BLYTHEWOOD – Tuesday night, Richland 2 Board Chairman Bill Fleming addressed the recent embarrassment brought on the District by Board member Melinda Anderson.
Reading from a prepared statement, Fleming said, “The Board considers themselves compromised” by the words and actions during and following the incident involving Melinda Anderson. In early October Anderson, in a District office meeting to discuss her grandson’s lack of playing time on the Westwood football field, was alleged in a Richland County Sheriff’s report to have said, “I’m so angry I just want to kill the coach and I have a gun.”
Superintendent Debbie Hamm and Human Resource Office Roosevelt Garrick support hearing the statement in the filed police report. Anderson denies making any such statement. Several weeks later a family friend was sent by Anderson to the fields to observe how the coach was handling practice. As in the first incident, charges were not filed.
Board member Chip Jackson said, “There are no winners in this situation.”
The censure is a public admonishment from the Board to express their disapproval for Anderson’s actions. The censure passed 5-2 with Anderson and Monica Elkins-Johnson voting against the measure. When asked to explain the meaning of the censure, Anderson responded, “I have no idea. I am finished with it. I have no comment . . . God is my witness.”
With the censure voted, the Board considers the matter resolved.
BLYTHEWOOD – Following a half-hour executive session in a special called Town Council meeting on Monday night, the full Town Council voted unanimously and by roll call to “accept John Perry’s resignation as Blythewood Town Administrator . . . and approve the severance agreement and authorize the Mayor to execute the [severance] agreement with the actions that are in the best interest of the Town.”
Town Attorney Jim Meggs, a member of the law firm of Callison, Tighe and Robinson, said prior to the motion to accept Perry’s resignation, that Perry had already executed the severance agreement. Another Callison, Tighe and Robinson attorney, who specializes in labor and employment law, was present in the executive session along with Meggs, Mayor J. Michael Ross and councilmen Roger Hovis, Tom Utroska, Bob Massa and Bob Mangone. Since the issue arose over Perry’s employment termination, the Mayor and Council members have said they were advised by Meggs to not make any comments on the record concerning the matter.
On Tuesday, the morning following the meeting, without alluding to the conflict between the Town Hall and Perry that was reported to The Voice by sources last week, Ross told the Blythewood Chamber of Commerce at its regular monthly breakfast meeting that Perry had resigned, effective Dec. 29, and “we accepted his resignation last night. We’ll be looking for an interim [administrator], then we’ll form a committee and search for someone who will carry Blythewood into the next era,” Ross said. Ross told the group that he wished Perry well.
“If you get a chance, stop in and wish him well,” Ross said.
But following the Chamber meeting, Ross did not answer questions from The Voice specific as to when and if Perry would actually be back at work at the Town Hall before the end of the month. The six-page severance agreement that only provided Perry with salary and benefits through Dec. 29 and no other compensation, was not only the “full and final settlement of any disputes that have arisen between them [Perry and the Town],” but silenced Perry from any disparaging words about Town Hall and its employees and prohibited Perry from bringing any actions or claims against the Town or its employees according to the agreement.
The agreement prohibits Perry from divulging, commenting upon or characterizing any aspects of the terms of the severance agreement. It also prohibits him from making any statements, written or verbal, that defame, disparage or in any way criticize The Town or any of the Released Parties (elected officials, employees, town attorney, etc.) The Town and the Released Parties are, in turn, prohibited from divulging, commenting upon or characterizing any aspects of this agreement with actual or potential future employers of Perry. The agreement also specifies exactly how the Town is limited in what it reveals to Perry’s prospective employers.
Perry signed the agreement on Dec. 5 and the Mayor signed it on Dec. 9. Perry was hired in January 2008 by then Mayor Keith Bailey.
The Voice reported last week that the resignation was forced by the Mayor and Town Council following an ongoing employment-related conflict between Perry and a Town Hall employee, according to sources with direct knowledge of the issue but who were not authorized to comment on the record.
BLYTHEWOOD – Town Councilman Roger Hovis has submitted a letter of resignation to Mayor J. Michael Ross, effective Sunday, Dec. 15. The letter was submitted to Town Hall on Dec. 3, and forwarded to the media on Dec. 6 by Town Clerk Martha Weaver. In her email, Weaver stated that Hovis had accepted a position with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. “Regretfully,” the email continued, “this new opportunity requires Councilman Hovis to resign his seat on Town Council.
Article XVII, Section 1 A of the S.C. Constitution states that, “No person may hold two offices of honor or profit at the same time.” Hovis stated in his letter, “The experience of being an elected official for our great town has been very rewarding and I submit this resignation with sadness but full of confidence with the knowledge that you and the three newly elected gentlemen will carry out the wishes of the people of Blythewood.”
At a special called Town Council meeting on Monday night, The Voice asked Hovis what position he had been hired for at the Sheriff’s Department. Hovis said he “had no idea.” He said he hoped to know that before too long.
Ross said he would make an announcement soon as to when a special election would be held to fill Hovis’ seat. Hovis, who serves as the Mayor Pro Tem, has two years to serve on his term. He was elected in January 2012 to a four-year term.
Hannah Phillips (left) and Frankie O’Neal share a little punch at last year’s open house spectacular.
When the Christmas holiday season starts in Fairfield County, things start happening — the Town of Winnsboro lights a Christmas tree in Gazebo Park following the Christmas Parade, the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce begins promoting Shop Fairfield First and the Fairfield County Museum opens its doors for the Holiday Open House.
During this annual event, the public tours the Museum, enjoys sumptuous holiday refreshments and listens to the sweet sounds of the season. The Museum is decorated to the nines with fresh greenery by several discerning women from the local gardening clubs. It’s a glory to behold.
This year’s Holiday Open House will be held Sunday, Dec. 8 from 4-7 p.m. When the Town of Winnsboro Christmas parade ends, turn your steps toward the Fairfield County Museum to hear music provided by the Johnson Family String Quartet, the distinctive sounds of Christmas music on bagpipes, provided by our community’s own “proper piper” Brian Ogburn and the lilting vocal talents of Kerry Matthews, accompanied ably by Lauren Livings on piano.
This musical feast continues as you will also hear a trumpet duet by Hal Frish and grandson Aaron and the Halfway There Quartet, composed of Lynne Douglas, Susan Miller, Jeanie Roundy and Beth McFadden. And the evening’s musical finale happens when everyone joins in a sing-along of carols with Susan McLane playing tunes on the 1854 Rosewood piano in the parlor.
Come for the music, stay for the food. It was at one of these Open House events that your faithful scribe was introduced to the taste of room-temperature Brie on crackers. You are sure to find something savory or sweet to please your palate.
But the event is about more than great food, Christmas carols and beautiful seasonal greenery, believes Pelham Lyles.
“This is a Winnsboro tradition,” she said. “It’s Fairfield’s kick-off to the Christmas season.”
She added, “this event is all about our community coming together, everybody participating, creating, enjoying. It’s a warm spirit – sort of like going to the Post Office in Winnsboro in the mornings where everyone is friendly, and people always open the door for each other.”
This Christmas season, Pelham Lyles and her museum volunteers are opening the door for you. Please come inside and celebrate the season with the community.
Dear readers, this will be my final column for The Voice. The Man About Town is moving on to new challenges in a full-time position at another newspaper. I have enjoyed bringing you news of community events both historical and cultural from Winnsboro, Ridgeway and Blythewood and I hope that some of my columns have inspired you to attend a new event, join an organization or give of your time as a volunteer to one of our many agencies that depend on volunteer assistance to make our communities a better place. It’s been a great joy to share some of my discoveries with you. I have appreciated the opportunity The Voice has given me to write. Thanks, Barbara and James. It’s been a blast.
Dec. 2 Resignation Plot May Have Been Hatched in Illegal Session
BLYTHEWOOD – “This sort of leaves our town in a lurch,” former Town Councilman Ed Garrison said Monday after learning several days earlier that Blythewood’s Town Administrator John Perry had abruptly left the Town’s employ under pressure from the Mayor and Town Council.
“Who’s going to run the Town now? No one was more about town administration than John Perry. He was credentialed, experienced and a great money manager. He had vision and the financial and planning genius to carry it out,” Garrison said. “He’s going to leave a tremendous void in our town.”
Following what several sources have told The Voice was an ongoing employment related conflict between Perry and a Town Hall employee, Council went into executive session on Nov. 25 to discuss employment matters, including the “demotion, discipline or release of an employee.” While there was no prior indication that Perry was to be discussed in the executive session, he was not included in the executive session as he usually is.
Following Council’s return to the public meeting after the closed door session, no public vote was taken, but Council may have committed to a course of action while in executive session by agreeing to propose terms to Perry in regard to his termination of employment. Sources who asked not to be identified told The Voice that Council was awaiting some kind of answer from Perry. Such a commitment on the part of Council would be in conflict with the S.C. Freedom of Information Act (SCFOIA.) Section 30-4-70 of the SCFOIA states, “No vote may be taken in executive session except to (a) adjourn or (b) return to public session. The members of a public body may not commit to a course of action by a polling of members in executive session.”
According to Bill Rogers, Executive Director of the South Carolina Press Association, “A vote can be taken in public on a matter like this without disclosing information about the employee. School boards do this all the time.”
According to Blythewood Town Ordinance Title III: Chapter 32 (01), the Mayor does not have the power to terminate the Town Administrator. Such action requires a vote by a quorum of Town Council and that vote must be taken in public. The statute states, “The Town Council shall appoint persons to the positions of Town Administrator, Town Clerk, Town Attorney and Municipal Judge and, when it deems it necessary for the good of the town, suspend and remove such persons from such positions.”
Neither the Mayor nor any Council member would go on record to say what transpired in the Nov. 25 executive meeting, citing the exception provided under the SCFOIA for executive sessions. In addition to the members of Council, Town Attorney Jim Meggs and two other attorneys were present at the meeting. At least one of those attorneys, who specializes in employment law, is a member of the Callison, Tighe & Robinson Law Firm in Columbia where Meggs is employed.
Asked if, prior to the Nov. 25 meeting, they were privy to plans to terminate Perry, two of the town’s new Council members said they had been instructed by Meggs not to answer questions regarding the matter. Neither the Mayor nor any of the Council members have had any official comment for The Voice regarding Perry’s situation since the Nov. 25 meeting.
While sources told The Voice that Perry had until Monday evening, Dec. 2, to respond to a resignation proposal, the Mayor still had no official comment Tuesday evening as to whether Perry had actually resigned.
Perry was hired by former Mayor Keith Bailey in January 2008. Prior to coming to Blythewood, Perry had served as Planner and or Manager for Port Royal, the City of Beaufort and Beaufort County among others.
Perry had his detractors during his tenure at Town Hall, but many supported him. Most agreed that he ushered a new era into Blythewood. He upgraded the Town’s computer system, converted Town Hall to paperless record keeping. He pushed through the Master Plan that Council is now implementing and brought a number of grant funded projects to the Town such as the $300,000 beautification of the I-77 exit. However, the park, the new restaurant and their associated expenses rankled many.
“John understood funding and how it worked,” Garrison said. “He fleshed out our capital improvements plan to make it compatible with the Town’s budget. We are set to go. Now I think some of us are waiting to see what’s next?’
Drive 87 miles southwest to the little town of Olanta and you’ll see a landform some folks believe meteors created — Woods Bay. It’s not the only bay, though. Thousands of Carolina Bays stipple the landscape from New Jersey to Florida (Aerial laser technology confirms a million.) The most beautiful fleck North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. A bit like divots, most bays occur in the Carolinas, hence “Carolina” Bays. We’re lucky to have a state park that preserves Woods Bay, a great example of a large bay yet to be destroyed by man. Yes, a drive of about 110 minutes will take you to this fascinating place, rich with wildlife and botanical wonders.
We call places like Woods Bay “bays” because bay trees — magnolias and laurels — dominate many of these pockets. At ground level they look like, well, like swamps. Chances are you’ve driven by many a Carolina bay and didn’t realize it. From the air, however, they are elliptical depressions oriented from northwest to southeast and parallel to each other.
Recently I went back to Woods Bay. It’s so remote and isolated you’ll hear no evidence of man save a jet now and then from Shaw Air Force Base. If you stand still and listen you’ll hear what sounds like rain. Organic rain! Acorns, leaves and twigs fall continually.
I was glad to see Woods Bay hasn’t changed much; a good thing. Years ago I helped make a film that explored the bays’ origins and extolled them as wildlife oases. I often shot footage at Woods Bay. Serene and isolated. Those words still describe Woods Bay. No, three words — all with equal weight — serene, isolated and primeval. Once upon a time I captured ancient creatures on 16-millimeter film. An anhinga drying its wings. A gator gliding past water lilies. A stubby cottonmouth braiding through cypress knees. Turtles sunbathing on logs. Primeval denizens. I felt like I was in 1800s Botswana.
There was a boardwalk, too, from which I filmed birds. (Woods Bay always delivered a profusion of wildlife … osprey, carnivorous plants, wood ducks and otter.) Today a new and far superior boardwalk will take you past sunning snakes and turtles and all types of luxuriant plant life. It’s a great place to hone your wildlife photography skills.
Coming back may years later, my film days behind me, I still find Woods Bay to be as delightful as ever. As November’s autumn light lit up orange cypress needles their images danced across black waters. I too reflected. Woods Bay and its fellow bays are quietly doing what they’ve always done: controlling floods, purifying water, stockpiling carbon and giving man a place to sort out things. Add clean air, sediment retention and nutrient recycling to the benefits. And add two things that banish humdrum: beauty and mystery, especially mystery.
The origin of Woods Bay and other bays most likely is long-term wind and wave action that gradually shaped the bays and piled sand at their southeastern ends. Don’t let that rather bland theory keep you from seeing a miraculous place. Pack a picnic. You’ll find a picnic shelter there and don’t miss the adjacent millpond. It’s rich with wildlife and photo opps too! And when you drive in you can’t help but notice the snowy-white sand rim that is a beautiful hallmark of Carolina bays.
Blythewood’s new Town Council, Bob Massa, Roger Hovis, Mayor J. Michael Ross, Tom Utroska and Bob Mangone, sat for their first meeting Monday night.
BLYTHEWOOD – Just minutes after three new Town Council members took the oath of office and were seated Monday evening, it was apparent that a new balance of power had been elected. The three, Bob Massa, Tom Utroska and Bob Mangone, brought two agenda items to deferral until they could be looked into further.
The first item was the second reading of Ordinance 2013.16, which would have authorized a 10-year lease of the Depot Restaurant that the Town government has pledged to construct and lease to Jon Bazinet, owner of Sam Kendall’s restaurant in Camden. The Town is loaning itself more than $800,000 to construct the building that it will own once the loan is paid back. Bazinet plans to rent the building from the Town. The rental income will be used to help pay the loan back to the Town.
First reading of the ordinance was passed unanimously by the previous Council last month. That agreement included a guaranty of lease payments from both Bazinet (for five years) and his family’s corporation, Red Fox Development, Inc. (for the full 10 years). But newly seated Councilman Mangone questioned the guaranty.
“I believe we need a performance bond to protect the Town from some unforeseen problem in the future,” Mangone said. “There are too many issues beyond everyone’s control to allow this to just be on his signature. Ten years is a long time, and a lot of things can happen.”
Mayor J. Michael Ross, who voted to pass first reading, said he and Town Administrator John Perry had been trying to find a surety bond since the new councilmen had brought the subject up earlier this week. Perry said he contacted suretybond.com and they did not have a surety instrument to cover rental payment. Mangone suggested that it is Bazinet’s responsibility to provide a performance bond to protect the Town against the almost $1 million loan.
Councilman Utroska agreed, saying, “I’m concerned. I would like us to take another week to see if there isn’t a surety bond out there.” Utroska said that signing the ordinance was tantamount to gambling with the Town’s money. “This is a lot of money,” he said. “A week or 10-day delay won’t matter.”
Councilman Massa also agreed. “I don’t think we are going to find an instrument out there. (The Town) has set aside its own money, then locked it in so we can’t spend it on something else.”
When Utroska asked the Town’s attorney Jim Meggs what he would suggest they do, Meggs answered, “The financing for this was orchestrated by Parker Poe Law Firm. But until we get a briefing from Parker Poe, there are lawyers in my firm who will know the options available for Mr. Bazinet.” Meggs suggested the Council defer action on second reading until they could decide what to do about the surety bond, and the Council voted unanimously to do so.
The next item of business didn’t fare much better with the new Council members. The agenda called for the appointment of Jim McLean to the Board of Architectural Review and Joseph Richardson and Raymond Fantone to the Board of Zoning Appeals. The three seats had been filled by the three councilmen and had been vacated earlier that evening when they were sworn into office. Utroska noted that, because of the time frame, the appointments would not be made in accordance with the Town’s statute for either of the two boards.
The Statute (155.465 [G] for the Board of Zoning Appeals and 155.495 [E] for the Board of Architectural Review) states: If a vacancy occurs, the Town will advertise for candidates to fill the vacant seat in the manner in division (D) of this section. Town Council may make an appointment to a vacant seat at any Council meeting held not sooner than 30 days after the advertisement appears in the local newspaper.
Trying to explain to the Council that the appointments would be acceptable if made that evening, Perry said, “In April or May of 2013, the Town put an ad in the newspaper and these are the people who responded to that and they have been patiently waiting to serve and all three of the new Council members served on these Boards and created those vacancies.”
As the Mayor then prepared to call for a vote on the three proposed appointees, Utroska again questioned how that procedure met the requirement of the ordinance. Perry responded that, “we did do that (advertise) on an annual basis to give a buildup of candidates and we will do that again.”
However, this procedure has not previously been made known by the Town Council or Town Hall at a public meeting or in the newspaper.
“I’m a big believer in following the rules,” Utroska said.
“We don’t want to do anything that’s wrong,” Ross said, “but we advertised this (last spring) and did not get a response.”
When asked his opinion, Meggs said he would have to look at the chronology (of what has been done in the past).
Massa said the statute is predicated on an existing vacancy, of which, he said, there were none when the advertisement was posted last April or May.
“Maybe that is why no one applied,” he said, “because there was no vacancy. Who would go to the trouble to apply if there is no vacancy?”
“So,” Ross, said to the Council, “are we okay to make these appointments tonight?”
Massa said he would vote ‘no,’ “because we are not following our ordinance. We can’t selectively decide whether we want to follow the ordinance.”
Massa also suggested that in the past, those seeking appointments were expected to appear before Council in case Council members had questions to ask them. It was noted later in the meeting that only one of the three, Jim McLean, was present.
The Mayor made one more try, telling Council, “These three people said they were interested in the position and when the vacancies came open we called them and they agreed to take the positions.” Again, Ross asked Meggs if he had further comment. Meggs didn’t. Then Ross said, “We called these people and were assured by Mr. Perry that we are following what he believes to be the (right thing).”
Getting no support from Council, Ross hesitated, then called for the motion, which was to defer action on the item. The vote was unanimous.
In other business, Council voted to defer action on the Landscape and Tree Preservation Ordinance and voted unanimously to pass a Resolution for the South Carolina Municipal Insurance Trust (SCMIT) Worker’s Compensation Participation Agreement.
The next regular meeting is Monday, Dec. 16, but there was some discussion that a special meeting might be called for the several deferred motions.
Betsy Shields with grandson Nehemiah Dandy, 7, and therapy dog Zeus. Last year The Voice publicized their campaign to raise funds to purchase Zeus. Less than a year later, generous donors made their dreams come true. See story on page 10.Nehemiah Dandy and his Labradoodle Zeus.
At just 7 years old, Nehemiah Dandy has already endured a world of problems. And he will for the rest of his life, due to severe developmental delays and extensive medical problems. But Nehemiah’s Christmas this year will be a little bit brighter, because he was recently granted a long-held wish. After more than a year of fundraising, paperwork and the support of many friends in the community, Nehemiah at last has an attentive, loyal furry best friend by his side – his new, specially trained therapy dog, an 18-month-old black Labradoodle named Zeus.
Nehemiah has Angelman Syndrome, a genetic disease that causes development problems, intellectual disability, speech impairment, poor muscle coordination and behavioral issues. While his life expectancy is normal, he will always be a child mentally, probably not progressing beyond the age of 8 or so.
Nehemiah’s primary caregiver is his grandmother, Betsy Shields, and for years she’s devoted every moment keeping him safe. Children with Angelman Syndrome function on very little sleep, often needing medications to sleep just four hours each night. He’s awake all hours of the night and day, and without constant supervision would wander aimlessly and dangerously about the house.
Which means Shields, too, gets little sleep. On disability herself after undergoing multiple back surgeries, Shields admits she has trouble keeping up with her grandson. She rarely has a moment to sit down and rest, much less spend time on anything else.
“And away from the house, it’s even scarier,” Shields said. “He darts off this way and that and is gone in an instant. I live in fear of him wandering off and not finding him.”
Zeus is a ‘tether dog,’ trained specifically to help children like Nehemiah who require near-constant supervision. Having him in their life has brought much relief to Shields.
Shields said that when she first learned about tether dogs, she was hopeful about the possibility and did a lot of research.
“Eventually,” she said, “we found an organization called Service Dogs for Independence, in Tucson, Ariz. They had a trained Labradoodle that seemed like a perfect fit for Nehemiah.”
Although tether dogs can cost as much as $30,000, this organization provides dogs at a much lower cost in cases of financial need. But even $8,000 was still far beyond what the family was able to afford.
Shields, along with family and friends, put the word out. A story ran in The Voice last December, which was then picked up by an Upstate paper. That’s where Kathy Young, a special education teacher, learned of Nehemiah’s situation and took it upon herself to arrange a series of fundraisers.
“It snowballed from there,” said Mary Tindal, Nehemiah’s great-grandmother, “and before long we had the money to buy Zeus.”
On Sept. 2, Zeus and his trainer flew from Tucson to Charlotte, then drove to Ridgeway where Shields and Nehemiah live in an apartment.
“Zeus brings Nehemiah a lot of comfort,” Shields said. “He used to look to me for everything. But now, more and more he looks to Zeus. Zeus occupies a lot of Nehemiah’s attention and time, so I have a bit of freedom to do other things. Not a lot,” she said with a laugh, “but more than I used to have.”
When Zeus is looking after Nehemiah, both of them wear special harnesses that connect with a tether.
“When we go for a walk, he and Zeus are tethered together,” Shields said. “I still have a leash on Zeus, but I don’t have to hold on to Nehemiah all the time, which he likes!”
Nehemiah still wakes frequently in the night, but settles back down more easily with Zeus asleep next to him. Shields said he treats Zeus’ ear as a pacifier, holding it against his face as he goes to sleep.
Shields said that when they leave for Fairfield Elementary each morning, Nehemiah kisses Zeus goodbye. “And when he gets home, he goes right to Zeus, hugging and kissing him,” she said with a smile. “Nehemiah and Zeus love to go places together. We make a weekly trip to Pet Smart to help Zeus maintain his socialness. We also go to the fenced dog park at Sesquicentennial Park off Two Notch Road where they can both run and play without a tether.”
“Nehemiah still has his meltdowns, but they have become fewer now with Zeus in his life,” Shields said. “Their relationship has helped Nehemiah in so many ways, developmentally and emotionally. A child with Nehemiah’s condition is never going to have another child as a best friend that he can play with or feel close to,” she said smoothing her hand over Zeus’ head. “Now he has one who not only plays with him, but looks after him and loves him. He finally has Zeus.”
Loudon-Meetze and Hap scored a phenomenal 43.7 in dressage competition at the Virginia CCI*. (Brant Gamma Photography)
When Tiffani Loudon-Meetze, a 4-star international eventer, purchased Happy (Hap), an almost-3-year-old thoroughbred racetrack reject, two years ago, she thought he had potential, but had no way to know for sure if she could turn him into an eventer capable of making dreams come true. Now she knows. Just two weeks ago the pair won the Preliminary Level of the prestigious Virginia CCI*, a top international level eventing competition. But more than just winning, they swept the competition easily, leading in dressage, cross country and show jumping from start to finish. Even more remarkable, it was only Hap’s first international level competition.
Loudon-Meetze, 37, knows a thing or two about making dreams coming true. As a 19-year-old she trailered her 12-year-old, not-too-expensive thoroughbred, Makabe, from her home in Washington state to start her professional riding career at Farewell Farm in Blythewood. Two years later she and Makabe surprised the eventing world when she became the youngest rider ever to win the Rolex Kentucky CCI* in 1998, the most prestigious 3-day event in the Western Hemisphere. Next, she won the Foxhall Cup CCI* in Georgia, and went on to be shortlisted by the United States Equestrian Team in 2000 for the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. And all of while trailering herself and Makabe from show to show with no hired help against top Olympic riders with entourages and a myriad of high-dollar horses. While it was a fairytale quickly coming to fruition, an injury caused Makabe to be withdrawn from final selection for the Olympic Trials that year. Since then, Loudon-Meetze has gone on to win or place in the top three in many other international level events throughout the United States, Canada, England and Scotland.
Now Loudon-Meetze sees another bright future looming in Hap. While she expected him to do well at Virginia, even she was surprised at how tirelessly he ate up the long hills in the cross country phase of the competition then captured a remarkably low 43.7 dressage score. His only real test came as the pair entered the final competition of the event – show jumping in the indoor ring. Louden-Meetze recalled the moment with a nervous smile.
“He was really spooky in the coliseum,” she told The Chronicle of the Horse magazine. “I went to go through the in-gate, and the next thing I know we are going backwards, back into the holding area.” With only one downed rail in the show ring, the pair still won handily.
“He’s a very scopey horse,” Louden-Meetze said of her young partner. “He just needs to learn to skim the jumps a bit more and yank his knees up higher so he doesn’t have to jump so high.” Louden-Meetze said she’s now looking forward to seeing what he can really do. “He’s a very calm, happy horse and he loves competing,” she said.
In addition to competing, Loudon-Meetze is a successful event clinician and instructor on her 97- acre farm in Winnsboro, where she lives with her husband, Paul, and their daughter Channing, 9. Hap is just one of several horses Louden-Meetze continues to train and bring along for competition with the goal of riding in International competitions and representing her country. For more information, go to tiffaniloudoneventing.com.
BLYTHEWOOD – A Richland 2 School Board member has denied the contents of an Oct. 31 Richland County Sheriff’s Department incident report linking her in a case of intimidation with a local football coach.
According to the report, Richland 2 Board member Melinda Anderson dispatched 69-year-old Clero Evans, of Rockingham Road in Columbia, to the Westwood High School football field on Oct. 30 to watch practice. Westwood head coach Rodney Summers told deputies he felt threatened by Evans’s presence, the report states, and requested an official report for the record. Evans reportedly told deputies he had been sent by Anderson, and “after a verbal altercation” between Evans and Jason Nussbaum, the team’s trainer, Evans left the scene.
Nussbaum later told The Voice that the reported “altercation” was “more like a conversation” and that Evans left the field when asked to do so.
Late last week, Anderson denied dispatching Evans to the football practice.
“I did not send anyone,” Anderson wrote The Voice in an email. “My grandson has a father and mother who love and care for him dearly.”
Anderson did not respond to a follow-up email from The Voice asking her why she thought Evans would tell deputies she had sent him to watch the practice, or what, if any, was her relationship to Evans.
Anderson was also named in an Oct. 7 incident report after allegedly threatening Summers’s life during a meeting with then Acting Superintendent Debbie Hamm and the District’s Human Resources Officer, Roosevelt Garrick Jr. Hamm, who filed the report, told the Sheriff’s Department that during the meeting Anderson said, “I’m so angry I just want to kill the coach, and I have a gun.” Summers was not present at the meeting and no charges were filed in either case.
Anderson has also denied making the threats, telling The Voice that the incident was nothing more than “some foolishness cooked up by certain administrators.”
