Ninety Six council plans for future amid COVID-19
NINETY SIX — As businesses open back up, so too is the town of Ninety Six, and at Monday’s town council meeting officials talked a bit about what the town’s future looks like amid the continuing novel coronavirus pandemic.
Council met at 6 p.m. Monday at the town’s historic depot, with council members wearing masks and sitting apart from each other. Seats for the public were spaced out to accommodate for social distancing measures.
Protective measures came up during the meeting, as Councilwoman Kellar Rogers asked town attorney Doug Bell if there were any issues involved with requiring people to wear masks at town hall and the visitors center. Bell said the town could require people wear a mask, while he suggested staying open to exceptions for people with breathing conditions.
Rogers said town officials plan to provide disposable masks at the door.
The S.C. Festival of Stars was also affected by COVID-19, and has been cut back to a fireworks show only this year. Rogers reminded council the fireworks are planned for 9:45 p.m. June 27, with an alternate date of Sept. 5 in the event of rain.
Rowe and council also discussed development plans for Ninety Six, including today’s visit from a civil engineer to discuss plans and designs for renovations to the J.C. Fox Boozer Complex.
The renovations are part of the Greenwood County capital projects sales tax upgrades to parks and recreational facilities, and though Rowe invited others to attend the 3 p.m. meeting with county council at the Greenwood County Library, he said he wouldn’t be able to attend himself.
The town is also having a workshop with members of the Greenwood Partnership Alliance to talk about possible tax incentives for the downtown area, along with the details of making downtown Ninety Six a historical district.
Mayor Mike Rowe reminded council and those present that filing to fill the Ward 5 council seat left vacant after Arvest Turner resigned opens at noon July 3 and closes 5 p.m. July 17.
Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Jun 16, 2020
By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ ddominguez@indexjournal.com