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  • Cedar Creek residents push back against proposed wastewater discharge site

    CEDAR CREEK – About a hundred residents of the northeast section of Blythewood 29016 and the southern part of Fairfield County, many of whom live along Cedar Creek, met in the Cedar Creek Community Center Sunday afternoon to discuss a wastewater treatment plant Fairfield County Council has proposed to locate on a 50-acre property on Syrup Mill and Broom Mill Roads.  The wastewater from that plant is proposed to be discharged into Cedar Creek.

    Fairfield County officials, Administrator Jason Taylor, Planning Director Chris Clausen and Economic Development Director Ty Davenport fielded questions.

    Fairfield County officials answer questions from Cedar Creek Community residents. | Barbara Ball

    The first sore spot brought up by meeting organizers as well as some in the audience was the feeling that information about the proposed site had been kept secret by the county and not made public.

    “I didn’t know about this until about a week ago.” Shawn Goff, one of the organizers, told the audience on Jan. 19. “I had no idea this is coming,” Goff said.

    “You understand why we feel blindsided about this,” Cedar Creek resident Jim Young added. “I didn’t hear about it until a week ago.”

    An unidentified woman spoke up to say Fairfield County residents also didn’t know about the proposed site.

    The information about the site location was made public during a council committee meeting two months earlier on Nov. 11, 2019.

    The Voice reported the proposed location on Syrup Mill Road in a front page story on Dec. 5, titled ‘Water Authority Moving Forward.’ The story read, in part, “At an Administrative and Finance committee meeting, also held Nov. 11, county officials said the property being targeted is located off Syrup Mill Road near Big Cedar Creek.”

    “We rarely disclose these things until we’re well into the process with an economic development project,” Taylor said. “We usually give a code name [until a contract is signed].”

    “We found a property, but we weren’t going to announce, ‘Hey we’re looking at property along Cedar Creek’, because if we do that, the costs will go up,” Fairfield County Economic Director Ty Davenport said. “Once we put the property under contract, it was announced at a public meeting.”

    Another concern of many at the meeting was whether the wastewater that would be discharged into the creek would contaminate it.

    Both Goff and the county officials disclosed that the creek is already receiving wastewater from the Ridgeway wastewater plant that is currently in violation for discharging contaminants into the creek.

    Taylor said the Ridgeway plant cannot be modernized. He said if the county builds a wastewater plant, it could take on the Ridgeway discharge, effectively cleaning up the creek instead of contaminating it.

    John Culbreth, with Thomas and Hutton engineering consultants, said at the Jan. 13 council meeting that the wastewater discharged from the Syrup Mill Road facility would be processed by a state-of-the-art treatment system – a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system – that would not contaminate the creek. He said it is an advanced level of treatment that would discharge water of near drinking water quality. He said that discharge is used to irrigate golf courses and crops and for other uses.

    Taylor reiterated Sunday that the discharge would not pollute the creek. Asked if he would let his children swim in it, he said he would.

    Goff, who lives on Cedar Creek and opposes the discharge into the creek, agreed that the MBR technology, from his research, is the best of the best.

    “If you have to have one, this is the one you want,” Goff said. “I can’t tell you that it’s the devil, because it’s the most advanced wastewater treatment facility that’s available. There are no open pools. It’s all contained and it has a small footprint, about seven acres. Anyone can Google and do the research. I was trying my darndest to find some piece of bad press or something that has happened at one of these plants, and I can’t,” Goff said. “They say the creek will be cleaner than it is now.”

    “Membrane technology is a very clean technology, but it is highly intensive from a maintenance standpoint,” an unidentified man from the audience said. “And you’re turning over a very complex treatment facility to who? To Fairfield County?”

    The audience laughed.

    Taylor said the county would manage the treatment facility. Asked if the county had anyone who had experience managing wastewater treatment plants, Taylor said it does, that he had successfully operated one in Jasper County for 13 years.

    Center Creek resident David Valentine, a civil engineer, asked why the county is rushing the wastewater treatment facility through and would the county be willing to put the project on hold for a period of time so citizens could do the due diligence.

    “We are open to looking at other options without question,” Taylor said. “But I will say it’s not been rushed from our side. I’ve been working on it for three years and the county’s been working on it since 1997,” he said. “We have been losing population and jobs. We need to plan for jobs and to reverse population.”

    Taylor said hooking into Columbia is too costly and that Columbia would then control Fairfield’s future. “Columbia could control whether we get an industry or not by not making sewer available,” he said. “And going with Columbia would pull a whole huge amount of money out of Fairfield County and send it to Columbia to develop their infrastructure. We can build our own infrastructure in house and control it much cheaper and then keep all the revenue here.”

    Retired Blythewood attorney Stuart Andrews explained to the residents their legal options to stop Fairfield County from discharging wastewater into Cedar Creek. He said it could cost millions to mount a legal campaign against the county but offered that it would be possible to slow the process down to the point of effectively dismantling the county’s efforts.

    Someone in the audience suggested bringing pressure on the county by boycotting the merchants in Fairfield County.

    By the end of the hour and a half meeting, many in the audience remained convinced that the system would or could, somehow, contaminate the creek and ruin their water wells.

    According to South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) there is no conclusive evidence that water wells have been contaminated by treated wastewater discharges. Still, members of the audience insisted they want options for the discharged water other than Cedar Creek. Those other options, however, for one reason or another, are not a fit for the county (see ‘What Are The Options?’ below).

    Longtime Cedar Creek resident Lynn Robertson is not convinced. She said that while she wishes Fairfield well in its endeavor to bring infrastructure and jobs to the county, she is not convinced that the proposed wastewater treatment plant would not contaminate Cedar Creek.

    “There are some other options and I just feel like, I hope and pray that they will look at other options for this rather than dumping it in Cedar Creek,” Robertson said. “I do not want Cedar Creek to be the wastewater pipeline through Richland County to the Broad River. No matter what they say, errors can occur.”

    What are the Options?

    contributed by the Richland County Conservation Committee

    Fairfield County is setting up a new service area to provide wastewater treatment to Winnsboro, Ridgeway, the Fairfield County Industrial megasite and for existing and future development along the 1-77 corridor inside Fairfield County.

    This service area would be managed through a joint use partnership agreement (the new Joint Water Authority) and a management entity which is currently under development for the new area. This new service area would require an amendment of the existing 208 (Wastewater) Water Quality Management Plan for the area as well as a new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit which has not been applied for at this point.

    More public meetings and informational sessions are being planned by the County for the proposed site.

    The Site

    The final site for the wastewater treatment plant has not been selected, although Fairfield County Council has approved the purchase of a certain size and price of property. The County has an option agreement on a 50-acre site on Syrup Mill Road at Broom Mill Road.

    If this site is selected the new discharge point will be into Big Cedar Creek.

    The plant will need approximately 7 to 10 acres, and will be designed for an initial capacity of 2 million gallons per day (mgd) and a maximum with additions of 4 mgd. Twenty-five percent of the waste to be treated at the new site is projected to come from the megasite with the rest coming from the Winnsboro and Ridgeway facilities as well as existing and future development along the 1-77 corridor.

    The Winnsboro and Ridgeway treatment facilities have been in service for a very long time and are very near their flow capacities. The Winnsboro facility currently discharges to Jackson Creek, and the Ridgeway facility discharges to Big Cedar Creek upstream of where the new discharge is currently proposed. Big Cedar Creek flows from Fairfield County into Richland County and eventually into the Broad River.

    The Options

    Other alternatives to the proposed plant were discussed at the Jan. 15 Environmental Planning Advisory Committee (EPAC) meeting. Those options included revamping the existing Ridgeway or Winnsboro discharge, providing onsite treatment at the megasite, piping to the Broad River, or land application.

    Revamping the Ridgeway site would be cost prohibitive and undesirable because of the additional piping needed to cover the new areas which would be serviced by the new site.

    The Wateree is currently unable to accept more Ultimate Oxygen Demanding (UOD) substances which are present in treated effluents.

    Providing onsite treatment at the megasite would also negate coverage of the new areas and again, treated effluent would end up in the Wateree after flowing through Dutchman Creek.

    Piping to the Broad River would be much more expensive than the proposed new plant and would be cost prohibitive.

    Land application would require an estimated 1,200 acres and would also be cost prohibitive.

    Cedar Creek Option

    The plant proposed on Syrup Mill Road would provide tertiary quality treatment to a re-use level discharging into Big Cedar Creek downstream of the current Ridgeway discharge. This tertiary treatment discharge would be of higher quality treated effluent than the existing Ridgeway discharge. In addition, the megasite would be required to provide pretreatment of any industrial type effluents to meet discharge standards from industrial sites before the pre-treated effluent would go to the new plant. The county officials are also working to find users in the area who could re-use the wastewater for irrigation, industrial or other purposes. A preliminary engineering report is projected to be completed for this project within 3 to 6 months.

  • Wastewater treatment plant draws fire from residents

    John Culbreth of Thomas & Hutton engineering presents information about the proposed wastewater treatment plant to packed chamber during council’s meeting Monday night. | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – Over a hundred residents from lower Fairfield County, Cedar Creek and the northwestern section of Blythewood, including the mayor of Blythewood, filled Fairfield county council chambers and an overflow room Monday evening during a three hour council meeting over concerns about a wastewater treatment plant that council has proposed on a site near the intersection of Syrup Mill and Broom Mill Roads.

    While the county has only optioned the site at this point, residents expressed concerns about the proximity of the site to their homes. Their urgency was to stop or delay the third and final reading of Ordinance 738 which many thought would finalize the purchase of the Syrup Mill Road site.

    County officials said, however, that the ordinance is not for a particular parcel of land but authorizes the county to purchase at least 50 acres of land not to exceed a cost of $300,000 that would be suitable for construction of a wastewater treatment facility.

    After several false starts, council approved the ordinance with a 4 – 3 vote with councilmen Moses Bell, Mikel Trapp and Douglas Pauley voting against. Pauley represents the Syrup Mill Road area.

    Residents voiced their concerns during public comment time at the beginning of the meeting. But as the meeting wore on, tempers flared with frequent interruptions and outbursts from the audience. At one point chairman Neil Robinson threatened to eject those who continued to interrupt.

    Addressing council, Don Quick, a resident of the Center Creek community in Ridgeway, said the big issue is the stigma attached to a wastewater plant and the effect it would have on home values in the area.

    David Valentine, who also lives on Center Creek Road, said the county’s proposal would be using antiquated processes. He addressed the wastewater treatment plant as being located on an industrial site.

    “Modern technology drives for a zero discharge proposal with on-site holding ponds,” Valentine said.

    While many of those attending the meeting live in proximity to the plant, others who live downstream on Cedar Creek west of Blythewood in Richland County expressed concern that the plan calls for the wastewater plant to discharge treated wastewater into the creek.

    “It’s bad enough that council would consider building an industrial wastewater treatment plant in the midst of this bucolic residential setting, but you would propose to flush the large toilet down Cedar Creek,” George Walker, Jr., who owns a farm in Blythewood, said.

    “What guarantees do we have that this discharge water will not pollute the aquafers around and under the creek that so many families depend on?” asked Sean Goff who owns a farm on Cedar Creek. “Data shows elevated bacteria levels downstream of similar facilities. How can we let our kids play in this creek with this in place?”

    Other residents addressed odors, contamination, traffic and the eyesore of the plant itself.

    John Culbreth, principal/regional director of engineering firm Thomas Hutton addressed those questions as well as another 100 or so council had invited residents to send in.

    With a power point presentation, Culbreth displayed what he said the facility would look like – a state-of- the-art water treatment plant recently constructed in the town of Isle of Palms.

    “The type of system we’re proposing is what is being done in coastal communities where you’re dealing with property next door worth upwards of $2 million,” he said. “The one shown here is right next to a golf course.” Culbreth said the golf course uses some of the discharged water for irrigation.

    “It’s nice and clean. The system is all enclosed. There are not big open aeration basins that you’re looking at. It’s not the old school stuff you see driving down I-77. That’s not what’s being built. This,” he said, pointing to the screen, “is what’s going to be built.”

    “An odor scrub system will be in place, and as far as noise, sound attenuation walls on the structure will minimize pump sounds. You probably wouldn’t hear anything unless you’re on the property, and it would sound more like office type activity, nothing more than that.”

    Culbreth said there will be at least 100 feet of buffer around the property and could be more if that particular sight is eventually settled on.  He also said a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system, the latest technology, was chosen for its advanced level of treatment of the wastewater that will come out and because it has a small footprint.

    “The system can be put inside of a facility that will look like a golf club house. It’s all inside and covered,” he said. “This is the state-of-the-art that we can do right now. It’s not your typical wastewater treatment plant. ”

    Pauley asked if there was a reason the plant could not be built on the megasite.

    “The issue is that the megasite is not the best site countywide,” Culbreth said. “If you’re going to try to serve just the megasite, then put it there. But the goal here is to have larger investment to the overall regional community, to benefit the overall area, and the best location for that is closer to where the site is that it benefits. And it’s the area that’s going to grow first. If the state’s going to help provide $40 million to pay for a wastewater treatment plant, it has to benefit the entire region, not just the megasite.”

    While County Administrator Jason Taylor said the county has looked at other properties and that a couple of others are still in play, all of them are going to discharge into Cedar Creek.

    As far as the possibility of water well contamination along the creek, Culbreth said with this type of system that will be used, he didn’t see any concerns with discharging into the creek.

    “It’s septic tanks that are about five to 20 percent of the causes of any kind of well contamination,” he said. “That’s on DHEC’s website. I’ve never been asked to fix a well that was impacted.”

    “Are you saying it [water discharged from the plant] won’t affect their wells?” Pauley asked.

    “Yes sir, I am saying that,” Culbreth said.

    “The level of treatment we’re talking about is near drinking water standards. [This discharged water] will be about as clean as the water in the creek.”

  • Fanning, McDaniel laud JWC water

    Jenkinsville Water Company board members. | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – The Jenkinsville Water Company’s president Greg Ginyard was awash in adulation during the company’s annual meeting last week.

    Ginyard announced that the company’s water had, for the second time in two years, received the “Best Tasting Water in SC award.”  This, despite facing multiple DHEC violations citing tainted water supplies.

    Sen. Mike Fanning D-Great Falls and House Rep. Annie McDaniels were on hand to call upon the name of the Senate and House to shower Ginyard with praise over the award which had been handed out by the S.C. Rural Water Association (RWA) at its annual meeting in October.

    “It is well known at the Statehouse that you kept up with the legislation concerning water companies and districts and that you keep others well-informed while fighting for growth and quality,” Fanning said, reading from a framed personal letter signed by himself that he presented to Ginyard.

    Fanning’s praise comes amid JWC facing multiple water quality violations, including one this past summer noting radioactivity in the water supply.

    It is at least the fourth violation in the past five years, according to agency records obtained by The Voice.

    On several occasions during the past year, JWC members have brought water samples to public meetings to support their claims that the water from their JWC taps is murky and bad tasting.

    It turns out that the rules and standards for RWA’s water tasting contest are equally murky.

    “Whoever wants to can bring their water samples [to the annual meeting] and they are judged on taste, clarity and a few other things,” Amy Kinard, events and marketing coordinator with the RWA, said.

    “We have about four people who are in the water industry who served as judges this year,” Kinyard said.

    Of RWA’s 240 member water companies, she said only about 5 or 6 entered the taste-test contest that JWC won.

    She confirmed that RWA has no specific standards for the contest and does not test the water samples that are entered for competition. She said RWA leaves it to the contest entrants to collect their own samples and bring them in for taste testing.

    Kinard acknowledged that winners aren’t required to authenticate the source of their drinking water samples.

    “We give them the benefit of the doubt,” she said. “We take them at their word. They’re members of our organization.”

    Compliance with DHEC drinking standards isn’t listed among the RWA’s award guidelines.

    In other business, Ginyard read aloud the company’s annual financial statement, but did not make copies available to the members.

    When asked by The Voice for a copy of the financial statement, explaining that it’s a public record, Ginyard refused, saying he would have to contact his board members at a later time to ask if he could provide it.

    Ginyard also noted that JWC dug a new well last year at a cost of $800,000, paid cash for a new truck, had investment earnings of $67,085 and a cash and investment balance of $239,386.

    During the meeting, members re-elected the following board members to their seats: Greg Ginyard, Tim Yarborough, Tangee Brice Jacobs and Jerald Smith. Clemart Camack was elected to replace board member Preston Peach who resigned last month after serving four years.

    Following the meeting, board members sequestered themselves in a back room without a prior vote to go into executive session as required by S. C. statute. When board members came out a few minutes later, Ginyard announced that they had elected officers among themselves while behind closed doors, a clear violation of the state’s Freedom of Information Act, which states: “To adjourn into executive session, a vote must be taken in public. The only actions that can be taken in executive sessions [behind closed doors] are to adjourn or return to public session.”

    Barbara Ball contributed to this story.

  • R2 board OKs $1,000 bonuses for teachers

    Revenue Source is $16.9M Budget Surplus

    COLUMBIA – Richland Two school board approved $1,000 bonuses for its 3,600 district employees during a special called meeting Tuesday night.

    The district allocated $4.1 million of a $16.9 million budget surplus for teachers and all full-time permanent employees. Superintendent Dr. Baron Davis said the allocation is an effort to be competitive with surrounding school districts that have recently approved similar bonuses.

    Teachers’ salaries in Richland Two, on average, are $52,149, higher than the $50,182 average of teachers statewide.

    Besides the bonuses, other allocations from the surplus approved by the board include $750,000 for classroom supplies ($25 per student), $750,000 for media center upgrades ($25 per student) and $3.5 million for building renovations to help lessen the impact on taxpayers for the funding of annual capital improvement expenditures, according to an email released by the district following the meeting.

    The remaining $7.8 million of the surplus will be rolled over into the FY 2019-20 budget rather than into the fund balance as the district has done in the past.

    The source of the surplus was a combination of $9.3 million in lower expenditures than budgeted (primarily in salaries and fringe benefits) and $7.6 million in higher than anticipated revenues ($3.6 million in local taxes and $4.1 million in state revenues), according to district officials.

    Last year, the state legislature spent $160 million for a four percent raise for teachers.

     School officials say the $1,000 bonuses could be paid out as early as next month.

  • Taylor: It was a very good year for Fairfield

    2019 In Review: New Industries Brought Jobs, Investment to Fairfield County

    WINNSBORO –  A year and a half ago, a Lowcountry newspaper lamented Fairfield County’s double digit unemployment. What a difference a couple of years has made.

    Today, the county’s unemployment rate has shrunk to 3.1 percent and, according to County Administrator Jason Taylor, industrial prospects over the last couple of years have accounted for the creation of more than 700 new jobs and a $70 million impact.

    In fact, Fairfield County has completed one of its busiest years on record, with county leaders tackling a flotilla of projects and inking a number of important deals. The new year saw the opening of the Providence ER, complete with additional outpatient services. The transformation saves the county some $600,000 annually over the previous funding of the former Fairfield Memorial Hospital.

    Economic development, infrastructure improvements and revitalization highlight a laundry list of accomplishments that followed in 2019, and county officials say they plan to continue growing that list in 2020.

    County Council Chairman Neil Robinson said while much was accomplished in 2019, he predicted that 2020 could be a breakout year. He credited Taylor, who was hired a little over two years ago, for guiding the council’s directives to fruition.

    “His vision and knowledge of where we should be and how we get there surprises me every day,” Robinson said. “If Fairfield’s 2019 could be summed up in one word, it’s jobs.”

    Taylor agreed.

    “Between the various projects, it’s been a very good year for us,” Taylor said. “One of our responsibilities in local government is to improve the quality of people’s lives. A job is critical to someone having a good quality of life.”

    Taylor, council and county employees have taken that responsibility seriously and the results are popping up in various ways, not the least of which is a new, cooperative relationship between the county and the Town of Winnsboro – a far cry from the rancor that had for years stymied progress for the two governments.

    Bringing employment to the county is a trend county leaders hope to continue in 2020 as the result of groundwork laid the past couple of years in revitalization, water and sewer infrastructure and the acquisition of new industry.

    To that end, the county is working to expand its newly created Fairfield County Water Authority as well as construct a major wastewater treatment facility to serve the I-77 corridor and megasite, something Robinson says is vital in landing major industry on the order of Boeing, BMW or Mazda.

    Here’s a summary of the major projects Fairfield County tackled in 2019, as well as the forecast for 2020.

    Economic Development

    MLILY, Pharmacy Lite Packaging and Sea Pro Boats are the latest industries to have commenced or announced operations in Fairfield County in 2019. More job announcements are anticipated in coming weeks, according to Robinson.

    Mattresses at MLILY move along a conveyor belt where they are inserted into mattress covers, then rolled up by another piece of equipment and packaged for shipping.

    “Landing MLILY was a major accomplishment,” Robinson said. “You’re talking about a $48 million investment into the county. That’s a lot of tax money coming to us.”

    Ty Davenport, Director of Fairfield County Economic Development, said Pharmacy Lite Packaging, which is launching operations in the former Wal-Mart building, represents a $2.9 million investment, though he thinks that figure will grow to $3.5 million in time.

    “It’s expected to create 33 new jobs, which we think in coming years will get up closer to around 100,” he said.

    Just before Christmas, the county authorized an agreement with Victory Boats, LLC, which is expanding to Fairfield County. Located in the former Fazio building on Hwy 34 near the Highway 321 bypass, the company brings with it a $3 million investment and 135 new jobs.

    “We also did a lot of work to save and help expand both Element and MEKRA Lang,” Taylor said.

    “If we continue to target industrial growth opportunities, commercial and residential growth should follow,” he said. “We were at 14 percent (unemployment) not too terribly long ago,” Taylor said. “The problem is a lot of people are driving outside the county to work. We have to have opportunities for people to work here at home. When people stay at home, they invest and shop here.”

    Water and Sewer Infrastructure

    Heavily linked to economic development is the improvement of the county’s infrastructure. Water and sewer are a top priority.

    In March, the county formed the Fairfield County Joint Water and Sewer Authority Commission. So far, the membership is made up of the county and the Town of Winnsboro.

    The authority is vital to the funding and construction of the wastewater treatment plant, which is seen as needed infrastructure by industry looking to relocate to Fairfield County.

    In 2020, the county hopes to place a sales tax referendum on the November ballot to help generate additional funds for the plant.

    “We’ve been working hard in conjunction with the Town of Winnsboro and the State of South Carolina to secure funds for the plant,” Taylor said. “Water and sewer are critical to our future development.”

    Over the past two years, the state has provided about $3.8 million to Fairfield County to cover costs associated with engineering and studies for the new plant.

    Robinson said council looked all across the county before securing a site off Syrup Mill Road for the plant. Piping would funnel wastewater from the megasite to the plant. It would then be discharged into Big Cedar Creek.

    Once we complete the wastewater treatment facility, that’s when we’re going to land that big deal,” Robinson said. “Those (deals) could mean hiring 1,500 to 2,000 employees.

    Accommodations, hospitality taxes

    The proposed local option sales tax referendum is separate from the county accommodations and hospitality taxes enacted in 2019.

    Expected annual revenue of about $250,000 from these taxes will be paid primarily by tourists. The revenue can be spent in a number of ways to benefit the town and county and their businesses. It can also be used to construct public meeting facilities, other enhancements and tourism services as well as entertainment events and capital projects that will attract tourist dollars to the town and county.

    The accommodation and hospitality tax revenue can also be used to pay indebtedness issued by the County for public purposes.

    In December, the Town of Winnsboro adopted a resolution allowing the two taxes to be collected (by the county) from businesses in the town as well.

    “We’ve overcome the last obstacle to implementing the accommodations and hospitality tax, and that will move forward shortly,” Taylor added.

    Airport upgrades

    The Fairfield County Airport is seeing more large corporate jets like this one that arrived for the grand opening of MLILY last month. | Denise Bryan

    An especially valuable commodity in the county’s economic development toolbox is the Fairfield County Airport, located off Hinnants Store Road in Winnsboro. But it was not always so before Taylor hired pilot Denise Bryant as director of the airport in 2017. Until then, the airport was deficient in many areas. The previous fuel farm technically didn’t comply with regulations set by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

    “We found that our fuel farm and our tanks were not what they should be,” Taylor said. “They weren’t even licensed by DHEC. We have taken measures to remediate all of that.”

    During the last two years, Bryant has overseen the construction of a new state-of-the-art fuel farm that was completed in December.

    “The fuel farm is very attractive, well-done. It’s something to be proud of now,” Taylor said.

    Two, 12,000-gallon fuel tanks were installed. With the extra capacity, the airport can take in more fuel deliveries, which translates into lower costs.

    In addition, the pumps feature a card reader display and a second screen display large enough for pilots to view, even when they’re fueling their planes from the opposite side of their craft.

    “You can actually go to the other side of your plane to fuel and you can see the dollar amount of what’s going into your plane,” Bryant said.

    Bryant has also overseen other major upgrades including lighting and signage. The facility boasts a 5,000-foot runway and parallel taxiway, a modern terminal building with upgraded furnishings, a laser grade testing center, a pilot’s shop, flight instruction and new T-Hangars.

    In 2020, the county plans to resurface all of the airport’s ramps, taxiways and runways. The work is expected to start sometime in March or April, and take about a month to complete.

    Bryant said the federal government is covering 90 percent, or about $320,000 of the project. The county and state are each picking up 5 percent, or about $16,800 for their respective portions.

    “Upgrang and modernizing the airport is important because the facility is often the first impression CEOs of prospective industries have when they fly into Fairfield County,” Bryant said.

    “There’s a lot of general aviation traffic that comes into a community first, especially in the corporate world,” she said. “The general aviation airport in Fairfield is extremely important in putting down the welcome carpet.”

    Mt. Zion renovation

    Fairfield County spent much of 2018 putting together a plan to revitalize the former Mt. Zion Institute building to serve as a new Fairfield County government center in downtown Winnsboro.

    In 2019, the county devoted considerable efforts to working with the developer, 1st and Main, a North Carolina firm, to secure the financing for the renovation.

    More than half of the funding of the $11.5 million project would come from state and federal tax credits associated with the property.

    Fairfield County plans to buy the building via interest free annual lease payments of approximately $4.9 million over seven years. At the end of those seven years, the county will make a final payment to purchase and take ownership of the property from 1st and Main.

     “We got all the financing we were hoping we would get and a little more, actually. And all the design work is done,” Taylor said.

    The actual construction is slated to start in January 2020 and is expected to last 16 months, with a projected opening sometime in Spring, 2021.

    Market Building

    More than 100 people attended the Ag + Art Farm to Table dinner at the new Market building in downtown Winnsboro last June.

    The launching of the Fairfield County Market building has helped increase foot traffic in downtown Winnsboro, which county officials hope will spill over to existing shops and restaurants.

    Opened in May, the Market is located in a renovated former county building located on East Washington behind the Town Clock. With a kitchen, classroom, restrooms and a large, open market room, the building can be used not only by the farmer’s market on Saturdays but for weddings, receptions and other large community or family gatherings.

    Zion Hill Revitalization

    During 2019, the county and Town of Winnsboro cooperatively undertook the revitalization of the Zion Hill and Fortune Springs Park neighborhoods, with input from the residents of the area. It is a major step forward in bringing this area back to its Glory days, county officials say.

    In November, the county landed the first of several planned grants to help pay for the project. The initial $488,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) will be augmented by a 10 percent ($48,900) local government match, giving the county more than $536,000 at its disposal to begin Phase I of the revitalization effort.

    This dilapidated home on West College Street is one of the eyesores county and town officials are aiming to clean up in the Zion Hill neighborhood with CDBG grant funding. | Barbara Ball

    That work will include the demolition and clearance of approximately 40 dilapidated and vacant structures, according to the Central Midlands Council of Governments’ (CMCOG) planners who are working with the county and town to guide and supervise the revitalization.

    The demolition work made possible by the bond will begin this spring and must be finished in two years. Both the town and the county are eligible to apply for two $500,000 bonds each year.

    At a community meeting in July, Gregory Sprouse, a planner with the CMCOG, said he hopes the Zion Hill project represents the beginning of more broad revitalization work in Winnsboro neighborhoods.

    “We want this [Zion Hill] to be a starting point for how we can move similar types of projects into other areas of the town that need the same type of commitment,” Sprouse said. “CDBG funds must be spent to benefit low to moderate income populations based on census data, and Zion Hill and the Fortune Springs Park area fit that criteria.”

    Broadband

    County officials ended the year in new pursuit of broadband expansion in the county – a pursuit that, in the past, has been futile.

    “On broadband, I will just say we are exploring potential opportunities that may be available that could assist us in working with our existing local providers to expand the service,” Taylor said. “Like other infrastructure that we are working on, we realize that for the county to grow, improving our broadband service is critical. In today’s world, people expect service to be widely available and fast.”

    Barbara Ball contributed to this story.

  • Teen shot by masked gunman

    COLUMBIA – A 15-year-old was shot multiple times just outside of Blythewood (29016) after a gunman approached him and asked if he (the teen) had any weed, Richland County officials reported.

    Deputies are investigating the shooting, which occurred in the Palmetto Palms mobile home park located in the 9400 block of Wilson Boulevard near where it intersects with Killian Road.

    About 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 26, deputies were called to the mobile home park where the teen told them he was standing behind a home when a male approached him wearing a black mask and black hoodie and asked if the teen had any weed, according to an incident report.

    The teen stated that when he said, “No,” the masked male pulled out a pistol and shot the teen several times. The victim stated in the report that the gun used appeared to be a Glock.

    The report stated that the masked gunman then ran away on foot.

    K-9 units responded and attempted to track the subject but with no results.

    The injured teen was transported to Prisma Health by EMS. There is no information about his condition or whether he Is still hospitalized.

    More information will be provided as it becomes available.

    Anyone with information about the Wilson Boulevard shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 1—888-274-6372 or visit midlandscrimestoppers.com and click ‘Submit a Tip.’

  • MLILY hosts grand opening of factory in Fairfield

    Company Brings $50M Investment and 250 Jobs to Fairfield

    Cutting the ribbon for the grand opening of MLILY USA are, from left: Fairfield County Director of Economic Development Ty Davenport, Operations Manager Chad Reinsel, Winnsboro Mayor Roger Gaddy, Rep. Annie McDaniel, State Senator Mike Fanning, Chairman and CEO of Healthcare Co., Ltd. James Ni, S.C. Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt, Fairfield County Council Chairman Neil Robinson, President of MLILY USA Stephen Chen and Suns Jian, president of Healthcare Co., Ltd.’s global sales and marketing. | Photos: Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – The grand opening last week of MLILY USA, Fairfield County’s new memory foam mattress factory, was an international event covered by Chinese television and newspapers as well as local and state media. MLILY is owned by Healthcare Co., Ltd., China’s largest mattres manufacturing company.

    Industry officials from China flew into the Fairfield County airport on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, they joined state and local government, business and industry leaders for the open house and ribbon cutting at MLILY’s renovated 650,000 square-foot manufacturing facility located at 1 MLILY Way just off Highway 321 in Winnsboro.

    S.C. Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt

    Prior to the ribbon cutting, there were comments by company officials as well as S.C. Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt and Fairfield County’s Director of Economic Development Ty Davenport. A tour of the facility, conducted by Chad Reinsel, operations manager, was followed by lunch.

    Barely a year ago, Fairfield County Council finalized an agreement with MLILY to bring a nearly $50 million investment into the county and restore the idle factory – previously owned by Mack Truck and later Guardian Building Products – to produce a line of sleep products for the U.S. market. In addition, the company announced it would hire 250 employees.

    So far, about 64 employees are already on the payroll.

    “And most of the folks hired so far are from this area,” Fairfield County Economic Development Director Ty Davenport told the 100 or so in attendance.

    Fairfield County Director of Economic Development Ty Davenport

    “We’re thrilled when the people who live here are the people working here. Revenue from this plant is going to flow to the town, the schools and will be used to further our county’s economic development,” Davenport said.

    “We’re going to see benefits from this plant for a long time. Things are looking up for Fairfield County. We already have other new industry coming in,” Davenport said. “We’re on a roll, and MLILY helped put us on that roll. I can’t thank you enough,” he told MLILY officials.

    Hitt said the open house marked a landmark day for Fairfield.

    “The Fairfield County government routinely works hard to make our community attractive to companies from all over the world,” Hitt said.

    Turning to Stephen Chen, Hitt continued, “Your investment in Fairfield reinforces that this is the business address, sitting right here above the state capital, in a very modern, progressive county.”

    Chen thanked Davenport, “for guiding the MLILY team through each step of the process to establish a factory in Winnsboro.”

    MLILY USA President Stephen Chen looks on as James Ni, Chairman and CEO of Healthcare Co., Ltd. addresses those attending the open house.

    MLILY’s factory will supply the company’s North American retail customers with mattresses, pillows and toppers made in the U.S. – a shift in the mattress manufacturing business where many companies are looking at off-shore production to maintain costs.

    In addition to the general cleanup and renovation of the plant, which had been dormant for nine years, MLILY has installed equipment to manufacture, fabricate and distribute mattresses including springs, memory foam and other proprietary foams.

    “This is an exciting time for our company as we continue to grow in the United States. Our U.S. customers will now be able to get their products from Winnsboro, made by American workers,” James Ni, chairman and CEO of Healthcare Co., Ltd., said, drawing a burst of applause from the audience.

    “The investment in this factory allows us to develop and supply MLILY products that appeal to U.S. consumers, and it provides us with the opportunity to expand our product reach in this country. I’m thankful to our leadership team and our employees for their work in getting this plant ready and operational, as well as to the local and state government officials who have welcomed us into the community,” Ni said. “We look forward to playing an important role in the community.”

    Ni is credited with not only building Healthcare Co., Ltd. into the largest mattress manufacturer in China, but expanding operations throughout Asia and Europe.

    Ni said he saw a huge opportunity in the United States. To that end, his company built a North American headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee.

    “The company’s mattresses, pillows and sleep accessories are now all manufactured in state-of-the-art factories located in China, Thailand, Spain, Serbia and, now, Winnsboro,” Ni said, “The factories located in China span more than 6 million square feet.”

    Davenport emphasized that MLily’s economic impact on Fairfield County will be significant.

    “Two hundred fifty jobs will mean 250 families are better off. It’s a great thing for any community,” Davenport told The Voice, “but it’s a huge one for ours, so we’re very thankful for that. “It’s a great way to start the new year. I think it’ll be a good place for our residents to work.”

    • Mattresses move along a conveyor belt where they are inserted into mattress covers.
    • Mattresses are rolled up by another piece of equipment and packaged for shipping.
    • During the plant tour, Fairfield County Administrator Jason Taylor and the county’s Director of Economic Development Ty Davenport, County Councilman Clarence Gilbert and Council Chairman Neil Robinson talk with Wally Wang of the S.C. Department of Commerce.

  • Last week to enter U-Pick-’Em contest

    BLYTHEWOOD/FAIRFIELD  COUNTY – Need some extra cash to pay off some of those Christmas bills that are adding up? Then you might want to consider entering The Voice’s annual College Bowl U-Pick-‘Em contest that can be found on page 8 of this week’s issue.

    Three $100 dollar bills will be presented to the winner by contest sponsor Chris Griffith, owner of Alltemp Comfort Services. The winner will be announced after the Jan. 13 College National Championship game.

    This is the last week that the contest entry form will be published in The Voice. Only one entry per person, no photo copies of entry forms, and all entries must be postmarked by midnight Dec. 27. Do not drop them by our offices since the envelopes must be postmarked.

    And don’t forget the tie-breaker! Last year, one person lost just because he had not included the tie-breaker on his entry.

  • Community responds to Barclay School

    School’s Funding Has Been Cut, Not Delayed

    RIDGEWAY – While the Barclay School is not out of the woods financially, the head of the school, Gillian Barclay-Smith, said it seems like everyone associated with the school as well as complete strangers, are trying to move mountains to keep the school open after she learned two weeks ago that an IRS rule change had impacted a major non-profit funding source for the school.

    “It seems everyone has read about our plight and they want to help,” Barclay-Smith said. “It’s been overwhelming. We’ve received a lot of small donations, our landlord, MEKRA-Lang, has given us free rent for 2020, and others have done other things to help us in other ways. One of our parents cleaned up our website and revamped our online presence, literally overnight, which has actually helped our fundraising effort tremendously. So far, we have raised about $20,000 of the $50,000 we need to stay open until Christmas.”

    But that’s not all the school needs. It must have $150,000 to stay open until the end of the school year. But the $50,000 will give us time to put together a new funding plan for the future, according to Barclay-Smith.

    “One of our students’ parents who actually has a background and expertise in fundraising, is giving us invaluable help and advice,” Barclay-Smith said. “It’s literally round-the-clock work for all of us right now just to raise the $50,000. But we just have to stay open.”

    Barclay-Smith said some local media outlets have erroneously reported that the school’s funding is merely delayed.

    “That is not correct,” she said. “We will no longer get that funding. It’s that simple.”

    Begun more than a decade ago in a house on the campus of Columbia College, the Barclay School moved five years ago to Ridgeway. She said the town has welcomed the children with open arms.

    “We work with all children who learn differently. So, some of our children are on the autism spectrum, we have children with Down [Syndrome], we have children who struggle with reading and writing, we have children who struggle with anxiety. We are a hodgepodge of diversity and glad to be so,” Barclay-Smith said.

    She describes the school as a community where the children celebrate each other’s victories, where there’s no homework or “drill and grill” instruction, where chores and social graces are taught along with academics. There’s a farm-like collection of class pets, and the calendar is broken up with frequent field trips and downtown shopping excursions.

    Another important aspect of their learning is community service. The children participate by helping with Meals on Wheels, making cards, decorating downtown, and anything else that they can do to learn how to give back.

    “We’re a very different kind of school. We focus very much on what’s called strength-based learning, which basically flips the paradigm upside-down. Instead of focusing on everything we can’t do,” Barclay-Smith said, “we’re way more interested in what you can do. Where’s your passion? Where’s your love? For a lot of our children it’s music, it’s the arts, it’s drama. We try to find the children’s strengths, and it’s truly metamorphosing when they come here.

    “There is a great need for schools like ours,” Barclay-Smith said. “These children are special. They learn here and they love it here. When they left school this week for Christmas break, they all said to us, ‘we’ll see you after Christmas!’

    “And I truly hope they do,” Barclay-Smith said.

    Debra McCown Thomas contributed to this story.

  • Winnsboro man arrested for assault

    LEXINGTON – After being sought by Lexington Police for almost two weeks for assaulting a woman, the suspect, a Winnsboro man, was arrested on Dec. 16.

    Simpson

    Officials said Calvin Simpson, 38, is facing two counts of third-degree assault and battery after officials say a woman at a mobile home park on Sunset Boulevard reported that Simpson punched her in the eye during an argument that turned physical at her home.

    According to the incident report, the woman told police that Simpson was a former boyfriend.

    The attack took place Dec. 4. After fending off her attacker, the woman told police that Simpson asked her to drive him to a nearby Bojangles.

    Simpson posted bond and is awaiting trial.