Greenwood County received another record quarterly haul of revenue from the 2016 Capital Project Sales Tax.

“It’s the highest amount we have received to date,” CPST coordinator Josh Skinner said at Tuesday’s County Council meeting.

April’s check from the state Department of Revenue totaled $2,748,986.51.The revenue is based on sales tax collected between December and February. This revenue beat the previous record set in October 2020 — $2,745,695.30 — by just under $3,300.

“This quarter’s revenue continues to show the strength of the economy in Greenwood County,” Greenwood County Manager Toby Chappell said in an email. “The CPST overall continues to move closer to the initial projection with each of these with each of these quarterly revenue installments.”

In 2016, Greenwood County voters approved the penny sales tax to raise $87,938,185 to fund 27 unique capital projects.

“The County Treasurer is projecting that we will reach $83,734,000,” Chappell said. “Which would mean that only one project would not be fully funded.”

Chappell said the Highway 25 South waterline — a $4,895,548 project — would not be accomplished based on the projection. However, Chappell stressed this is only a projection and is subject to fluctuations in the economy, consumer spending habits and other events affecting the Greenwood area.

The outlook for the projects continues to look better. In August, Chappell announced the anticipated shortfall was not as bad as it seemed at only $10 million rather than $20 million. With increased growth in revenue over the past couple of months, the potential shortfall is down to just over $4 million.

Skinner said in an email that close to $2 million of revenue will go to the Highway 246 widening project for pre-construction costs concerning design and engineering. Last month, Greenwood County Council approved the signing of an intergovernmental agreement with SCDOT to administer the project. Skinner said he is waiting on SCDOT to sign the agreement. The project should take about three weeks to complete.

The remaining $827,500.51 in funds from this month’s payment will go to the Ninety Six Mill Village Storm Water Drainage repair. Skinner said a request for qualifications for engineering services was put out earlier this week.

Greenwood County Council approved a contract with The Gordon Group to construct the volunteer fire station on Miller Road in Hodges. Greenwood County Fire Chief Steve Holmes said the station will be a one-bay station and will help extend fire coverage in the area.

Council also approved the purchase of 0.5 acres on Morgan Road in Hodges for $5,000 to construct another volunteer fire station which would add 103 structures to the fire protection map. This is the final station in the fire master plan to have service for 99.6% of the structures in the county, Skinner said.

The design for the J.C. Boozer Athletic Complex might have hit a snag in the bidding process. Skinner said there was only one bidder for the project and the bid price was more than $500,000 over budget. The project manager, Fred Guthier from ADC Engineering, and Brad Cuttill, director of parks and recreation, met with the winning bidder, Palmetto Group Construction, to get the bid lowered to about $345,000 over budget.

“We appreciate Palmetto Group working with us on that because being the only bid they really didn’t have to,” Skinner said.

Skinner said removing the central concessions and restroom facility from the project is an option to get the project under budget. This would result in the bid being $5,000 under budget.

“It would be sad if we spent the money on everything else and then left the old facilities there,” Chairman Steve Brown said.

Skinner said Cuttill has looked at renovating the current concessions building at a reduced cost but would still result in the project being over budget by the cost of renovation.

“We did plan on having that central restroom, concession,” Skinner said.

Councilman Mark Allison said changing the design of the fields by placing the spectator stands in the center will cut down on the distance of the walk to the old concession building.

“That building as you have said is in terrible condition,” Allison said. “But, I do think it is salvageable.”

Allison said using the old concession building can save money. He said $30,000 was dedicated to extending plumbing to the central concession stand while $50,000 would be used to construct a fire lane to the building, both of which would be saved if the county focuses on renovating the old structure.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Apr 26, 2021

By JAMES HICKS jhicks@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/cpst-rakes-in-record-revenue-with-latest-check/article_ac4b4905-6ea7-5b46-a6dd-704761a851dc.html

Down Highway 10 toward McCormick, just a few miles outside the bustling Uptown Greenwood, is a community rich with history.

Some call it Promised Land, others call it home.

“When I think of Promised Land, I think of Black folks having a place to call home,” said Greenwood County Councilwoman Edith Childs, who represents the community.

Promised Land is an African American community created by former slaves in the aftermath of the Civil War. Heirs of Samuel Marshall, a white plantation owner, sold the land to the South Carolina Land Commission for $10 per acre. The commission divided up the land into 50 lots and sold them to African Americans.

Many of those in Promised Land are longtime residents.

If you ask Bernice Norman how long she has lived in Promised Land, she will give a short answer: “All my life.”

“I grew up in Promised Land,” she said.

Norman, who just turned 86 years old, said her parents also lived in Promised Land most of their lives.

“I have always enjoyed living in the Promised Land because most people in the Promised Land know each other,” Norman said.

She said younger people have moved to the area but there are still a number of older folks living in the community. She said many in the community attend either Mt. Zion AME Church or Cross Roads Baptist Church. Cross Roads Baptist Church purchased its property in 1892, according to information obtained through Greenwood County’s GIS system.

“Most of the people got to know one another through the church,” Norman said. “I grew up in a very religious family and they believed in attending church.”

Norman, who grew up in a family of eight, said her father was a farmer.

“We just enjoyed being together,” Norman said.

She said she was proud of the achievements of the community organization which included building and staffing a fire department.

As a child, she said she had to walk to school — Promised Land Elementary when it was a two-room school behind Cross Road Baptist Church. When it was time for her to go to Brewer High School, she had to find a way to get to school.

“A man that bought a bus and your parents had to pay him a little something for you to ride to Brewer High School every week on the bus,” Norman said.

She said it was difficult because people did not have a lot of money back then.

Some residents of Promised Land live across Greenwood County’s border with Abbeville County. Over the years, efforts have been made to annex the properties that fall on the Abbeville County side.

“I feel that they haven’t been getting any service from Abbeville County,” Donald “Boot” Robinson, Greenwood County’s first Black county councilman, told the Index-Journal in 1980. “It’s a taxation without representation.”

Robinson, who served two terms on council during the late 1970s, also was instrumental in securing water lines for Promised Land.

Last year, Promised Land lost two longtime advocates. Robinson died in June and longtime Greenwood County School District 50 board member Claude Wright died in September. Wright had been an active member of the Promised Land Association.

“Promised Land — those are some good folks,” Childs said.

Childs estimated that 80-85% of residents own their homes.

“It was an opportunity for them,” Childs said.

Childs said she would like to see the community do something with the old school building.

“It was given for them to grow,” Childs said.

In 1999, District 50 deeded the 3.33-acre property to the Promised Land Association.

Some progress has been made on renovating the school building but the COVID-19 pandemic has caused things to shut down.

“We had set up meetings so that they could come out and talk with the community,” Promised Land Association president Jan Williams said. “But again, the pandemic came up and we agreed to hold off until a later date.”

In July, Tonya Haddock, managing member of Cadence Development LLC, presented a plan to buy the Promised Land School and restore it to its original condition but for new uses such as housing.

Williams said the association would like to see it used as a community center that would provide activities for senior citizens and for after school programs.

“I was hoping that they could take that school and make something out of it,” Norman said. “It’s been there a long time.”

Williams said her organization, formed in 1977, has about 25 members.

In 2016, Greenwood County voters approved $66,326 for the construction of a pedestrian trail in the Promised Land community as part of the Capital Project Sales Tax initiative.

“We expect to have the CPST revenue for the Promised Land Walking Track in October 2021,” Josh Skinner, capital projects coordinator for Greenwood County, said in an email.

Skinner said bids for the project will most likely go out in August or September so that a contractor is ready to go when the funds come in.

The pedestrian trail would be 1,340 feet of walking path constructed around the Promised Land ballfield. It would be used for health and fitness particularly for seniors, the application for funding said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused much of the progress the community was making toward renovating certain features of the area to be halted.

“At this time, nothing is going on because of COVID,” Williams said. “We are not even having meetings.”

Williams said the association had planned to have a day of fun but the pandemic caused that to be canceled.

She said the association hopes to get back to work when the pandemic is over.

Contact staff writer James Hicks at jhicks@indexjournal.com or on Twitter @jameshicks3.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on: Feb 6, 2021

By JAMES HICKS jhicks@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/promised-land-a-place-to-call-home/article_503e4032-1a44-517a-aec5-cef3ae97126a.html

Greenwood County saw its largest payment of revenue from the Capital Project Sales Tax in October.

“We are glad to see the economy turn around,” Greenwood County manager Toby Chappell said. “It obviously helps the Capital Project Sales Tax.”

The county received $2,745,695.30 in its October 2020 payment, which was an increase from the July 2020 payment where only $2,152,632.49 was collected.

“It clearly rebounded from July to October,” Chappell said.

October’s revenue eclipsed the project’s record of $2,575,580.04 set in April 2020.

The outlook for the project is continually looking better. In August, Chappell announced the anticipated shortfall was not as bad as it had once seemed at only $10 million rather than $20 million.

While there is still a question of how many projects will ultimately get finished, a number have already been completed. Capital Project Sales Tax Coordinator Josh Skinner provided an update on the project list:

The Upstate Center for Manufacturing Excellence on the campus of Piedmont Technical College and the implementation of a countywide public safety radio system have been completed. The county signed a contract Thursday with Davis and Floyd to begin the construction of parks for Hodges, Troy, Magnolia, Foundry and Grace Street, Skinner said in an email.

A contractor has been selected for the Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historical Site, however, extra funds are still being sought to meet the contract bid amount. The Lake Greenwood Master Plan final plan designs will be presented to Greenwood County Council in December.

The athletic facility upgrades projects are in Phase 1. Construction is complete on a new basketball court and walking paths in Young Park in Ware Shoals. The design for the J.C. Boozer Athletic Complex is at 90% with bidding tentatively scheduled for early next year, Skinner said.

The North Greenwood Industrial Park spec building on Highway 25 has been completed.

The next set of revenue payments in January and April of 2021 will go to the next project: widening Highway 246. The next two payments will be directed toward the Ninety Six Storm Water Drainage repair and to finish paying for fire trucks and volunteer fire stations, Skinner said.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Nov 13, 2020

 By JAMES HICKS jhicks@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/cpst-receives-record-revenue/article_96244c95-6984-5227-9eeb-8afc4de63352.html

What a difference a year makes. Or can make.

Despite how incredibly difficult a year 2020 has been, especially as we all endure the effects the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dole out heading into the third of four quarters of the year, Greenwood County had some surprising good news to share this past week.

A year ago, during the Greenwood SC Chamber’s annual State of the City and County address, Steve Brown, County Council chairman, noted the Capital Project Sales Tax initiative was not tracking as well as had been anticipated. In fact, it turned out, the county was then predicting the penny sales tax might fall short of its goal by as much as $20 million. If that were the case, then nearly a full third of projects the special tax was to pay for would have been left on the table.

At the same forum this year, Greenwood County Manager Toby Chappell gave a more upbeat projection, saying that even if anticipated revenue from the tax remains flat — which he said is an unlikely scenario — the deficit would be half of last year’s projection.

Chappell said the county has seen growth each year.

“For example, over the last year we saw 5.4% growth even with COVID hampering sales,” Chappell told the Index-Journal for a story published Sunday.

Greenwood County voters rallied behind the CPST initiative, seeing value in the numerous countywide projects it would fund. No doubt many were dismayed to learn particular projects they supported might not come to pass.

While this newspaper supported the initiative, we too were disheartened to hear the initial shortfall predictions. But we are buoyed upon learning things might not be nearly as dire as thought a year ago. Who knows, but perhaps growth will exceed everyone’s expectations and the county will emerge with nearly all projects funded after all.

Councilman Theo Lane summed up the current picture well in Sunday’s story, saying “… Greenwood voters made a wise and prudent decision that’s placed us in a much better position from the standpoint of public safety, quality of life, workforce development, economic development. It’s all coming to fruition now and will only get stronger with the passing of time and collection of dollars that allow for more investment.”

Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Sep 9, 2020

 Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/opinion/editorials/our-view-some-good-news-emerges-despite-pandemics-rage/article_1d0636b2-32d8-51c2-805a-6651ae81b4c4.html

Greenwood County took one more step Friday toward the goal of countywide fire protection.

“This will be the official opening,” Josh Skinner, Greenwood County capital project sales tax coordinator, said about the fire station on Carter Road.

Chairman Steve Brown and Councilman Mark Allison joined county staff, volunteer firemen and the Carter family to open the new fire station.

“We just want to say to the Carter family thank you, thank you, thank you,” Brown said.

Allison also thanked the Carter family.

“Thank you to the Carter family,” Allison said. “I live down on Kinard Road so this is close to home, this is home, so thank you.”

Brown said the land where the fire station sits belonged to Gene Carter and was part of the estate of his father, Eddie. Gene donated the land so the county could build the fire station.

Gene helped his mother, Donna, cut the ceremonial ribbon opening the station while Donna’s grandchildren, Ella and Owen, held one end of the ribbon and Fire Chief Jerry Roberts held the other.

“We owe a big debt of gratitude to these volunteer firemen,” Brown said.

Brown said volunteer firefighters have to complete more than 200 hours of training before they can enter a fire station.

“Now we are going to turn this station over to this cadre of volunteers that’s going to make these services happen down here in this community,” Brown said.

Roberts, who has been a fireman for 48 years, said it is difficult to get volunteer firefighters these days.

Brown said he appreciates Greenwood County residents voting for the penny sales tax that funded this project.

“This is what community is all about,” Brown said.

This fire station is at 1901 Carter Road in the Lower Lake district in Ninety Six.

This is the second fire station to open as part of Greenwood County’s Fire Master Plan. County Council on Tuesday approved a contract for the addition and renovation of Medic 30 EMS station on Highway 25 South.

After Medic 30, the county will have three more fire station projects, Skinner said. Two of the three projects have land while the county is still seeking land for the third project.

When finished, the county will have 99.6% of homes within five miles of fire station.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Sep 5, 2020

 By JAMES HICKS jhicks@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/new-fire-station-opens-on-carter-road/article_5e6769cc-4aff-5e58-aea0-cf12955c68ae.html