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  • Blythewood Presbyterian Church breaks ground

    Blythewood Presbyterian Church’s Pastor Rhett Sanders guides the plow and congregants pull ropes to break ground for their new church on Rimer Pond Road.

    BLYTHEWOOD – After meeting at Blythewood High School for the last nine years, Blythewood Presbyterian Church Pastor Rhett Sanders and the church’s 240 members broke ground on property on Rimer Pond Road Sunday, where they hope to soon begin construction of a 7,600 square foot church.

    “We hope to be in the building by the Fall,” Sanders said.

    In 2010, a core group of about 22 families came out to Blythewood from Northeast Presbyterian Church where Sanders had been on staff for 22 years.

    Today the congregation supports and partners with five ministries in England, North Africa, Mexico, Nicaragua and Thailand.

    Locally, they are engaged with Columbia NE Young Life, Bethany Christian Services, Christian Assistance Bridge and Family Promise.  The group partners with Round Top Baptist Church to produce a First Fruits Market Garden, where the produce goes to support Round Top’s feeding program, a CSA program and the Blythewood Farmers Market.

    “We just started a Youth Soccer League with four teams,” Sanders said, “and we head the Backpack Program at Round Top Elementary that provides food for the weekend for students in need at three local schools.

    “We desire to be a great church for the community of Blythewood and be a blessing to the world for the advancement of the Gospel,” Sanders said.

    Participating in the service were Janeen Tucker, Round Top Elementary Principal, Mayor J. Michael Ross and Consuella Cunningham of the Round Top community.

  • Update: Arrest made in Mekra Lang shooting

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY –Jazzmine K. Thompson, 21, of Ranch Rd., Columbia has been arrested for a shooting incident that occurred at Mekra Lang North America on Tuesday, Mar. 5.

    Thompson, a former temporary employee at Mekra Lang, was arrested Tuesday evening in Richland County and is being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Thompson will be transferred to Fairfield County and charged with two counts of attempted murder, possession of a deadly weapon during a violent crime and discharging a firearm into a building.

    Mekra Lang North America is located at 101 Tillesen Blvd. in the Ridgeway area of Fairfield County. No mugshot is available for Thompson at this time.

    Sheriff investigates shooting at Mekra Lang

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY (3/5/19)– The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting incident that took place this morning outside of Mekra Lang North America, located at 101 Tillesen Blvd in the Ridgeway area of Fairfield County.

    “This is still a very active investigation,” said Sheriff Will Montgomery. “We are limited on the information that we can release at this time.”

    No injuries related to the incident were reported, and it is believed that the shooter left the area in a vehicle. Deputies are still working to positively identify the shooter.

    The Voice will update this story as more information is made available.

  • County considering A-Tax, H-Tax

    WINNSBORO – New taxes and fees aimed at sprucing up Fairfield County’s tourism and business image received unanimous support at Monday night’s county council meeting.

    Council members approved 5-0 the first reading of three draft ordinances which if approved, would institute a tourism development fee, a hospitality fee and a business registration fee.

    Council members Bertha Goins and Mikel Trapp were absent for the vote. Two more readings are required before the fees take effect.

    “If you don’t have an attractive town, if you don’t have an attractive community, it is hard to attract tourists,” County Administrator Jason Taylor said.

    Tourism Development Fee

    If enacted, the tourism development fee would add a three-cent tax on hotels, motels and lodging.

    Fairfield County attorney Tommy Morgan said funds could be used for a variety of purposes, including promoting the arts, music, farmer’s markets, agro-business tours and construction of facilities used in tourism.

    “Some parts of the state have used it for waterfront erosion [control],” he said. “They can use it in a lot of different ways.”

    Asked later about the tourism development fee, Morgan said the county’s proposed fee is more accurately defined as a local accommodations tax.
    “The Council may wish to change the title of the Ordinance to reference ‘accommodation tax’ instead of ‘tourism development fee’ in order to minimize any future confusion,” he said.

    Hospitality Fee

    The hospitality fee would add two cents on prepared meals and beverages in the county.

    Funds would be spent on “improving services and facilities for tourists,” according to the ordinance. Examples include everything from advertising and promoting tourism to building and upgrading roads used by tourists or for tourism-related purposes.

    Business Registration Fee

    Fairfield County is also looking at a $15 flat fee that would be levied to businesses operating in the unincorporated areas of Fairfield County. Municipal businesses would not pay the fee. The fee is not designed to be a major revenue generator.

    Rather, it’s designed to make it easier for the county to identify and regulate existing businesses, and also police illegal business activity, Morgan said.

     

    Infrastructure tax update

    The three fees are separate from county plans to pursue a local option sales tax to help fund infrastructure.

    Unlike the three county fees, which only require two more council readings, the local option sales tax would require approval in a voter referendum.

    Taylor said the proposed tax is still several months away.

    “What we are looking at are targeted taxes to invest in the county as far as water and sewer services,” Jason Taylor said. “That could fund crucially needed, critically needed water and sewer infrastructure, which would support future growth.”

    Fairfield County is primarily focused on the mega site off I-77, which lacks sufficient sewer capacity. The county was recently awarded a $2 million grant from the state to help, but several more millions are needed.

    Taylor said the county isn’t looking at increasing property taxes.

    “Without water and sewer we cannot have future growth,” Taylor said. “That’s just foundational infrastructure.”

    At the Feb. 11 meeting, Councilman Jimmy Ray Douglas proposed re-evaluating state tax breaks awarded to properties classified for agricultural use.

    In South Carolina, agricultural real property is taxed at 4 percent of its fair market value. Non-agricultural property is taxed at 6 percent.

    “I have ag land that I own and I’m paying next to nothing,” he said. “Everyone else who has less than five acres is paying a lot more taxes. I feel like every acre in Fairfield County needs to have an extra dollar in taxes on it.”

    Taylor said Douglas’ idea has potential, but he also said it presents legal challenges that must first be ironed out.

  • Sheriff: burglars active in rural area

    WINNSBORO – Two homes were recently burglarized in the Ashford Ferry Road and Old Douglass Road areas, and according to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, more daytime home burglaries could be occurring in the northwest corner of the county.

    The entries were forced in both the front and rear of the homes and the homeowners were away, deputies reported.

    “These incidents are believed to have been committed by the same individual(s),” Sheriff Will Montgomery said. “These are burglary trends that we have experienced in the past. Typically, these types of crimes are committed by individuals who ride through rural areas looking for residences whose occupants are away at work,” Montgomery said.

    “Although we always encourage everyone to be cautious and to always be aware of their surroundings, offenders who commit these types of crimes generally avoid contact with others and do not attempt to steal items from property when they think the homeowner might be present,” Mongtomery said. “If they do encounter a homeowner, they are most likely to fabricate a legitimate reason for being there such as looking for directions, looking for a lost pet, etc., and then quickly leave. So we are asking for the public’s assistance in being vigilant for any suspicious person(s) and/or vehicle(s), especially in the more rural areas.”

    Report suspicious persons or activity to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office by calling 803-635-4141.

  • Sheriff’s Deputies freezin’ for a reason

    Sheriff’s Deputies and teams take the plunge in Lake Wateree for charity. | Melissa Cooper

    LAKE WATEREE – About 65 people took the chilly plunge on Saturday at Lake Wateree during the Fairfield County Sheriff Department’s fifth annual Polar Plunge, organizer Bill Dove, an investigator with the department said.

    Sheriff Will Montgomery

    “We raised over $10,000 this year,” Dove said, “which is the largest amount we’ve raised since we’ve been sponsoring the plunge. We had teams from not only Fairfield County, but Lugoff, Camden and Lake Wateree.”

    Those donations go toward the support of the Sheriff’s charity, the Special Olympics of South Carolina.

    Following the plunge everyone was invited to a lakeside lunch.

    The Sheriff’s Office will host several events over the next several months to celebrate the South Carolina Special Olympics and raise money to fund Special Olympics events for these athletes. On May 3, the Sheriff’s Office will participate in the ‘County Line to County Line’ torch run through Congress Street, and they will host Tip-A-Cop at a local restaurant later in the year.

  • Blythewood’s Eisenreich wins Oscar

    BLYTHEWOOD – During the Academy Awards Sunday evening, Blythewood native Michelle Eisenreich, the visual effects producer for film company Double Negative, and her team won an Oscar for their work on the film, ‘First Man.’

    Eisenreich

    And that wasn’t her first Oscar. Her team also won one last year for ‘Blade Runner 2049.’  It was a success she couldn’t have dreamed of when she arrived in Los Angeles in 1999 with a brand new degree in film from Florida State University. She was looking for a job, any job she could get in the film industry, short of acting.

    “I was much too shy to act,” Eisenreich recalls.

    She took the first job she was offered – a production assistant at Hammerhead Productions, a small visual effects company where her first assignment was a key role in creating the visual effects for the movie X-Men.

    While Eisenreich said she’d never thought of herself as a visual effects person, she apparently was one. A good one.

    “I was always interested in both the creative side of filmmaking and the technical, so, by chance, visual effects turned out to be a really good fit to combine both,” she told The Voice in a phone interview from her home in Vancouver, earlier this week.

    The Oscar wins, Eisenreich said, are important to her both professionally and personally.

    “It’s a great honor, of course, but it’s also very fulfilling on a personal level. I’ve been in the industry for a very long time. It’s a difficult industry – a lot of long hours, a lot of sacrifices. There‘s not much personal time,” she said. “When you’re on a project, everything’s about the project. It’s a big commitment, so it’s nice to be recognized.”

    In her role as the visual effects producer, Eisenreich is responsible for the budget, the scheduling, putting the team together and being the main contact for the client whether it’s a studio or a director.”

    As a result of her success on ‘First Man,’ Eisenreich has been asked to pull together and oversee a new TV division for her company.

    “It’s exciting. Instead of one project at a time, I’m now involved in seven or eight different projects at one time,” she said. “We just finished work on Star Trek Discovery for CBS, which is in its second season, and we’re currently working on a couple of projects for Netflix and Amazon.”

    One of those projects is a six-part series titled ‘Catch 22,’ with George Clooney which will launch on Hulu early this summer.

    “For the next couple of years I think it’s going to be more television than features,” Eisenreich said. “It’s interesting times for sure. Everybody’s trying to get their own streaming systems going to try to catch up with Netflix and Amazon.”

    While Eisenreich’s work sometimes takes her on movie locations, she more often works in the studio near her home, which is fine with her.

    Now married with two children, son Cooper, 11, and  daughter Harper, 9, Eisenreich said she loves living in Vancouver where the seasons change and the view is great.

    “Our home backs up to the mountains and the ocean is about 20 minutes away. It’s nice here,” she said.

    But Eisenreich said she always loves coming home to visit family and friends. She is particularly looking forward to a trip to Blythewood to help judge the Doko Film festival, April 26 – 28.

    “I would have loved to be involved with something like this [film festival] when I was growing up,” she said.

    A reception will be held for Eisenreich on the opening night of the festival at Doko Manor. For more information about the festival, go to dokofilmfest.com.

  • Crickentree residents organize

    ‘Concerned Citizens’ hire an attorney

    BLYTHEWOOD – About 80 residents of Crickentree and several other area golf course communities attended a meeting at Doko Manor last week to come up with a plan for maintaining the Traditional Recreational Open Space (TROS) zoning for the 183 acres that was the former home of the Golf Club of South Carolina, also known as the Crickentree golf course.

    About 200 attended a previous meeting on Feb. 14 that was called by representatives of Texas investment firm ECapital to unveil a revised proposal for 249 homes on the golf course property, down from a proposal last fall of 480 homes. ECapital purchased the mortgage on the now foreclosed golf course property that shares borders with the Crickentree subdivision which has access off Kelly Mill Road. The golf course property is accessed off Langford Road.

    Bob McClure, a 29-year resident of Crickentree kicked off the meeting by referring to the ECapital group as land speculators, gamblers with no ties to our area.

    “Gamblers don’t always win,” McClure declared, and referenced the zoning issue as a “big problem.”   McClure emphasized the critical need to expand their group to include citizens of all area golf course communities who are ready to fight the rezoning from TROS to residential.

    Blythewood Mayor Michael Ross said that while the Crickentree property is under the jurisdiction of Richland County and not Blythewood, a residential development of that size would have a major impact on the residents of Blythewood due to infrastructure issues.  He cited the already proposed 601 homes in the Blythewood Farms subdivision adjacent to Town Hall as an example of the continuous growth.

    Blythewood Town Councilman Bryan Franklin suggested the County purchase the property and use it as a recreational hub for the regional community.  He laid out a plan to use approximately half of the property for sports fields to support football, soccer, lacrosse and other sports that are not currently being provided for by Richland County in the Blythewood area.

    “There’s tremendous potential for Blythewood to become a centrally located hub for state baseball/softball tournaments and travel leagues,” Franklin said. “There’s a potential for $10,000 – $14,000 in revenue for a single tournament weekend,” he said.  “It makes sense to use what is already there. Seniors like to walk. The current pathways could be used for walking, jogging and bicycle paths, even horseback riding areas.  The country club could be used as a senior center for activities.”

    Franklin suggested the remaining area of the property be maintained as a County 9-hole golf course where everyone could play.

    “If approved, the low density zoning request for 247 homes that E Capital representatives have said they are seeking, would actually allow the owner/developer of the property to place as many as 650 homes on the property based on current low density regulations and the acreage involved,” Crickentree resident Michael Koska said.

    “The promises and drawings presented by E Capital at our Feb. 7 meeting would not be legally enforceable, including the 150 ft. proposed buffer, retention of ponds or trees, placement and quantity of homes, etc.”

    Attorney Brian Boger, who was hired by some members of the ‘Concerned Residents of Crickentree’ neighborhood group to help maintain the TROS zoning, said he had met with ECapital’s attorney, Robert Fuller, and that Fuller had said ECapital intended to apply for a zoning change by Thursday, Feb. 28.

    Crickentree resident Russ Ste.Marie provided a power point presentation to outline what he felt could befall the Crickentree community if they did not fight the rezoning. He cautioned that the new rewrite of the Richland County Comprehensive Plan would combine TROS properties and numerous similar type properties into one designation.

    Boger cited a meeting of nine HOA Presidents from Richland County golf course communities who are addressing similar problems.  He suggested they join in the Crickentree battle.

    “This property cannot be rezoned without the Richland County Council members supporting it,” Boger said. “You all need to mount a campaign and email our concerns to everyone involved.  And we need to be at the Planning Committee public meeting and the County Council meeting in mass.  We need to develop a list of specific reasons to stay TROS.  We will only have 30 minutes to address each of these two groups. And the more people there to show their support, the better,” he said.

    Crickentree resident Tracie Cooper reiterated the need for residents to communicate with the County Council members.  “We are in this together,” she emphasized.  “Team Crickentree, and we have got to stick together.”

    For more information about the proposed rezoning, call 803-719-1242 or go to SaveGolfCourses.com

  • Duke Energy to spend millions on Wateree

    LAKE WATEREE – Enhanced recreation options are on the way to Lake Wateree by the end of 2019.

    As part of Duke Energy’s recreation management plan filed with federal regulators, three sites are slated for upgrades. They include the Colonels Creek, Taylors Creek and Molly Creek access areas, all on the western boundary of Lake Wateree.

    Duke submitted the management plan in 2016. Following some revisions, most not directly impacting Lake Wateree, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, signed off on the document in December 2017.

    “Specifically, the plan includes provisions to maintain existing project recreation sites and construct the required enhancements at both existing project recreation sites and new recreation sites,” the plan states. “All construction is to be completed in 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year intervals, with the majority of the recreation facilities and sites completed within five years.”

    Fairfield County Administrator Jason Taylor likened the Lake Wateree possibilities to similar amenities found at the Lake Monticello Park off S.C. 215, near Jenkinsville.

    County leaders are confident the park facilities will become a major draw locally and regionally.

    “It’s going to [mean] millions of dollars,” for Fairfield County, County Councilman Jimmy Ray Douglas said. “You’ll get a lot of people from Winnsboro. This is really a big project.”

    Taxpayers shouldn’t incur any extra expense for the recreation upgrades. Douglas said Duke plans to handle the bulk of upkeep itself, and was also hopeful the state would lend some assistance.

    “It won’t cost the county a penny. They (Duke) are going to do all the work themselves,” he said.

    The Lake Wateree upgrades and others are spelled out in the management plan that Duke submitted. The vast majority of recreation enhancements are along the Catawba and Wateree rivers.

    New or upgraded sites are planned in Fairfield, Lancaster, Kershaw, York and Chester counties in South Carolina, as well as numerous counties in North Carolina, according to the 39-page document.

    “Further, the plan provides for enhancements at existing recreation sites and development of new recreation sites, and reserves sites for future use as needed,” the plan states. “The plan will meet foreseeable recreation demand, includes monitoring provisions over the term of the license, and is supported by the consulted entities.”

    In Fairfield County, the sites lie along the western boundaries of Lake Wateree. Here’s a list of proposed amenities by site, according to public records.

    • Molly Creek Access Area – Approximately 100-acre site with a swimming area, paved parking, restrooms, trails, bank and pier fishing; picnic facilities, and trailered boat access.;
    • Colonels Creek Access Area – Courtesy dock; swimming area; restrooms; picnic shelter; additional paved parking.
    • Wateree Creek Access Area – Fishing pier, picnic facility, restroom, and 10 gravel parking spaces;

    Additional expansion at Taylors Creek is possible, as is an RV campground and boathouse at Molly Creek, documents state.

  • County fire service calling for volunteers

    “It isn’t a crisis for Fairfield County…yet, but if the trend continues it will be,” said Jason Pope, the Director for Fire Services for Fairfield County.

    According to statistics cited by a Dec 6, 2018 info gram from the U.S. Fire Administration, 70% of the nation’s firefighters are volunteers.  Over half of the volunteers in the country are over 40 years old. And replacements are not keeping up with demand.

    Pope

    “There is a generational decline in volunteerism and the reasons are multi-faceted,” said Pope. “Fairfield County is a transient community with so many of our residents leaving our area for work every day that we have fewer people at home and available during the day.  Back in the mill town days supervisors would often let employees off from work to fight local fires.

    “Young people have lost a sense of community.  We typically have two-income households now with more debt and multiple jobs with less time available to volunteer.”

    Pope says the problem is compounded with the different kinds of fires that occur now.

    “Today’s homes are burning faster and hotter,” Pope explained. “In Fairfield County, the firefighters are like soldiers going into battle on the front lines. We were called out on over 1000 calls in 2018, and we have only 4 full time firefighters and around 120 active volunteers. Our volunteers are some of the most dedicated people you’ll fine.  It’s tough work, but also rewarding and exciting work.”

    It is also a big commitment of time for the training. Twenty or thirty years ago, the basic volunteer firefighter training was 40 hours.  Today volunteers have to undergo 140 hours of training.  And a basic fire Emergency Vehicle Driver Training class is necessary just to drive the fire vehicles.

    “The training at the State Fire Academy is free,” Pope said, “But it’s challenging. You do have to really want to do it,” Pope said.

    “While volunteers don’t get paid,” Pope said, “they do get a small stipend of $18 for every meeting/training session and fire call they make. But that’s certainly not pay.

    “Being a volunteer firefighter is about people wanting to help their neighbors. Wanting to give back to their community.  Wanting to be part of something good.  ‘Service Above Self’ is displayed on our logo patch,” Pope said with pride. “And that’s what it is.”

    At its current pace, the nation, like Fairfield County, is not keeping up with the need for volunteer firefighters.

    “If national trends hold true, counties and municipalities like ours will soon be having to hire 40 full time people,” said Pope.

    To find out more about becoming a volunteer, visit Fairfield County Fire Service on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter at Fairfield Co Fire or call Pope at 803-712-1070 or drop by the station at 315 S Congress St, Winnsboro.

  • Town OKs first vote on Teacher Village

    FCSD Board Chair William Frick discusses a zoning map with FCSD Education Foundation president Dr. Sue Rex and fellow board member Henry Miller following Town Council meeting Tuesday night. | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – After the Teacher Village property request for R3 zoning flew through the Winnsboro Planning Commission faster than a speeding bullet, the feat was duplicated at the Town Council meeting Tuesday evening.

    There was no discussion at either meeting, only a motion in favor and a unanimous vote to approve.

    “This will be the first residential teacher village in the state,” Sue Rex, president of the Fairfield County Education Foundation said, addressing Council. “We are asking you to rezone this 22 acres from C-2, commercial, to R3, residential zoning. [The project] will cost $3.6 million, and the developer is putting all that money into it. The developer will then own the land and rent out the homes but only to teachers in the district,” Rex said.

    “If there are several homes not rented to teachers, they will be available to help recruit law enforcement and first responders. This will contribute to the economic stimulus of the Winnsboro community,” Rex told council members.

    To make the project a reality, however, the school district wants a multi-county business park agreement in place and a seven-year, $600,000 property tax abatement for the developer. Both require County Council approval.

    At a special meeting in November between county and school district officials, there seemed to be little common ground. Citing a litany of potential legal issues, county attorney Tommy Morgan called attention to a 2010 attorney general opinion that raised doubts as to whether the county would be protected if litigation were filed over the Teacher Village.

    “It does give some cause for concern in my mind whether the special source revenue credit agreement would be the best way to accomplish what I understand the school district is wanting to do,” Morgan said.

    Dr. J. R. Green, district superintendent, brushed off concerns about potential litigation.

    But procedural and zoning issues represent added concerns for the county.

    Former Council Chairman Billy Smith said the county hasn’t received any formal requests from the developer, only from the Fairfield County Schools’ Education Foundation, a proxy of the school district.

    Smith suggested a list of conditions he’d like met regarding the Teacher Village:

    • An agreement with the developer to indemnify Fairfield County in the Teacher Village project.
    • An agreement to cover Fairfield’s legal expenses incurred in association with the Teacher Village.
    • A legal description of the Teacher Village property.
    • The Town of Winnsboro agreeing to place the property into the multicounty park since it’s in the town.

    Town Council will have a public hearing and final vote on the rezoning of the property on March 5.