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Executive Session May Have Violated FOIA

BLYTHEWOOD (Jan. 7, 2016) – Conducting his first meeting Monday evening as Chairman of the Planning Commission, Buddy Price called for and received approval from his fellow commissioners to move an executive session with the Town’s attorney Jim Meggs from the end of the agenda to the front of the agenda. But the reason for that session might have run afoul of the state’s Freedom of Information statute.

Price said the closed-door session was for the purpose of receiving legal advice on matters covered by the attorney-client privilege concerning a lawsuit that had been brought against the Town of Blythewood by Prestwick Development LLC. Filed Nov. 23, 2015, the lawsuit was concluded on Dec. 11 when the 5th Circuit Court Judge L. Casey Manning issued an order reversing the Nov. 10, 2015, decision by the Planning Commission to refuse to approve a site plan for Prestwick Development for multi-family housing in the Town Center District. The development has since continued to move through the Town’s approval process.

After holding up the agenda for 30 minutes Monday evening for the executive session, during which time those attending the meeting had to wait outside closed doors, Price explained to the returning audience that the town’s attorney had briefed the Commission on the lawsuit.

“If there was some kind of appeal to the lawsuit planned, it would be legal to discuss that behind closed doors. But that doesn’t seem to be the case,” Bill Rogers, Executive Director of the S.C. Press Association told The Voice on Tuesday. “The public is entitled to hear his (Meggs’) explanation of the suit. Audience response is not listed as an exemption in the FOIA.”

Meggs also held an executive session two weeks ago during a Board of Architectural Review meeting for the same purpose.

Following the executive session, the Commission elected a vice-chairman. Price nominated Robert Cappadona. Commissioner Ernestine Middleton nominated Don Sanders who declined the nomination saying his home was for sale and he might be leaving the Blythewood area. Sanders then nominated Middleton who said she, too, might soon be moving away and declined the nomination. Price then called for the vote and Cappadona was elected unanimously.

The Commission then voted unanimously to approve amendments to the Landscaping, Buffer Yards and Tree Preservation Ordinance. The amendments were suggested by representatives of the Home Builders’ Association of Greater Columbia after the ordinance was approved by Council last fall. Michael Criss, the Town’s Planning Consultant, said there were five substantive changes including changes that gave more flexibility to the Town Administrator when making decisions on whether to require tree surveys and on permitting for tree removal.

 

WINNSBORO (Jan. 1, 2016) – County Council, during their Dec. 15 meeting, gave the OK to nearly $175,500 in expenditures, forwarded by the Administration & Finance Committee from their meeting earlier that afternoon.

The expenditures, Interim County Administrator Milton Pope told Council, were all built into the County’s 2015-2016 budget, and all but one came in at or under budget.

Council approved $69,644 to replace computer servers and workstations in the County’s 9-1-1 Department. During budgeting negotiations last spring, Council planned to spend up to $75,000 on the replacements.

New extraction equipment (Jaws of Life) for Emergency Services came in just under its $30,000 budget at $29,771. The Sheriff’s Office will be replacing 13 laptops for patrol deputies, at the budgeted cost of $34,630.

A new patrol boat for the Sheriff’s Office, meanwhile, came in slightly higher than expected. Council had budgeted $40,970 for a new Sea Hunt boat to replace the department’s aging 1994 Key West boat, but the Sea Hunt was not available on a state contract, Pope said. Instead, the County will shell out an additional $467 for a 2000 Honda boat with a 130 HP engine, Pope said.

“It’s a little bit more than what we budgeted in the Sheriff’s (Office) budget,” Pope told Council, “but I reminded the Committee members that the last several purchases of vehicles we had for the Sheriff’s (Office) we under budget, so we can take that $467 from residual capital funding left over from the savings from the vehicles we purchased on the last two purchases, so the Committee recommended unanimously that we move forward with the purchase of the boat.”

Molly Creek Bridge

Pope also told Council that the County had received notice from the S.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) that Molly Creek bridge near Lake Wateree was found during a recent DOT inspection to be in need of repair. The DOT, Pope said, had asked Council for a letter of support for the repairs, which the DOT would use to push the bridge up on the state’s priority list.

“This is the second bridge that will now (be) closed at Lake Wateree,” Council Chairwoman Carolyn Robinson (District 2) said. “There’s already Martin Road, and by closing Molly Creek, which I believe is the next bridge down, it creates … some problems with EMS response, with fire protection response, so the sooner we can get this worked and repaired will be greatly appreciated by all those citizens and people who visit the lake.”

Robinson asked that a copy of the letter of support be sent to the county’s state legislative delegation.

 

WINNSBORO (Jan. 1, 2016) – Like last year, County Council will hold its annual retreat in another county. Unlike last year, their decision to do so was not aired out at a public meeting.

Chairwoman Carolyn Robinson (District 2) confirmed Tuesday that Council will hold its retreat on Jan. 9 at the Midlands Technical College (MTC) campus located just off Farrow Road at 151 Powell Road, Columbia, beginning at approximately 8:30 a.m. It is the same location where Council met last year.

“This year, as the Chair, I just made the decision,” Robinson said.

Council will also, like last year, be paying a facilitator to guide them through the meeting, although Robinson said she did not know how much he was being paid.

“It’s a nominal amount,” she said.

Use of the facility, she said, will cost the County nothing, and will allow for more space.

Last year, however, Council used only one room at the MTC facility. It was a room much smaller than planned, after an oversight by MTC staff.

At press time, an agenda had not been sent out for the meeting, which is open to the public.

 

BLYTHEWOOD (Dec. 31, 2015) – Acknowledging that the heretofore piecemeal maintenance of the landscaping at Blythewood Road and the I-77 interchange has long been the target of complaints from citizens, Town Council addressed the issue Monday evening, voting unanimously to assign all the maintenance work to one contractor, Tobias Services of Blythewood, instead of dividing it among several contractors as they have in the past.

The winning bid was $14,875 and includes: mowing 12 times annually, weeding four times annually and pine straw application and pruning one time each during the year.

“We’ve been fighting this thing, trying to get it to look like we thought it would,” Mayor J. Michael Ross said. “If we don’t do something like this, it’s going to continue to look like it does now. I guess we just didn’t have the foresight, but I think we’ve got a great bid now and I’m happy that we have a Blythewood company doing all the work.”

Councilman Eddie Baughman suggested that the Town’s landscaped plot at mile marker 32, on the Fairfield County line, should also be included with the Blythewood Road/I-77 interchange landscaping when the work is bid out next year.

Comp Plan Passes First Reading

With an increased focus on economic development and more industry for the Town this past year, Council voted unanimously (5-0) on Monday evening to pass the first of two readings to update the Town’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan. In the works for almost a year, the Comp Plan also presents all new demographics for the 29016 community and a complete and accurate mapping of utilities in the Town.

“We’ve already seen the results of this new emphasis on the economic development component of the Comp Plan in the recent industrial zoning of 650 acres on the west side of I-77,” the Town’s Planning Consultant Michael Criss told The Voice before the meeting.

Town Administrator Gary Parker pointed out that the mapping of the water, sewer and other utilities will be important for new businesses and new development coming to the town.

Manor Addition

Crunched for office space in Town Hall and needing an on-site office at the Manor for its Director, Steve Hasterok, Parker has been campaigning since last summer to expand The Manor to create that space. The Town’s Architectural Consultant Matt Davis of Davis Architecture designed an expansion that includes two new offices as well as a bridal dressing room by enclosing the left and right sides of the front porch of The Manor. The winning construction bid was submitted by CGI Development of Columbia for $63,500. Construction is expected to start in January and be finished in six to eight weeks. The vote in favor of the bid was 4-1 with Councilman Tom Utroska objecting, saying he feels the addition is unnecessary.

Park Trees Removal

With mounting concern about tree limbs overhanging the playground area and walking trail of the Town Park, Council accepted a bid from Sox and Freeman of Columbia to remove six large trees that pose potential dangers to park-goers, trim one tree and monitor several others. The winning bid totaled $10,285. About 25 trees were initially assessed by an arborist and the bids were based on his specifications for removal and maintenance.

“All of the assessed trees were impacted by the construction and development of the park site in varying degrees,” Parker said.

Annexation

New Town Council member Larry D. Griffin not only attended his first meeting as an elected official Monday evening, but also helped pass first reading for the voluntary annexation of the property of his neighbors, longtime Blythewood residents James and Marjorie Glymph, into the town. The property is located at 355 Langford Road.

Annual Retreat

Reviewing the proposed agenda for Council’s annual retreat to be held Saturday, Feb. 27 at The Manor, Parker said the primary focus of the meeting should be to plan for the Town’s imminent growth and the services that will be needed to serve that growth. Those services would include determining the staffing and funding levels needed.

Parker suggested the Council should revisit the ‘town vision’ presented in the Master Plan and decide whether a walkable community is possible for Blythewood and, if so, what should be done to make it happen.

Traffic and road improvements will also be on the agenda, Parker said, with emphasis on how to make the long-discussed Blythewood/Langford Road re-alignment a reality.

The monthly Town Council workshop will be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, from 9 a.m. – noon. Council’s annual retreat will be held at The Manor, Saturday, Feb. 27, and the public is invited to attend.