definitely something that’s needed in this county so we can have a stronger workforce, a better quality of life,” he said. “We’d be bridging that gap for the workforce.”

    Robinson said the Promise Program would likely receive further discussion at the next meeting set for July 22.

    Transparency concerns

    Government secrecy is also throwing cold water on the initiative for some.

    On Monday night, council members retreated behind closed doors to further discuss the Promise Program. Ridgeway resident Randy Bright chided the council for doing so.

    “You’ve taken a slip back with this Promise Program. There’s lots of confusion, lots of secrecy,” Bright said during public comments. “Why are you talking about this in executive session? This is between governments. You shouldn’t need to talk about this in executive session. It should be open.”

    An agenda for the meeting stated the executive session was for a “contractual matter” to discuss and receive “legal advice regarding [an] agreement between Fairfield County, Fairfield County School District and Midlands Technical College as to the Promise Program.”

    Pauley said he didn’t agree with discussing the Promise Program behind closed doors.

    “I thought that matter pertaining to the Promise Program could’ve been done in an open forum,” he said. “I didn’t see a need for it to be in executive session.”

    Monday night’s executive session was improper because the county had already signed an MOU, said Jay Bender, an attorney with the S.C. Press Association, of which The Voice is a member.

    Bender also called the receipt of legal advice explanation “vaguely worded.”

    “The MOU sounds like a contract to me,” Bender said. “If there’s an MOU, which is a contract, you can’t go into executive session under the rubric of contractual matters.”

  • Perfect Score for Restaurant Next Door

    WINNSBORO – If the owners of downtown Winnsboro’s newest restaurant, RND (Restaurant Next Door) look happy, it may be because they received the distinction last week of receiving a score of 100 when DHEC dropped by for an unannounced inspection of the restaurant’s kitchen. RND opened June 16. Owners are Shaun (center) and Crystal (right) Paulk and their three daughters, from left: Shauntae, Imani and Genesis. RND is located at 147 S. Congress St., and is open M-Sat, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sundays, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

  • CIAO!

    ITALY – These members of the Fairfield District Honors Chorus are shown here following a performance in Italy. The group and several chaperones spent a week touring and performing in Florence, Rome, Pisa and other places of interest in Italy.

  • County reassessment notices mailed

    COLUMBIA – The Richland County Assessor’s Division recently completed its 2019 countywide reassessment and affected property owners are being notified by mail.

    The Assessor’s Office said the reassessment was done in accordance with state law and is conducted every five years to ensure that all real property is valued equitably and fairly. Richland County has 173,700 parcels of real property and only the properties that had an increase in value of $1,000 or more will receive a reassessment notice.

    The Assessor’s Division sent out about 100,000 reassessment notices.

    The assessor said that if home values increase, that doesn’t mean taxes will rise.

    The Assessor’s Division is planning two community meetings to give an overview of the reassessment process and to give property owners the opportunity to ask general questions, as well as any inquiries specific to their individual properties.

  • Chaisson named Head of RWA

    WINNSBORO – Kristen Chaisson has been named Head of School by the Richard Winn Academy Board of Directors effective July 1. She has been serving as Interim Head of School since April.

    Chaisson

    Chaisson has been with RWA for four years, serving as a lower and upper school educator and Curriculum Director.

    “We have witnessed her dedication, energy and enthusiasm to support and lead our students to success,” the school’s Board of Directors said in a press release.

    Prior to joining RWA, Chaisson served four years at Sandlapper Elementary where she worked as an instructional assistant, interventionist, related arts educator and military-child support coordinator.

    “Kristin’s passion for teaching and learning derives from her commitment to ensure all students have an effective learning environment to ignite a student’s love of learning,” the Board added.

    Chaisson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies with Elementary Education Emphasis from Western Kentucky University, a Master’s of Science in Psychology from University of Phoenix and a Master’s in Education in Teaching and Learning from Liberty University.

  • Page, Kesser appointed to commission

    BLYTHEWOOD – Two Cobblestone Park residents, both with banking backgrounds, were appointed to the town’s Planning Commission by Council at its June 24 meeting.

    Page

    A resident of Blythewood since 2015, Erica Page hails from Atlanta by way of Elgin. A graduate of the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, Page has been in mortgage banking for more than 20 years. She is one of only four women in South Carolina to hold a national designation as a Certified Mortgage Banker from the Mortgage Bankers Association out of Washington, DC.

    Page is married with two children who attend Bethel-Hanberry Elementary School.

    Ed Kesser retired in 2014 from the banking industry. After graduating from The Citadel in 1969 with a degree in business administration, he served four years in the Air Force.

    Kesser

    Kesser began his banking career with Bankers Trust in 1973 and retired from Bank of America as a Regional Commercial Executive. He later joined BCI Lending, serving as Executive Vice President with responsibility for business development and commercial lending.

    Kesser also holds a Master of Science Degree in Management from the University of Arkansas.  He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma National Commercial Lending College and the University of Virginia Darden School of Banking. Kesser is a Leadership Columbia alumnus and has served on numerous local boards.

    One additional seat remains open on the Planning Commission. To apply, contact town hall at 754-0501.