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  • Workers Damage Nuclear Vessel

    JENKINSVILLE – A three-person inspection team from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) arrived at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station Monday to examine damage caused by work crews to the containment vessel under construction at Unit 2.

    Roger Hannah of the NRC’s Region II Public Affairs Office in Atlanta said workers from Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I) were removing several pieces of vertical rebar inside the containment vessel prior to pouring additional concrete inside the vessel. While doing so, he said, workers inadvertently drilled into rebar within the existing concrete, damaging the metal bowl of the structure. The containment vessel houses the nuclear reactor.

    Although the NRC said the damage appears to be minor, Hannah said, “Our biggest concern outside of the damage is there should have been procedures in place, and there may have been procedures in place that went unfulfilled,” that would have prevented the incident.

    Hannah also said there was a concern over the delay in the reporting of the issue.

    According to the NRC, the damage occurred during the week of Feb. 9, but CB&I did not report the damage to SCANA, which operates the site, until Feb. 16.

    The NRC said the inspection team will spend approximately one week on site reviewing the incident and the assessments of both CB&I and SCANA. The inspectors will also evaluate any potential effects on containment vessel integrity, any similar activities and corrective actions, the NRC said. A report will be available to the public within 45 days of the end of the inspection.

    As of press time, Hannah said, construction of the two new units at the site had not been halted.

  • Council OK’s Sidewalk Funds

    WINNSBORO – In a close 4-3 vote and after extensive debate and voices of opposition from two members of the public, County Council Monday night approved $50,000 for the Town of Jenkinsville to use as matching funds for a S.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) grant for the completion of a sidewalk.

    Jenkinsville Mayor Gregrey Ginyard originally requested the funds, in installments of $25,000 each over the next two budget cycles, at Council’s Jan. 12 meeting. Ginyard said three-quarters of the project, from Buttercup Lane to approximately a quarter of a mile shy of Baltic Circle where the Lake Monticello Park is located, had been completed using DOT grant money. To take the sidewalk all the way to the park, Ginyard said Jenkinsville is applying for another grant and needs $100,000 in matching funds, half of which will come from the County Transportation Committee (CTC).

    The item went to committee, where Council developed an alternative proposal to avoid taking money out of the County’s general fund. That proposal, to take the funds from District 4’s portion of state money that is distributed through the CTC for road paving projects, essentially put the CTC on the hook for the entire $100,000. During their meeting earlier this month, the CTC balked at that proposal, but agreed to pony up the $50,000 provided Ginyard could find the other half elsewhere.

    With the deadline for Ginyard to apply for the DOT grant less than a week away, Council faced the matter for the last time Monday night. Two members of the public, however, urged Council to pass on the idea.

    “Why on earth would we allow the mayor (of Jenkinsville) to come and ask for money from a county that he wants nothing to do with,” Jeff Schaffer, a resident of the Dawkins community, said during Council’s first public comment session. “I want you to consider who you are giving this money to and how it will be handled and followed. This is the same mayor and chairman of Jenkinsville Water Company, the same company that could not account or reconcile its checkbook for five or six years in a row, never mind thousands and thousands of dollars unaccounted for. That’s not who I want to be handing my money over to. Would you?”

    Schaffer said there were not enough people living in or close enough to Jenkinsville to justify spending money to complete the sidewalk. D. Melton, also a District 4 resident, said his dealings with Ginyard in Ginyard’s capacity as president of the Jenkinsville Water Company Board of Trustees have left him with the impression that the mayor is not interested in growing his town. Melton said the water company turned away a development opportunity from Christ Central Ministries in 2010 and has hampered his efforts to expand his Broad River Campground in the area.

    “Why do we need a sidewalk if we can’t bring a business into Jenkinsville?” Melton asked Council.

    Vice Chairman Kamau Marcharia (District 4) later put the motion on the floor to commit the funds over the next two budget cycles. The motion received a second from Mikel Trapp (District 3).

    Marcharia called the public opposition to the project “highly personal,” and reminded Council that they had no authority over how the Jenkinsville Water Company conducts its business. Furthermore, Marcharia said, even though the town limits of Jenkinsville may contain a small population, the voting precinct contains “over 700 registered voters, and I guarantee you 50 percent of those voters are almost within walking distance” of the park and the proposed sidewalk.

    Council members Marion Robinson (District 5) and Billy Smith (District 7) both said they opposed allocating the funds because Council had not yet even begun to discuss the 2015-2016 budget.

    “There’s no way I can sit here and vote for something in 2016 when we don’t even know what the budget is going to be or what other things we have facing us,” Robinson said.

    Robinson also said he was concerned that a portion of the sidewalk, if built, would have to be ripped out to accommodate the driveway of the new fire station the County plans to build near the park.

    The sidewalk discussion came on the heels of Council voting unanimously to contribute $10,000 to Bill Haslett’s World War II memorial project in downtown Winnsboro, fueling Marcharia’s argument.

    “In the last two years from the V.C. Summer nuclear power plant, this county has received $52 million that’s come out of my community, my district,” Marcharia said, “and we’re asking for $50,000 for infrastructure for people to be safe and not walk in the roads. We just sat here and took taxpayers’ money and voted $10,000 without any prerequisites other than the Administrator will follow up and get a report.”

    Marcharia added that it was “grossly unfair that when tens of millions of dollars leave that community and we can’t get anything back.”

    But Smith said Council had committed to a new recreation center and a new fire station in the community. And, he said, Haslett’s group came to Council last year to make his request, not with a month and a half to go before his deadline as Ginyard had done. Haslett’s group, Smith said, was tasked with meeting certain requirements before Council would release the funds and they met those requirements.

    Council Chairwoman Carolyn Robinson (District 2) told Marcharia that of all the money poured into the county from the nuclear plant, the majority goes to funding the school district. The County’s portion, she said, funds the entire budget, not just any single district.

    “The area around Winnsboro for many years was the only one who put money in the coffers for the county,” she said, “so they could say the same thing. We have to look at the budget as a whole, not just for a district. That’s one of the worst things that’s ever happened to us, in my opinion, is the districts.”

    In the end, the Chairwoman cast the deciding vote, supporting the allocation along with Marcharia, Trapp and Mary Lynn Kinley (District 6). Voting in the negative with Marion Robinson and Smith was Dan Ruff (District 1).

  • Public Weighs in on Rec Site

    RIDGEWAY – With the cons outweighing the pros by about half, the townspeople of Ridgeway had their say Tuesday night about whether or not Town Council should ask County Council to consider locating a recreation facility, currently targeted for Highway 21 S. near Smallwood Road, to the center of town at Church and Means streets, the site of the former Ridgeway School.

    While some speaking out against the move cited the potential noise and traffic the facility would bring to the residential neighborhood surrounding the in-town site, Angela Harrison, Chairwoman of the Town Planning Commission, told Council that putting the facility on the old school property would violate several of the Town’s ordinances.

    “It is just a metal building,” Harrison said. “This breaks with the Town ordinance code 506.1, letter D.”

    Harrison said the ordinance requires buildings to “contribute to the image of the town and its unique visual character. This metal building will not achieve that process.”

    Harrison said letter P of the ordinance requires new buildings to be compatible with surrounding structures, which in this case are of brick and wood construction. Harrison also said the setback of the building would not meet the ordinance, and the building would impede scenic views, also contrary to the ordinance.

    “Not only does the old school site break the ordinances that Town Council has set in place, it breaks the Town’s comprehensive plan as well,” Harrison said.

    Cal Harrison, meanwhile, told Council that the 4.8 acres of the old school property would not allow for growth or expansion of recreation opportunities, while the current site on Highway 21, which is approximately 30 acres, would.

    While several citizens said they were concerned that the facility on the old school site would mean the destruction of the archway – the last remaining vestiges of the old school – Councilman Russ Brown said that was not the case.

    “In the last meeting, everybody on Town Council agreed that we want to preserve and enhance that arch,” Brown said. “So the arch isn’t going anywhere.”

    The minority speaking in favor of relocating the facility into town cited the value of recreation for youth and adults, especially within walking distance of much of Ridgeway. An in-town facility would also be an attraction for industry, they said.

    “Where we have the (Rufus Belton Park) down in Longtown, that’s too far for us to go to carry our children,” Doretha Hannah said. “Proceed with your plans and see if we can accommodate our center here in Ridgeway.”

    The new recreation center, as part of the County’s comprehensive recreation plan to spend $500,000 in each of the seven voting districts, is designed to serve all of District 1. Noting that, Councilman Donald Prioleau suggested Council and District 1 County Councilman Dan Ruff hold another public forum for the district at-large. Council agreed, but set no date Tuesday night.

    “I think you’re going to have to learn to share that area,” Brown said. “You’ve got 5 acres over there. It’s going to have to be shared. People are going to have to understand that. You’re talking about a 4,400-square-foot building, which can be improved, be changed and made attractive.”

  • Board at Odds Over Minutes

    New Policy Would Require Statements in Writing

    WINNSBORO – A second attempt in as many months by the Fairfield County School Board to revise the way for-the-record statements are recorded in their minutes passed first reading during the Board’s Feb. 17 meeting, although not without considerable debate. Indeed, should the policy clear second and final reading next month, the revision may well be in direct conflict with state law.

    Where previously Policy BEDG, Minutes of Board Meetings, provided for the inclusion of “any other information that any member requests be included or reflected in the minutes,” the proposed revision to the policy would require those for-the-record statements to be submitted in writing.

    According to the revised policy, for-the-record comments will be “limited to written materials germane to the public agenda.” Those materials would also be limited to five pages, front and back, unless granted a special exception by the Board chairperson. The statement “must be presented in writing to the board’s secretary or the board chairman at the time of the meeting.”

    The written statements would be “designated as an attachment to the minutes,” the policy states, and not as part of the minutes themselves. The chairperson would also have “the prerogative to rule any such request out of order for the reason that such materials are not germane to the agenda, are inappropriate as an attachment or that the materials are otherwise publicly available; such ruling by the presiding officer will stand unless overturned by the board majority.”

    The S.C. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), however, which governs, among other things, how public bodies maintain records of meetings, contains no such provisions regarding the minutes of meetings.

    The S.C. FOIA, under Section 30-4-90, requires that all public bodies keep minutes of public meetings. Minutes must include, but need not be limited to: 1) The date, time and place of the meeting; 2) The members of the public body recorded as either present or absent; 3) The substance of all matters proposed, discussed or decided and, at the request of any member, a record, by an individual member, of any votes taken; and 4) Any other information that any member of the public body requests be included or reflected in the minutes.

    An attempt to reword the fourth provision altogether during the Board’s Jan. 20 meeting, replacing “any other information that any member requests be included or reflected in the minutes,” with “specifically, the minutes will include what is done, not what was said,” was pulled from consideration after Board member Paula Hartman (District 2) pointed out that such a change was not in compliance with the FOIA.

    During the Feb. 17 meeting, Hartman again questioned the policy change, as did Annie McDaniel (District 4), who said the policy change was an attempt by the Board’s majority to muzzle its minority.

    “Disrespect for the minority on the Board, that’s what’s causing this,” McDaniel said. “I’m pleading with this Board to come up with a better way to deal with the conflict that we have other than trying to put policies in place.”

    Henry Miller (District 2) said the policy was a way for Board members to stand behind and take ownership of statements they make for the record, while William Frick (District 6) said his understanding was that the policy would ensure statements were reflected accurately in the minutes.

    But McDaniel said a written statement provided after the fact would be less accurate, not more.

    “If a person says they want a statement for the record and they go back and rewrite that statement, it is not going to be the same thing,” McDaniel said. “The minutes are supposed to reflect that particular statement.”

    Board Chairwoman Beth Reid (District 7) said so many for-the-record statements were slowing down the compilation of the minutes. The change in policy would relieve some of that pressure from the Board clerk. Frick agreed, but cautioned the Board to be wary of the law.

    “The statute is pretty broad, and the First Amendment is pretty broad,” Frick said. “I just want to make sure that we’re clear as we discuss this, you will have that opportunity to revise and extend your remarks as necessary as long as they comport with the germaneness of the issue that’s being discussed.”

    Dr. J.R. Green, Superintendent, said the District had drafted the policy based on a similar policy in place at Lexington-Richland District 5. A nearly verbatim policy can be found on that district’s website, which shows the policy was last revised in June 2012.

    “The minutes are not an opportunity for someone to write a statement to put in the (minutes) that was not something that was actually said at the meeting,” McDaniel said. “The Freedom of Information Act gives a person an opportunity to put things on the record, even if (that person is) in the minority.”

    First reading passed 4-2, with McDaniel and Hartman voting against. Frick, who placed the motion on the floor, Miller, Reid and Carl Jackson (District 6), who offered the second, all voted in favor. Andrea Harrison (District 1) was not present. The Board will meet again on March 17 at 6 p.m. in the District office.

  • Manor Losses Shrinking

    BLYTHEWOOD – While Mayor J. Michael Ross reported that expenses ($9,056) at the Manor continue to outrun revenue ($3,885) this month, Town Administrator Gary Parker said a yearly comparison of the shortfall is looking better.

    “From July 1 to Jan. 1, 2014 the shortfall was $34,000-plus,” Parker said. “That same period from July 1 to Jan. 1, 2015, the shortfall was $25,000-plus. This is a big improvement.”

    Parker said it looks like things might continue in that direction in the coming fiscal year.

    A-Tax Disbursements

    Town Council approved several recommendations by the Accommodations Tax (A-Tax) Committee for disbursements of A-Tax revenue on Monday evening. The Voice was not notified of the meeting, which was held on Jan. 29. The following disbursements were approved:

    • $15,000 to the Blythewood Historical Society to establish Phase 2 of the outdoor historical museum at the Langford-Nord House. The Society’s budget for the museum is $100,000 and it estimates 2,000+ people will attend the museum in 2015.

    • $5,000 to the Blythewood High School JROTC to help fund a 5K Run during April in downtown Blythewood. The JROTC has budgeted $11,000 for the event and expects 1,000+ in attendance.

    Another disbursement of $750 of A-Tax revenue was approved by the mayor for a luncheon for the USC equestrian team and certain invited town government officials prior to the team’s meet on Jan. 31.

    Parker recommended that all the requests be approved. He said the A-Tax fund has a balance of $50,000. Parker said all of the Town’s media would be notified of A-Tax meetings in the future.

    Doko Meadows Foundation

    Council approved up to $3,000 for start-up costs for the Doko Meadows Foundation, which was organized to seek financial donations for the completion of the Doko Park. Those start-up costs would include fees for filing the corporation and the organization’s 501(c)(3) status, insurance, administration and bookkeeping. Parker said the Foundation met on Jan. 22 to discuss organizational structure, goals, the amphitheater, potential funding sources as well as the need to draft proposed by-laws.

    Industry Appreciation Week Breakfast

    Council members approved up to $1,000 for an invitation-only breakfast on March 31 at the Manor to recognize industry in the community and surrounding areas, including Fairfield County. The Town’s Economic Development consultant, Ed Parler, suggested inviting about 60 people from industries, Town officials, the Chamber members and Town and County officials from neighboring Fairfield County and the S.C. Department of Commerce.

  • Developer Agrees to Traffic Study

    BLYTHEWOOD – After months of wrangling with developer D.R. Horton over a proposed amendment to the zoning of Cobblestone Park where a majority of the members of the Town Council live, Council won out. It was announced at the meeting on Monday evening that the developer has agreed to Council’s final demand – to conduct a traffic impact study on the anticipated changes in traffic from Cobblestone Park onto Syrup Mill Road and any impact it might have on Blythewood Road.

    This came after D.R. Horton gave in earlier this month to Council’s demands that the developer rescind its request for a small patch of R-4 zoning on which it had proposed to build five model homes and leave it as a green space. The developer also agreed to change the current Town Center (TC) zoning on a parcel near the gated entrance to Planned District Development (PDD) zoning which is consistent with the rest of the development. The TC zoning district allows multi-story units. D.R. Horton engineer Tom Margle confirmed, also, that a separation of 80 feet from back lot line to back lot line, that had been a concern of some property owners in the Primrose section, would be maintained.

    At Monday night’s Council meeting, Margle said D.R. Horton would send a proposed scope of study for the traffic impact study to the S.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) early next week, and that the DOT would approve or suggest changes to that scope of study.

    But just as mayor pro tem Bob Massa called for the vote on first reading on the proposed zoning amendment, it turned out Council was still not done. Councilman Tom Utroska, a resident of Cobblestone, asked that Council make the approval of the amendment contingent on the results of the traffic impact study. To do that, Town Attorney Jim Meggs said, Council could go ahead with the first reading vote, but suspend action on second reading until it had received the results of the traffic study. Council voted 4-0 to pass first reading. Mayor J. Michael Ross did not vote since he had been advised by the S.C. Ethics Commission to recuse himself during discussion and voting on the amendment because he owns a lot in the Primrose area.

    Following the vote, Councilman Bob Mangone, who also lives in Cobblestone, said he appreciated Horton’s willingness to cooperate with the Council. The developer has argued all along that it should not be required to do a traffic study since, under the proposed zoning, the build out in the neighborhood would actually be reduced by a total of 511 dwelling units as compared with the current zoning allowance, thus reducing the potential traffic from the neighborhood.

  • Bank Robbery Suspect Nabbed

    Jermaine Faulk

    WINNSBORO – A North Carolina man suspected of robbing the Wells Fargo bank at 101 N. Congress St. was captured by Winnsboro Public Safety officers Thursday afternoon, a mere 16 minutes after dispatch received the call.

    Jermaine Leonard Faulk, 25, of Rose Hill, N.C. was spotted walking down the 400 block of Cemetery Street by officers sweeping the area. Faulk fit the description of a man who, at 11:47 a.m., had forced his way behind the counter at the Wells Fargo bank and snatched approximately $1,000 in cash from teller drawers. Freddie Lorick, Chief of Public Safety, said Faulk was breathing heavily when officers caught up with him and patted him down. Lorick said some of the stolen money was found on Faulk; the rest was found in the pockets of his jacket, which he had discarded on the nearby railroad tracks during his flight.

    No one was injured during the incident, Lorick said. Faulk is being held at the Fairfield County Detention Center, charged with robbery. Lorick said investigators are also seeking one or more possible accomplices who drove Faulk to the bank that morning.

  • One Dead After Car Crashes into School Bus

    RIDGEWAY – A Winnsboro man was killed Monday afternoon after his car collided with a Fairfield County school bus on Peach Road.

    Fairfield County Coroner Barkley Ramsey said Taver Cook, 45, was trapped inside his 1990 Oldsmobile 98 Regency as it burst into flames after crashing into and becoming pinned underneath the school bus. Cook, of 6025 Reservoir Road, was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Dr. J.R. Green, Superintendent of Fairfield County Schools, said two Middle School and five High School students were on the bus at the time of the crash. The students and the driver were taken to Fairfield Memorial Hospital but suffered no injuries.

    “We are sad to hear about the driver,” Green said Monday evening, “but we are thankful there were no other injuries.”

    The collision occurred just after 4 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Peach and McCorkle roads, approximately 4.5 miles west of Ridgeway. Cook was traveling east on Peach Road, while the bus was making a left turn onto Peach Road from McCorkle Road.

    The accident is being investigated by the S.C. Highway Patrol.

  • Council OK’s Department Upgrades, Talks Security

    WINNSBORO – Town Council Tuesday night gave the nod to two capital expenditure requests, while also agreeing to consider beefing up security at Town Hall.

    Approving requests that passed through a Finance Committee meeting earlier in the evening, Council OK’d $90,000 for the Water and Sewer Department to purchase various pieces of equipment and to repair equipment still in service. One of these pieces, a flash motor, used in the coagulation process at the water plant, has been in service since 1989. No longer serviced by its manufacturer, the mixer is need of a new motor.

    Council also approved the Water and Sewer request for $8,995 for a new pump at lift station 15 (Isola pump station). Pete Duty & Associates, of Hillsborough, N.C. submitted the lowest bid on the pump by nearly $1,000.

    Councilman Clyde Sanders then suggested that Council explore a security system for Town Hall, which he said was “wide open” during business hours and when Council was in session. With the only offices in Town Hall now located upstairs since the relocation of the utilities billing offices to Washington Street, no one is on hand to monitor traffic in and out of the ground floor.

    “I would like for us to look at putting a security system in this building so that you would have to have a card or a pass code to get in,” Sanders suggested, “or either you have to get permission from somebody to enter the building. I know we’re a small town and nothing happens much, but it’s a crazy world out there. Anybody can walk in and do anything.”

    Sanders made the motion for Council to seek bids to explore what the costs for a security system at Town Hall would be. Stan Klaus seconded the motion and Council unanimously agreed (Councilman Danny Miller was absent).

  • Rec Site Gets Public Hearing

    RIDGEWAY – Town Council voted unanimously at their Feb. 12 meeting to host a public forum on the issue of whether or not to ask the County to consider relocating a proposed District 1 recreation facility into the town limits.

    Currently, the County is planning to construct the facility on approximately 10 acres of land just beyond the town limits on Highway 21 S. near Smallwood Road, adjacent to a County recycling center. Since December, however, Ridgeway Councilman Russ Brown has been advocating for property at Church and Means streets, site of the former Ridgeway School and the former Town Hall.

    While Brown’s fellow Council members have warmed to the idea, a handful of citizens have spoken out against the move, citing traffic, noise and aesthetic concerns. Councilman Donald Prioleau has also advocated for the move, saying Ridgeway makes the most sense as it is the hub of District 1. At a joint meeting with County representatives on Jan. 28, Prioleau also said it might be less expensive to build the facility on the Town’s property. Unlike the proposed Highway 21 site, which would require extensive tree removal and grading, the Ridgeway site is essentially ready to build. Furthermore, he said, the Ridgeway site already has water and sewer available; the Highway 21 property does not have a sewer connection.

    District 1 County Councilman Dan Ruff said during the Jan. 28 meeting that a third option, to build the facility at Rufus Belton Park, approximately 9 miles out of town at 5087 Park Road, might be on the table. Ruff also suggested a final public forum before Ridgeway makes a decision.

    During Council’s Feb. 12 meeting, Dee Dee Ruff urged Council to hold such a forum.

    “There are good things that could come from a facility inside of town and there are also bad things that could come from having a facility inside town,” she said, “and you need to openly air those, frankly discuss them and carefully examine them. It’s a big decision and once you make it, it can’t be easily undone, if at all.”

    The forum will be held Feb. 24 at Town Hall at 6 p.m.