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County Could Lose ALS License

WINNSBORO (Nov. 3, 2016) – Members of the Administrative and Finance Committee were advised during their Oct. 24 meeting of a critical need to take immediate steps to stem the flow of paramedics leaving the County for employment in surrounding counties or risk its Emergency Medical System (EMS) losing its Advanced Life Saving (ALS) license.

Should that come to pass, Director of Fairfield County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Mike Tanner said, the County’s paramedics would be reduced to giving nothing more than basic care, which would exclude even administering medication.

“Paramedics are the primary emergency health care providers in this county,” Tanner said. “(They) are the ones who save your life . . . but last month alone, we lost 30 percent of our paramedic staff.”

He said the problem has reached a critical stage with 11 full time and 15 part time paramedic positions currently open in the County.

“(Our ambulances) were fully staffed only one day in September. There were three days when half of our ambulances were shut down due to staffing problems. We have the best equipment in the state, the best substations. And that used to be enough to recruit and retain paramedics,” Tanner said. “But we are now so far behind on the pay scale that I can’t attract or retain them anymore.”

Directing the Committee’s attention to a chart showing 15 or so area towns and counties where annual starting salaries for paramedics range from $31,000 to $56,000, Tanner pointed out that Fairfield County’s paramedic salaries are at the bottom of the list.

“We lose them to Richland County, Lancaster County, V.C. Summer, Newberry, Piedmont, private services and plasma centers,” Tanner said. “We recently lost three paramedics to V.C. Summer. One had 30 years’ experience, one had 17 years and one had 15 years. V.C. Summer started them at $55,000. That’s $20,000 more than they were making here.”

Tanner said there is a statewide shortage of paramedics, prompting employers throughout the state to offer better pay and more incentives. He said Piedmont offers signing bonuses.

Not only is the pay better elsewhere, but the hours and shifts are shorter.

“Fairfield County paramedics work 720 more hours a year and earn 30 percent less than paramedics in Lexington, Richland, V.C. Summer and other places,” Tanner said. “And in Fairfield County, they work 24-hour shifts. The others work 12-hour shifts.”

Recent DHEC regulations have brought new pressure on the County to retain its paramedics, Tanner said.

“Beginning July 1, DHEC now requires a paramedic be on the ambulance 95 percent of the time for an EMS service to maintain its ALS license. Without that (license), we are back to basics – no drugs, no intubations, no defibrillation, no true life-saving stuff. So it’s imperative I have paramedics on the truck,” Tanner said.

Tanner said the County spends a lot of time training paramedics just to lose them, sometimes in a few months, to better paying jobs.

“I have two paramedics right now who have offers from plasma centers for $49,000,” Tanner said. “I’ve asked them to hold off resigning until I can get more funding.”

To make the County’s salaries more competitive, Tanner asked the Committee to recommend increasing the EMS budget by $187,778.40 to allow for new salary ranges: base pay, $45,000 – $48,000; sergeants, $49,500 – $52,500 and captains, $58,500 – $61,500. In addition, they would receive $300 per year credit for certification up to a 10-year limit.

Without further discussion, Committee members – Chairwoman Carolyn Robinson (District 2), Marion Robinson (District 5) and Mary Lynn Kinley (District 6) – voted to move the request to Council and asked Tanner to make the presentation at the next Council meeting on Nov. 7.

 

WINNSBORO (Nov. 3, 2016) – Fairfield County’s latest Strategic Plan was unveiled two weeks ago during a special called Council meeting, but it was not prefaced with much fanfare nor was it followed with much enthusiasm from Council members.

The plan was created and presented by T.Y. Lynn International, a company hired by the County in early 2014, after a search effort and recommendation by the Central Council of Governments at the County’s behest.

Following the 30 minute or so general overview of the plan on Oct. 18, members of Council expressed frustration with the plan as presented by David Gjertson, Project Manager for the plan.

Councilman Marion Robinson (District 5) was critical that the Fairfield County map in the plan included the Town of Blythewood and that there were so many references to Blythewood during the presentation. Councilwoman Mary Lynn Kinley (District 6) and Councilman Kamau Marcharia (District 4) said they were overwhelmed with the amount of information and suggested a simple timeline could make the plan easier to follow and decipher. Councilman Dan Ruff (District 1) questioned whether the County would actually get $300,000 of benefit from the plan.

Councilman Billy Smith (District 7) pointed out that little if any of the plan was devoted to education even though there had been considerable input about the county’s education system during community meetings this past year. Chairwoman Carolyn Robinson (District 2) said she would like to see the grammatical errors and incomplete sentences and duplications in the document cleaned up. County Administrator Jason Taylor suggested giving more information about some subjects that were of more importance to the County, such as sewer solutions, which only commanded a half page, and less information about issues the County had little control over, such as providing internet to the entire county, to which four pages were devoted.

They each expressed a desire to have more time to look over the plan as a council and with other key participants including officials from other Fairfield County towns and sitting down with the project team to answer questions.

While the 200+ page document is divided into four parts – Overview, Fairfield County in 2016, Fairfield County 2035 and Implementation, Gjertson focused on Part III, Fairfield County 2035, which deals primarily with the plan’s vision for the county.

“The goal of economic sustainability in Fairfield County,” Gjertson said, “is to create a well-diversified economy that builds upon the county’s current strengths, economic assets and existing population’s skills to attract job opportunities.”

He said Council should think in terms of environmentally responsible and innovative industries in order to redefine the county’s image as a destination for green and clean investment. He stressed, however, that the plan was not just about economic development but about community development as well.

Throughout the presentation, Gjertson emphasized the importance of promoting the county’s assets – tourism, historic architecture, rural beauty, farmland and open spaces, and the need to develop a distinctive and attractive physical environment in the county in general and in the Town of Winnsboro, specifically.

The plan stated that “Congress Street, located in the urban core of Winnsboro, currently presents a negative image and acts as a significant barrier in the redevelopment and economic development of Fairfield County.” Besides a general HGTV-type makeover of the downtown storefronts, the plan suggests fewer traffic lanes through the town and a landscaped median and streetscape amenities such as decorative paving and street furniture.

Gjertson talked about ways to raise the livability quotient with higher levels of public services and facilities. He also suggested workforce housing for County employees, created, perhaps, in the Mt. Zion school building, the Mill District and in the area of the new mega-industry property along I-77.

A recurring theme in the plan is branding and ways to bring visitors to the county, such as connecting with the Heritage Trail.

“Make sure you have something to show you are moving forward,” Gjertson told Council.

He said that while the big projects could take years and millions of dollars to complete, some things could be done sooner and at less cost, such as the creation of attractive gateway monuments at all the major highway entrances to the county. He showed an example of a gateway monument made from blocks of the county’s readily available blue granite.

The plan also covered areas such as health care, recreation, possible uses for Mt. Zion Institute, transportation needs and solutions.

Gjertson said the overall vision for the plan is for the county, in 2036, to be a network of urban and rural communities; a regional economic center; a balanced transportation system linking highways, transit, greenways, bikeways and sidewalks into a seamless mobility network and an age-friendly place that offers safe, inclusive and diverse neighborhoods with vibrant public spaces for all its residents and visitors.

“And the vision is that the county will be a model of collaborative planning. But that can be a sticking point because you’ve got communities within the county that sometimes need to work in concert with the county as a whole,” Gjertson said.

At the end of the meeting, Smith thanked the members of the citizen committee for their service.

“I know you spent many hours and had a lot of input to the plan,” Smith said, “and we appreciate that.” Kinley asked for the committee members in attendance to stand.

The Strategic Plan as it was presented to Council is available on The Voice’s website at blythewoodonline.com. At least one other update is expected before the plan is approved.

 

WINNSBORO (Oct. 27, 2016) – Three candidates for the District 2 County Council seat – Jimmy Ray Douglas, Joyce Renee Green and Clyde Wade – and one candidate for the District 3 seat – Peggy Swearingen – answered questions for almost two hours from moderator Ron Smith, Chairman of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce during a Candidate Forum on Oct. 17, at the Winnsboro Woman’s Club. The Forum was sponsored by the Chamber.

Two candidates seeking election in District 3 did not attend. Chamber president Terry Vickers said she received no response from an invitation to candidate Kirk Chappell, and she said candidate Mikel Trapp told her in a phone conversation the day before the forum that he had not received the invitation nor her follow-up phone and email messages and that he had made other plans for the evening.

After self-introductions by the candidates, Smith asked some questions posed by the Chamber and others from the audience.

All the candidates agreed on some issues – that sufficient infrastructure should come to the County before industry is brought in; that the County should continue to (financially) help save the hospital; and that County employees should not be fired as a way to cut back on the County’s expenses. But they disagreed about other issues. For instance, when asked how to improve recreation in the county, Green said she was happy with the local mini parks in different areas of the community because she felt many in the county lack transportation to go to a central recreation facility. Wade debunked the idea that transportation was a problem and agreed with Swearingen that there should be a recreation facility that would include a sports complex, swimming pool and other offerings that would especially benefit youth and senior citizens in the county.

Asked why each was more qualified than his/her opponents, they said:

Douglas, a life-long resident of Fairfield County, has owned and run a business for over 40 years.

“I’ve always tried to stay up with what’s going on around town. A few years ago, I had some questions about the Fairfield County government. My concern for the misappropriation of funds led me and a friend to hire a CPA group to complete a forensic audit on the expenditures of the County for 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. This audit prompted a SLED investigation.

“Through this process of reading each entry piece by piece and item by item, I learned a lot about the workings of our County and about how our County was spending our tax dollars. I feel this knowledge has given me a unique insight into what is going on in our County government and, as a result, I am optimistic that I can make a real difference when elected to the County Council.”

Green has been a teacher in Fairfield County schools since 1989 when she moved to the county.

“I’ve been working in Fairfield County with the population and the community people, teaching and working with parents and their children. I’ve had the opportunity to interact with a number of income brackets, educational levels and social behaviors and with that I will be representing a diverse population. I am able to have empathy, I communicate with people and I’ve always enjoyed communication with them through that interaction with themselves and love for children. I’ve worked with the NAACP, the youth, lower income children, 911, individual life instruction and I am a team worker.”

Wade is retired from DuPont and is now a cattle rancher in Fairfield County where he raises Certified Black Angus Cattle.

“I had 34 years of supervisory experience with DuPont in management in the power business in two different states and two different manufacturing sites. I managed a power and energy budget for DuPont while making operating, mechanical and electrical decisions on a daily basis. I developed and administered a multi-million dollar power operating budget for the stockholders of the DuPont Company.”

Swearingen, a longtime employee in the insurance industry who grew up in the ‘Dark Corner’ community of Fairfield County, said she has a good understanding of what the underserved areas of the County need.

“I feel I’m qualified because I’ve worked in the insurance business all my life helping people solve problems. And I would like to help Fairfield County solve some of its problems. I am my church’s treasure and I know we have to have a balanced budget. I work for a family owned business and there are similarities between running a business and running the County.

“I am not afraid to help move this County forward. I’m not afraid of hard work. I’ve worked on a farm, cut hay, fixed the fence and run the cows. I’m ready to go to work for Fairfield County residents.

What are the two most important issues in the County?

Douglas: 1. High property taxes and wasteful spending of tax payer dollars. 2. The need to bring good paying jobs to the County.

“Because of the high tax rate, no one wants to invest in Fairfield County either by starting a business here or moving to our county.” He said there are currently more than 100 foreclosures in Fairfield County, due in part to high taxes.

There must be accountability for the money the County spends, and profit and loss must be given highest consideration, Douglas said.

“Without good jobs for residents and good financial management by the County, we will never be able to improve our quality of life in Fairfield County.”

Green: Adopt strategic plan.

“The most important thing is economic development and that part of the strategic plan that offers it. If the County would adopt the strategic plan, then we would have options for improvement of all our situations. But it has to be adopted by the County. We need a strategic planning staff person to address the economic development components of the plan so we can implement those that are appropriate for our whole community.”

Wade: 1. Recreation, transparency, citizen awareness. 2. Taxes and jobs.

“Recreation in the County leaves a lot to be desired. I believe there is money available to build a central recreation complex for use of all citizens in Fairfield County. Continuing to build and maintain mini parks is not the answer. Youth programs in adjacent counties are drawing our youth to their programs because our facilities are less than standard. Directors in other counties tell me they will not come to Fairfield County to play our teams, which are very few now because our facilities are not up to standard. A modern complex would bring to the County new revenue through hosting various tournaments and will increase the level of youth participation in our programs.

“Council already has the right process in place to deal with taxes and jobs. Economic development is a work in progress.

Swearingen: 1. Transition from volunteer to paid firefighters and better pay for EMS personnel. 2. Recreation

“We need to pay our volunteer firefighters and pay our EMS personnel enough to keep them here. We need to bring their salaries up.” Swearingen said there are places in the county where, if a house caught on fire, it would burn up because there is not adequate personnel to put the fire out. She said the County goes to the expense of training EMS personnel, then when they’re trained, they go to neighboring counties for higher salaries. She said having adequate emergency personnel might favorably influence industry recruitment.

“We have to address recreation. We have health issues in the county. Chester has a YMCA where they can do aerobics and swim. It helps all ages, but especially for our elderly who could exercise all year inside.”

How would you improve the economy in Fairfield County?

Douglas: Lower property taxes.

“We can’t improve the economy in Fairfield County until we lower property taxes.”

Green: Hire an Economic Development Director

“We need to offer small businesses training for longevity. We should hire an Economic Development Director to offer ideas and make suggestions. We can work with our City Council to help local businesses improve their situation, to train them and let them know what’s out there to improve their situation.”

Wade: Keep our economic development people busy.

“I think they’re working hard to draw business to the County. I don’t have a magic wand. It’s a work in progress and just continue that.”

Swearingen: 1. Help small businesses. 2. Promote tourism.

“We have to build on present assets. Maybe some small business incentives, a planning/financing team to help small businesses with ideas. We have small businesses that are still thriving. Walmart’s gone. Mack’s gone. We have to look at tourism – Lake Wateree and Lake Monticello, the Clock. If we could get our economy going, we could grow.”

Do we need two County Administrators (explaining that County Council retained the previous Administrator, Milton Pope, for $3,000 per month for six months as a consultant after hiring Jason Taylor as the new Administrator)?

Douglas: No. Davis Anderson could answer any questions that might arise.

“No, we do not. Davis Anderson ran the County when Milton (Pope) was there and he’s there now so we can ask him any questions if we need to.”

Green: Pope is training new County Administrator

“I think that he (Pope) may be training our new Administrator. He may be hired for two months for training just like substitute teachers are trained or any other job that has an administrator. If you have the education but you may not have the experience. Pope had the experience and the education and so he may be training, obviously. But we don’t need two for the long term.”

Wade: This is a transition period.

“No we don’t need two administrators. This is a transition period for a new man coming in and not knowing anything but what he’s read in the newspaper or on the street, but once that transition has been made he (Pope) needs to disappear.”

Swearingen: New Administrator knows what he’s doing.

“I believe he (Pope) was hired for six months for a transition period. But Mr. Taylor was an Administrator before he came here and I think he knows what he’s doing.”

To view the candidates closing statements, which are lengthy, go to blythewoodonline.com or our Facebook page The Independent Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County.

Douglas: If elected, I would propose an in-depth look at the money allotted by Council to build buildings in hopes of bringing industry to our county. I would expect there to be a cost analysis to determine if ‘build it and they will come’ has produced anything other than overwhelming debt and empty county owned buildings.

I support innovative ways to bring diverse businesses to Fairfield County to create jobs for the residents. My long-range goal for our County is to lower taxes for its residents. This can be accomplished by electing a County Council whose first priority is to eliminate wasteful endeavors and practices that result in wasteful spending.

Electing County officers dedicated to what is right and best for this county as a whole is the only way a change for the better is possible. Lower taxes will entice businesses to locate in Fairfield County, increase job opportunity and population to offer a better quality of life and a better Fairfield County for all of us.

Green: I have the best interest in our community. I think the strategic plan should have a lot of bite to it and we should investigate that. My aim is for us to become more self-sufficient. We had jewelry stores, restaurants, drug stores. We can go back to that with the right planning. I will be acting on your behalf. A – accountable and assessable; C – a conduit, communication for all; T – truthful and transparent and S – a steward and supportive. I will work for the weak. It is better to give than receive.

Wade: We are headed in the right direction. Transparency has improved and cooperation between Council members is better. I will work to make that even better. It won’t be my district. It will be Fairfield County’s district. I will represent all the people in Fairfield County.

Swearingen: You know who I am and what I’m about. I promise to work hard. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. I will work for District 3 and I will work for Fairfield County. I’ve been attending Council meetings and if elected, I will attend all the meetings. I want to pay our firefighters and EMS personnel higher salaries. We need a full house of EMS personnel for our county to flourish and bring in new businesses. If elected, I will serve faithfully.

 

BLYTHEWOOD (Oct. 27, 2016) – Town Council Monday night passed second reading on an ordinance to amend the size of signage on historic buildings in Blythewood.

The ordinance, initiated by the Board of Architectural Review, will increase the height allowed on ground-mounted signs in front of historic properties from 3 to 6 feet. All signage on historic properties, under the new ordinance, will have to be approved by the BAR. The ordinance will also encourage native and heirloom plants in landscaping around historic sites.

Council OK’d second reading unanimously.

Council tabled a decision on bids for construction of the amphitheater at Doko Manor until the architect, Rick McMackin, could be present. McMackin was scheduled to appear before Council Monday but was unable to attend because of travel delays.

According to documents provided by the Town, Blythewood received four bids on the project. The “Base Bid” included the amphitheater stage and pavilion and the concrete pad in front of the stage. The “Add Alternate” bid included installation of the interior radial sidewalks that connect to the road and the handicap parking areas.

The low Base Bid, according to Town documents, was submitted by AOS Contractors at $415,893. Their bid for the sidewalk alternative came in at $54,884, for a total of $470,777.

The low bid for both the Base Bid and the Add Alternative was submitted by Digging Deep Construction. Their Base Bid came in at $426,900, with the Alternative adding $40,280 to the price, for a total of $467,180.

Council postponed a decision on the bid until their next work session in November.

Manor Report

Steve Hasterok, Director of the Manor, told Council that the Manor was $35,000 ahead of where it was after the first nine months of fiscal year 2016.

He also reported that the Manor had suffered some minor damage last Friday after vandals ripped out one of the lights near the back door, dismantled a section of railing and destroyed several planters on the back porch. The incident occurred between approximately 4:45 and 5:30 p.m., Hasterok said.

The vandals left fingerprints behind, he said, and Richland County deputies are investigating.

“I think we have a lead,” Hasterok told Council. “It was probably some kids.”

“Maybe we’ll have some unhappy parents when they have to pay for all the damage,” Councilman Tom Utroska said.

 

CEO Refuses to Allow Recording of Public Meeting

WINNSBORO (Oct. 27, 2016) – The news story out of Fairfield Memorial Hospital’s monthly Finance Committee meeting Tuesday evening was that the Hospital’s CEO Suzie Dorscher refused to allow The Voice to record the meeting.

When The Voice’s reporter started to record the meeting, which was held in the hospital’s board room, a staff member told the reporter that the meeting could not be recorded.

“We don’t have any provisions for allowing our meetings to be recorded,” Dorscher said.

Informed by the reporter that the S.C. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows all public meetings of public bodies to be recorded by any citizen or reporter, Dorscher said she would check with the hospital’s attorney later.

“It is clearly illegal to stop a citizen from recording a public meeting,” Bill Rogers, Executive Director of the S. C. Press Association, told The Voice. “When the reporter uses a tape recorder, accuracy is improved. I can’t understand what an objection would be. They need to check the law.”

According to the S.C. statute, Section 30-4-90 of the FOIA, “All or any part of a meeting of a public body may be recorded by any person in attendance by means of a tape recorder or any other means of sonic or video reproduction, except when a meeting is closed pursuant to Section 30-4-70 . . .”

The statute, in 30-4-20, describes a public body as, “Any public or governmental body or political subdivision of the State, including counties, municipalities, townships, school districts, and special purpose districts, or any organization, corporation, or agency supported in whole or in part by public funds including committees, subcommittees, advisory committees, and the like of any such body by whatever name known . . .”

Each year the County funds the hospital with regular quarterly payments as well as emergency payouts that have amounted to more than $2 million since 2012. The budget payout to the hospital for the current year is $1,043,000.

 

BLYTHEWOOD (Oct. 20, 2016) – Stinky water once again dominated discussion during last month’s Town Council meeting when Holly Bluff neighborhood homeowners Marlin Hinds and James Smith addressed Council about the odor of the water in their homes.

“The odor comes out of the sinks and toilets. It’s so unbearable that you have to have additional odor eaters or plug-ins in your house. The minute one of those doesn’t work, you’re in a range of the odor. It’s unbearable,” Hinds told Council.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard of the water concerns in Holly Bluff,” Mayor J. Michael Ross responded, recalling that some Cobblestone residents had earlier this year complained of foul odor in their water, which is provided by the Town of Winnsboro. At that time, Ross called on all residents using Winnsboro water to have their water tested and report any odor problems to the Town.

But the water odor turned out to be isolated to the Cobblestone neighborhood and primarily in new construction sections, and testing proved the water to be safe at the source, Director of Winnsboro Water Otis Williams told the Voice.

“We think more and more that it’s an internal plumbing issue,” Williams said at the time. Williams also noted that some complainants were not having issues throughout their homes – only in one or two faucets. Williams would not speculate about what kind of plumbing materials were used in construction.

Nevertheless, Winnsboro took samples from fire hydrants in Primrose, Goldenrod and Summersweet Court in Cobblestone and sent them to the Engineering Performance Solutions labs in Jacksonville, Fla. for testing.

Blythewood Town Council, during their Feb. 22 meeting, reviewed the results, and Town Administrator Gary Parker told Council that, in short, the test results verified that the water was fine and fit to drink.

When asked Tuesday about the Holly Bluffs residents’ complaints, Parker speculated that stagnant water could be building up in lines in newly developed areas. Holly Bluffs has only 61 homes. In those areas not built out, Parker said, it may be that not enough homes are connected to the lines to provide a constant, steady flow of water.

“You have water that isn’t being circulated enough through the water lines because there are not enough houses built onto that line drafting water out of that line and keeping water circulating,” Parker said. “That can lead to some people noticing a taste or odor. That’s a common problem in lines.”

Williams told The Voice on Tuesday that Winnsboro had been out to Holly Bluffs and checked the fire hydrants and that the water from the source to the hydrants was fine.

“When there is an odor complaint, we come out and check everything up to the meter. Beyond that is the responsibility of the customer,” Williams said, adding that the same is true of leaks.

Hinds acknowledged that Winnsboro had been out to flush lines and that a customer contact person has been assigned to them to coordinate complaints and inspections. Smith said the next step is that his neighbors are now planning to systematically conduct their own testing through the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and that should be completed in about 60 days.

Hinds also informed Council that the water bills in his neighborhood are excessively high.

“Since January, my (water) bills have ranged from about $290 to $520, averaging $300 per month,” he said, adding that at least one monthly bill reflected water usage of 25,000 gallons.

“If that’s water only, that’s very high,” Parker said.

“I’m looking at their (Winnsboro’s) website, at their water rates,” Councilman Eddie Baughman told Council as he scanned his phone during the meeting. “Looking at a residential, out of county (rate), over 20,000 gallons a month is $12.89 per thousand gallons of water. So if you figure 25,000 gallons, you are in the neighborhood of $300.”

Hinds told The Voice that Winnsboro had come to his home and checked for leaks and found none.

Parker offered to help look into the billing issue if Hinds and Smith would like to bring their water bills to Town Hall. But at press time, Parker said he had not seen any bills.

“We’ll have our crackerjack town lawyer renegotiate that (Winnsboro water) contract in 2020,” Ross said, jokingly.

“I’ve been paying water bills in South Carolina since 1967,” the Town’s attorney Jim Meggs replied, “so I’ve got a little experience with this. I’ll be happy to help you gentlemen get to the bottom of this. I can’t imagine your bills being that high.”

“These bills will be priority for us,” Ross said.

 

WINNSBORO (Oct. 20, 2016) – Last month, the Town’s long-awaited McCulley Creek sewer line project appeared ready to go. Council authorized John Fantry, the Town’s utilities attorney, to begin the process of obtaining rights of way on properties near the Town’s water treatment plant for the installation of the line.

But Tuesday night, one holdout on those rights of way remained.

After negotiating with Donald Swygert for more than an hour in executive session, Council once again authorized Fantry to work out a deal with Swygert, which Mayor Roger Gaddy said would be a “final offer.”

“All we can do is make him a fair offer,” Gaddy said after the meeting, “and if he doesn’t accept it then we’ll probably have to go through the process of condemnation for a temporary easement.”

Gaddy said Swygert’s property was forest land, and that the Town would have to reimburse Swygert for the timber value for the temporary easement.

The project is being funded through a Community Development Block Grant, which has a time line for the expenditure of those funds. But with that deadline sitting at next July, Gaddy said it was likely the Swygert delay would not impact the Town’s access to those funds.

Capital Expenditures

Council also approved $3,900 for a new copier at Town Hall, as well as up to $3,000 to retrofit a truck from the Electric Department for the Wastewater Department. Council gave the OK as well to $12,845 to upgrade Department of Public Safety radios to meet state standards before Jan. 1.

Council also approved $20,000 to upgrade the Town’s meter reading system, and up to $30,000 for a new truck for their newest meter reader.