Blythewood Online 691

Category: News

  • Let Hoof & Paw spotlight your pet

    Hoof & Paw Benevolent Society members Minge Wiseman of Blythewood, left, and Kathy Faulk, right, of Fairfield County, discuss with Blythewood philanthropist Joyce Hill the Society’s newest fundraiser project, a coffee table book titled Friends of Hoof & Paw that puts the spotlight on pets in the community. Hill is underwriting the cost of the book and members of Hoof & Paw are selling pages to pet owners in the community who would like to showcase the animals in their lives. | Barbara Ball

    BLYTHEWOOD – The Hoof & Paw Benevolent Society, with members in Blythewood and Fairfield County, is launching its newest and most ambitious fundraiser to date – a high-end coffee table book, titled Friends of Hoof & Paw, which will put community animals in the spotlight.

    The cost of printing the book is being underwritten by Joyce Hill, a longtime Blythewood resident and philanthropist and owner of Farewell Farm. Profits from the book will come from the purchase of pages by those who want to showcase their pets.

    “The photos will feature the pets or the pets and their owners and will be taken by professional photographers that Hoof & Paw will provide,” Minge Wiseman said. “The book will showcase the animals that touch our lives.

    Page costs range from $200 to $1,000 and are tax deductible. Multiple-page packages are also available. The page purchase includes a copy of the book at no extra charge. Additional photos can be purchased from the photographer.

    “Another coffee table book like this has been published by a Texas animal advocacy group and it is an absolute treasure, just beautiful,” Wiseman said, thumbing through the glossy pages of the book. “We’ve already received a number of commitments for pages. Every photo page, whether color or black & white will be very nice – something the pet owner will be proud of and cherish.”

    Wiseman said pet owners can submit their own photos if they are of good reproduction quality, and photos can also be submitted in remembrance of pets who have passed on.

    “And we are having a special contest to determine whose pet will grace the cover of the book,” Wiseman said. “We are requesting cover submissions. We want to see your horse, dog, cat, bird, cow, etc., in all his/her glory. The image chosen will then be reproduced into a painting by a professional artist and will be on the cover of this year’s book. And the best part is that the owner gets to keep the painting, free!” Wiseman said.

    To purchase a page or to submit a photo for consideration for the cover, simply go to www.hoofandpawsc.org and click on the link under the events tab. The cost to submit a photo for the cover is $25 per submission. May 1, 2018 is the deadline to submit photos for the cover contest.

    Proceeds from the page sales help promote The Hoof & Paw Benevolent Society’s vision – to protect, comfort and improve the lives of abused, homeless and abandoned animals and to increase awareness and support adoptions of shelter-bound animals. The organization also encourages spay and neuter and provides education to the general public for the humane treatment of all animals. The Society also provides spay and neuter funding to the Fairfield Animal Shelter and Pets, Inc. in Columbia.

  • Hensley, Mozie promoted

    WINNSBORO – Fairfield County administration recently promoted two of its employees – Guerry Hensley and Beverly Mozie.

    Effective Feb. 26, Hensley began his new role as the Fairfield County Assessor. Hensley was promoted after serving in the Assessor’s office since 2009.

    Hensley

    A lifelong resident of Winnsboro, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.

    “With Guerry’s wealth of knowledge and experience in our property assessment office, we feel he will be a tremendous asset to the County and will continue to move the department forward,” Deputy County Administrator Davis Anderson said.

    Community Development Director Chris Clauson has appointed Mozie to the position of the Fairfield County Grant Coordinator, replacing Stephen Gaither.

    “Mozie has over 15 years of progressive service in various areas of governmental accounting and finance and has been a certified government finance officer for over 10 years, and I’m looking forward to the job I know she can do for us and this department,” Clauson said.

    A lifelong resident of Winnsboro, Mozie graduated from Winthrop with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

  • County OKs increased pay for EMS

    WINNSBORO – After asking his fellow councilmen to defer a vote on salary increases for the County’s Emergency Services employees last month, Councilman Neil Robinson was quick to reverse course when the item came up on Monday night’s Council agenda.

    As Emergency Services Director Mike Tanner began a repeat of his appeal last month for salary increases, Robinson interrupted him.

    “Mr. Tanner, I think due diligence has already been done, and I would like to make a motion to go ahead and approve EMS for the raises you are asking for,” Robinson said.

    “Second,” Councilman Jim Ray Doulas jumped in.

    With no discussion other than Councilwoman Bertha Goins’ praise for the EMS’s service to the County and a clarification requested by Councilman Douglas Pauley regarding overtime pay, Council voted 7-0 for the salary increase request.

    Tanner had requested the increase in salaries after Richland County offered a 10 percent pay raise for its EMT’s and paramedics, immediately opened eight new positions and budgeted for 48 new positions next budget year with a $2.5 million budget increase for equipment and supplies. Tanner said the potential draw of that offering on Fairfield County emergency services employees is putting the county at risk.

    “Starting pay for Richland’s new paramedics is 19 percent higher than Fairfield’s,” Tanner said, “even with last year’s increase. Our employees work 14 hours a week more and make $19 a week less than those in Richland and Lexington Counties.”

    County Administrator Jason Taylor said the overall increase would cost the county $357,000 annually.

  • Town breaks ground for Broad River Project

    WINNSBORO – HPG engineer Ken Parnell, Danny Stuck with DS Utilities, Blythewood Mayor J. Michael Ross, Ridgeway Mayor Charlene Herring, Winnsboro Town Councilmen Clyde Sanders, Jackie Wilkes (former), John McMeekin, Town Manager Don Wood, Winnsboro Mayor Roger Gaddy, attorney John Fantry, Fairfield County Councilwoman Bertha Goins and Fairfield County Administrator Jason Taylor broke ground for the Broad River Water Project on Wednesday.

  • Sion Presbyterian welcomes new pastor

    WINNSBORO – Rebekah Carpenter will be installed as the new pastor of Sion Presbyterian Church in Winnsboro on Sunday, March 11 at 4 p.m. Before coming to Winnsboro, Carpenter worked with corporations, colleges, schools, churches and non-profits for over twenty years as a leadership and organizational development specialist.

    Carpenter earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Mars Hill College, where she majored in music and theatre. Rebekah holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology and Organizational Development from the University of West GA in Carrollton GA. She graduated in May of 2017 with a Master of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, and was ordained on Feb. 18, 2018 at Carrollton Presbyterian Church in Carrollton, GA.

  • SC forage organization wins national award

    Blythewood resident and SC Forage and Grasslands Council President Kenneth Mullis, center, accepts the 2017 President’s Award from the American Forage and Grasslands Council.

    LOUISVILLE, KY – The S.C. Forage and Grazing Lands Coalition received the 2017 President’s Award from the American Forage and Grasslands Council (AFGC) at the annual AFGC conference in January.

    The award, which recognizes outstanding service to the forage community, cited the group’s work through field days, outreach and membership growth.

    “It was an honor to receive this award from a national organization like AFGC,” Blythewood resident Kenneth Mullis, S.C. coalition president, said, “especially since the SCFGLC has only been functioning for 2 years.”

    The coalition promotes the health and sustainability of South Carolina grazing lands. Workshops and events cover areas such as soil health for grazing management practices on pastureland, forestland and cropland; prescribed grazing; silvopasture; and wildlife management.

    For more information or to join the coalition, visit the website at scforage.com or facebook.com/SCGrazingLands.

  • First UMC hosts active shooter training

    WINNSBORO – The Safety Team at First United Methodist Church in Winnsboro is bringing Precision Tactics for an active shooter training session to be held in the church’s fellowship hall on Thursday, Mar. 8 at 6 p.m.

    Percision Tactics was featured last week on WIS-TV and has been endorsed by Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott for their work in active shooter training.  The company is a partner with the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association and provides this type of training to churches, businesses and law enforcement agencies.

    The session is being held to familiarize law enforcement officers with the church’s team and procedures.  The company specializes in church security and will be bringing in the simulation equipment prepared to work with the church’s safety team using inert pistols.  After the training, the church’s safety team will actively work during worship services and any other time as deemed necessary.

  • Expansion of The Point II postponed

    BLYTHEWOOD – Mayor J. Michael Ross was notified today that the developer of a proposed expansion of The Point II has decided to delay the development of The Point Phase II, and will not be coming before Council tonight seeking a letter of approval of the expansion. Should it be decided to go forward at a later date, the developer said he would contact the town at that time.

    Related Story:  The Pointe apartments ask for expansion, 2/22/18

  • FMH asking Council for almost $4 million tonight

    WINNSBORO – Tonight, the Fairfield Memorial Hospital (FMH) CEO is expected to appear before Fairfield County Council to request almost $4 million to cover the hospital’s operating expenses through Dec. 31, 2018, sources have told The Voice.

    That request includes a little more than $2.7 million for operating expenses for the hospital and another $1+ million, which is the amount the County already gives the hospital each year.

    In addition, Council is expected to discuss, in executive session, a possible acquisition of the hospital property by the County. The executive session agenda includes,” the discussion of the potential purchase of real property identified as Fairfield County TMS 126-03-01-001″ (the hospital property).

    The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. tonight at the Fairfield County government complex council chambers, second floor, 350 Columbia Road in Winnsboro.

  • Providence, County break ground for ER

    Breaking ground for the new Providence Health-Fairfield Emergency Room are: Bertha Goins, Vice Chairman of Fairfield County Council; Dr. Roger Gaddy, Fairfield Memorial Hospital Chief of Staff and Mayor of Winnsboro; Susie VanHuss, Chair Board of Trustees Providence Health; Scott Campbell, Market CEO, Providence Health; Catherine Fantry, Fairfield Memorial Hospital Board Chair; MaryGail K. Douglas, Representative District 41; Victor Giovanetti, President Eastern Group LifePoint Health; J.R. Green, PhD, Superintendent of Fairfield County School, Providence Health Board of Trustees Member; Mike Tanner, Director Emergency Medical Services, Upper Midlands Rural Health Network; Suzy Doscher, Fairfield Memorial Hospital CEO; Dr. Cale Davis, Carolina Care; Mark Hood, President and CEO Hood Construction. | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – Ground was broken Feb. 15 for the new Providence Health-Fairfield Emergency Room that will be located on the corner across from BI-Lo Shopping Center at 1810 US Highway 321 Bypass in Winnsboro. Approximately 100 county, town, health care and community officials attended the ceremony and gathered to watch the first dig marking the beginning of construction of the facility.

    Exterior rendering of Providence Health – Fairfield Emergency Room

    “We are proud to collaborate with Fairfield Memorial Hospital (FMH) and Fairfield County to preserve critical access to emergency care for residents of this community,” Scott Campbell, Market Chief Executive Officer of Providence Health, said in opening remarks at the invitation-only event. “This new facility will allow you to have access to 24/7 care from board certified emergency room specialists, and we’re excited about that. This Emergency Room will help transform the delivery of local healthcare services to a sustainable model that better meets the needs of this area.” Campbell said.

    The new emergency room will be approximately 20 miles away from Providence Health’s Northeast hospital campus where patients needing more intensive care can be quickly transferred.

    Winnsboro Mayor Roger Gaddy, who serves a Chief of Staff at Fairfield Memorial Hospital and has been on staff at the hospital since 1979, addressed the crowd, reminiscing how, as a young intern, he was recruited to Fairfield County 40 years ago by current fellow FMH Board member William Tuner who was then serving on Fairfield County Council. Gaddy expressed his appreciation to the County, to Providence Health and its partner, LifePoint Health, for bringing the new emergency room to Fairfield.

    “It’s a great day for Fairfield County,” Gaddy told those gathered.

    Interior rendering of Emergency Room in Fairfield County

    The one-level, 18,000-square-foot building will dedicate 12,000 square feet to emergency services and include 6,000 additional square feet of space for future expansion. Plans for the facility include: six exam rooms (including four treatment rooms and two for future expansion), two trauma rooms, an onsite laboratory and imaging services such as a CT scann, ultrasound and x-ray.

    County Council budgets $1.2 million annually to support FMH’s emergency room, and it passed a resolution in May, 2017, stating that it would continue to financially support FMH’s emergency room operations for up to 18 months or until the new Providence emergency facility is open for business. That resolution also stated that the County will provide $1 million annually for 10 years to Providence Health in support of the new emergency room.

    The new emergency room was made possible in part by the state’s Hospital Transformation Program which supports rural access to healthcare resources and has contributed $3.9 million to this project.

    Providing rural access to health resources is a statewide initiative,” Fairfield Memorial Hospital CEO Suzanne Doscher said. “We are pleased to have found a partner that will continue to offer emergency services to the residents of Fairfield County.”

    Until the new facility opens, in-patient hospital and emergency service will continue to be offered at the FMH location. When the new ER opens, emergency services, radiology and lab services will be offered there.

    County Council Chairman Billy Smith said providence will offer employment opportunities to current FMH employees who satisfy Providence’s customary pre-employment screening requirements and are qualified for comparable positions in the new facility to the extent that these positions are available.

    Smith emphasized that Providence Health is committed to providing needed emergency care to all of Fairfield’s residents and that it has a charity care policy that provides support for community members who lack the ability to pay for needed healthcare services.

    Construction on the new emergency room is expected to be completed in the fall of this year.