Blythewood Online 691

Blog

  • Ridgway picnic postponed

    RIDGEWAY – Ridgeway’s Family Night on the Ridge picnic that was scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15, in the Ridgeway park has been postponed to a later, undetermined date due to the expected arrival of Hurricane Florence late Thursday or early Friday.

    There could still be damaging winds and heavy rains affecting the park on Saturday, plus many of those attending may have friends or relatives in harm’s way when the hurricane hits the coast and moves inland, organizers have told The Voice.

    “The Ridgeway Public Relations Committee will meet in the near future to discuss an alternate date for the event,” a spokesperson for the committee said.

  • Fatality in single vehicle accident

    MITFORD – Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill is releasing the name of the individual who died as a result of a single vehicle accident that occurred Sept. 11 at approximately 6:40am.  The accident occurred on SC Hwy. 21 North between Gibson End Road and Rainbow Road in Fairfield County.

    The vehicle driven by Gary Alexander, age 69 of 749 Shangrila Drive, Winnsboro, SC was headed south on SC Hwy. 21 N. when it left the roadway, went down an embankment and struck a tree.

    The accident remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

  • Benjamin: Richland County Schools to close on Tuesday

    S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster ordered the evacuation of schools across the Midlands and Low Country starting Tuesday.

    During a 2:30 p.m. press conference, McMaster announced the closures of schools in 26 counties, echoing warning tweets from Palmetto State lawmakers hours before.

    Several member of the South Carolina State House tweeted Monday afternoon that schools across the state will close in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.

    According to the Tweets, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster spoke to members of the General Assembly, saying he plans to order the closure of schools.

    Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey tweeted that will include all Lexington County Schools and all Aiken County schools. Massey tweeted the school districts will close starting Tuesday.

    Lexington County officials tweeted about the closures — which will be in accordance with McMaster’s order — Monday afternoon.

    Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin tweeted that Richland County schools will also close Tuesday.

    Rep. Peter M. McCoy, Jr. tweeted that Charleston County schools will close also.

    Rep. Alan Clemmons tweeted about the closures of coastal schools, along with an evacuation of the areas.

    “Governor @henrymcmaster just announced to members of the Geveral Assembly that he will order evacuation of all three coastal zone and the closure of all schools and state offices in the coastal counties effective tomorrow 9/11 at 12pm,” Clemmons tweeted.

    It’s unclear from the tweets whether the ordered closure will affect all school systems across the state.

    Read more here: https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article218125510.html#storylink=cpy

    By Emily Bohatch

    ebohatch@thestate.com

    September 10, 2018 02:26 PM

  • Dam, reservoir owners, operators should begin lowering levels

    Emergency Information from DHEC

    COLUMBIA, S.C. – Owners and operators of reservoirs statewide should check their dams and take appropriate steps to safely lower the water levels today and through the next several days in preparation for potential problems caused by heavy rainfall from Hurricane Florence, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

    Hurricane force winds can topple trees causing large voids where trees are uprooted. Loss of soil from a dam can impact its structural integrity and can provide a path for water from the pond to exit in an un-controlled manner. This condition may lead to failure.

    “Owners of reservoirs with functional gates or flashboards should consider operating them to provide additional storage for the anticipated rainfall,” said Jill Stewart, Director of DHEC’s Dam Safety and Stormwater Permitting Division. “If there is a dam downstream of your dam and you are lowering your water level, please call the owner of that dam to advise him or her about what you are doing. Before and after the storm has passed, any accumulated trash and debris should be cleared from spillways.”

    DHEC also plans to utilize an emergency notification system as needed to automatically notify dam owners via voice call, text messages and email to take steps in preparation for the potential for impacts from Hurricane Florence.

    “Staying alert for rising waters that may continue even after the rain has ended is important,” said Stewart. “Dam owners should be aware of the conditions at their dams during such events. If problems develop such that failure of the dam might be imminent, the owner or operator of the dam should contact local public safety officials, downstream property owners and DHEC Dam Safety Program staff at 803-898-1939.”

  • Register for Behavioral Health Services Drop-In

    WINNSBORO – Even though ‘Recovery Month’ has just begun this week for Fairfield County’s Behavioral Health Services, it’s already time to sign up for the month-end Drop-In to be held Friday, Sept. 28, from 12 – 1:30 p.m. at the agency’s new building, 178 Hwy 321 Bypass N. in Winnsboro.

    “We hope everyone will participate in our several programs this month including the Church of the Year and My Recovery Story contests,” BHS Director Vernon Kennedy said.

    To register, call 635-2335 or go to fairfieldbhs.org.

  • Smith is officially a Texan

    Smith joins five other native South Carolinians on the Houston Texans roster. | Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle

    HOUSTON, TX – Vyncint Smith, a former Westwood High School and Limestone College offensive threat, signed with Houston Texans in April as an undrafted free agent, and impressed team officials enough to earn his spot on the official 53-man roster.

     

    The German-born Smith had quite the preseason. He has racked up four reception for 94 yards and his 41-yard touchdown against the 49ers was a game-winner. He ended his Limestone career with 153 receptions, 2,371 yards and 11 touchdowns.

  • Community forum set for admin building

    Forum Set For Sept. 20 At Fairfield Midlands

    WINNSBORO – A community forum and county council work session concerning the proposed new county administration building project will be held from 5 – 8 pm at the Midlands Technical College’s Fairfield Campus on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

    The forum will include a 5 p.m. reception where citizens can speak openly with the developers, council members and lead county administration staff, County Council Chairman Billy Smith said.

    The work session, which will include an updated presentation on the proposed project, will focus on addressing and discussing questions submitted by citizens prior to the meeting. Citizens may submit questions in any of the following ways:

    • Email question(s) to the Clerk to Council, Mrs. Patti Davis, via patti.locklair@fairfield.sc.gov. The clerk will reply to all questions received to provide confirmation. If you do not receive a response, in order to ensure that your question(s) have been received, please call the clerk directly at (803) 635-1620.
    • Turn in your written question(s) to the front desk receptionist at the Fairfield County Government Complex, 350 Columbia Road, Winnsboro, SC 29180.
    • Mail your written question(s) to P.O. Drawer 60, ATTN: Patti Davis, Winnsboro, SC 29180.
    • Or submit questions on the form found at www.surveymonkey.com/r/newadminbldg

    “We ask that those submitting questions provide their name, address and contact information along with the submission,” Smith said. “Submissions without this information will not be considered for discussion during the work session. All questions must be received by Friday, September 14, 2018. If you have any questions concerning this process, please do not hesitate to contact the Clerk.”

  • FC offers unemployed a ride to work

    WINNSBORO – Fairfield County officials are joining forces with the Midlands Fatherhood Coalition’s Winnsboro office to provide transportation to a Kraft Foods job fair on Sept. 22 in Newberry, according to Fairfield County Deputy Administrator Davis Anderson.

    “If enough applicants get jobs at the plant on the same shift and need transportation between Winnsboro and the plant every day, we’re looking at trying to arrange that, too,” Anderson said.

    Anderson said there might be a nominal fee to use the service on a long term, regular basis.

    “Failure to be able to just get to the job site every day is a big part of the problem we face with employment in Fairfield County,” Fatherhood Coalition Site Manager Rudolph Walker said. “I really see this as a win-win situation.”

    Walker said putting fathers back to work is a large part of what the Fatherhood Coalition office in Winnsboro is about.

    “Many of these men face multiple problems in finding and retaining employment. Besides the problems of getting to work, many also need job training and help with background problems such as expungement of criminal records,” Walker said.

    The program also provides a week-long employment boot camp.

    “At the same time, we work to help these men understand what it is to be a father, to build relationships with their children, co-parents and community,” Walker said. “We understand what happens in negative situations, with no economic stability.”

    The Coalition recently opened a new location at the Ridgeway fire station at 350 S. Palmer Street, and will open another one on Sept. 6 at the Monticello Community Center, 7104 State Hwy 215 S., in Jenkinsville. The Winnsboro office is located at 201 W Moultrie St.

    For more information about the Kraft job fair or about the Midlands Fatherhood Coalition, call Walker at 803-815-044.

  • Virtual learning coming to FCSD

    Winnsboro – They won’t be replacing live teachers.

    But when the Fairfield County School District finds itself in a pinch due to a long-term absence, virtual teachers could help fill the void.

    At the August board meeting, district leaders briefed the school board about a new partnership with Proximity Learning, which would provide virtual instruction to elementary students.

    Implementation could begin as early as Sept. 17, but would be confined to Spanish instruction one day a week in child development through sixth grade, said Dr. Claudia Avery, the district’s deputy superintendent of academics.

    “We are hoping with this opportunity that we will be able to fill short-term and long-term vacancies for certified teachers,” Avery said.

    Virtual teachers would provide customized learning to students’ needs and also provide remediation options if needed. Teachers are certified to teach in South Carolina.

    McCrorey-Liston School for Technology and Geiger Elementary School students are participating in the program, according to district documents.

    “Proximity Learning courses are built around live class sessions delivered via web-conferencing,” district documents state. “The live instruction model mirrors the experience of a traditional brick and mortar classroom setting, but is conducted entirely online.”

    Founded in 2008, Proximity Learning is an Austin, Texas firm that provides online instruction and tutoring services to school districts, particularly in districts facing teaching shortages.

    Evan Erdberg, the company’s founder, started Proximity Learning after observing high numbers of long-term substitutes and teachers with emergency certifications covering classrooms.

    “Evan noted disturbing trends: schools in the most impoverished communities had the highest number of teacher vacancies which quite often exceeded more than half of teacher population in a school,” the district’s website states.

    “Principals in these schools would hasten to explain that their hands were tied, no teachers applied for these positions, and/or, refused to work in their school when placed by the district,” the website continues. “This led to students who suffered inequity two-fold, the students were deprived of highly qualified teachers which in turn reflected an average student pass rate of only 20%.”

    Avery said the Greenville County school district is working with Proximity Learning. Districts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Richmond, Virginia; and New York City work with the firm too, she said.

    Virtual learning wouldn’t supplant existing teachers.

    As Dr. Green noted later in the meeting during his superintendent’s report, the district’s staffing status is robust.

    “We are in very good shape in relation to staffing,” Green said. “There are lots of districts that are having tremendous struggles filling positions, but we are in an excellent position and looking forward to an outstanding school year.”

    Avery said existing substitute funds and grants would cover the total cost, which wasn’t specifically stated at the August meeting.

    “We have received preliminary approval that this has been approved through the Title V funds we receive from the federal government,” Avery said. “Those funds will cover the entire cost of our virtual learning program.”

    Board member Paul Hartman asked how virtual teachers would know where students were in the curriculum. Avery said principals already have an idea of a particular class’ progress when there’s advance notice that a teacher will be out long-term.

    “Of course with maternity leaves and long term substitutes, we typically know when that’s going to happen. If we know now a teacher is going to leave in December, we can go ahead and plan now.”

    Live persons would still provide classroom management. It’s just the instructional component that virtual teachers would handle.

    “A teacher assistant or another person within the building will serve as the facilitator,” Avery said. “This person basically is inside the classroom with the students to make sure they are on staying track and following along with the virtual teacher.”

    A media specialist would also provide some support with the technology component, Avery added.

  • Lack of quorum delays hotel vote

    BLYTHEWOOD – For the second time since March, the Blythewood Planning Commission didn’t come up with a quorum for their regular monthly meeting.

    On Tuesday evening, representatives for Hilton Hotel’s Home 2 Suites came before the commission to resolve commissioners’ earlier questions concerning traffic access to a 1.93 acre site where representatives of the hotel chain are requesting to build a four-story, 88-bed hotel building. The site is adjacent to I-77 and sits behind San Jose’s restaurant.

    But only three members of the commission, Chairman Donald Brock, Marcus Taylor and Rich McKenrick, showed up to hear what applicant Jeff Carter, an engineer with Georgia-based Carter Engineering Consultants, had to say. Carter had traveled from Atlanta for a second appearance before the commission. Ross Wagers, a part-owner of the hotel, was also present and had traveled from Anderson for the meeting.

    The meeting was delayed for half an hour while the commission chairman and town clerk tried to reach Commissioner Robert Cappadona, who had confirmed earlier that day that he would be at the meeting. Without Cappadona’s presence, there was no quorum for the seven member commission.  When Cappadona did not answer or respond to the calls, the meeting was cancelled.

    Mayor J. Michael Ross commented on the lack of a quorum, saying his feelings could be summed up in one word – “Disappointing.”

    Three other board members, Cynthia Shull, Michelle Kiedrowski and Matt Hulett, had earlier confirmed that they would not be attending the meeting.

    The Commission, which meets the first Monday of the month, it has only met four times this year and in March was unable to muster a quorum.

    Because the applicant must also appear before the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) for a Certificate of Appropriateness, a special called meeting of the Planning Commission has been scheduled for Sept. 17, to coincide with a BAR meeting that same evening in order to eliminate an extra trip for the applicant.

    The request first came before the commission in early August but was deferred by the commission until Tuesday evening so the commissioners’ concerns regarding what they considered problematic traffic access to the hotel off Blythewood Road could be resolved.

    Town Administrator Brian Cook said last month that Town Hall staff had been working with SCDOT on the issue and that SCDOT had conditionally granted access to the site using SCDOT’s right of way.

    While those attending the Tuesday evening meeting were waiting for Cappadonna to arrive, Carter reviewed for the commissioners the conclusions of a traffic study conducted by Seneca engineer Roger Dyar which stated that the overall effects on the peak hour traffic flow on the hotel access are minimal.

    The report recommended that the proposed site’s access plan should be approved since the site will result in only very minor additions to delay and queues in the study network.