He was a statesman, a doer of the people’s work, and above all he was a husband, a father and a friend.

Billy O’Dell’s legislative legacy echoes throughout Greenwood and the Lakelands, and his memory was invoked constantly at Thursday evening’s legislative barbecue, hosted by the Piedmont Technical College Foundation at Bermuda’s in Stoney Point.

The Laklelands legislative delegation was there, along with local government officials, educators, business leaders and key figures throughout the community.

The big news of the night, as PTC President Ray Brooks announced, was that they had decided to name the college’s upcoming new building after O’Dell — the William O’Dell Upstate Center for Manufacturing Excellence.

Brooks shared a story about how the decision to honor O’Dell came to a speed bump with a simple question.

“Theo Lane said ‘Well, what does Gayle have to say about it,’” Brooks said to the crowd at Stoney Point.

Brooks hadn’t asked amid the plans, but when they went to seek the permission of O’Dell’s wife of more than five decades, she was touched by the gesture.

“This is quite an honor for him,” Gayle said. “I told my children, he would appreciate the honor, but he never did try to go out and get anything for himself.”

That was the refrain of the evening, with one legislator after another explaining the selfless service O’Dell showed during his tenure in the state Senate.

Sen. Ronnie Cromer said he’d shared an office suite with O’Dell, and they came to call each other by nicknames such as “roomie.” He saw O’Dell work tirelessly to support PTC and Lander University, along with his alma mater, The Citadel.

“One of the first things that I found out about Billy was he was devoted to The Citadel,” Cromer said. “But now, Billy never really looked for any sort of personal credit.”

State Sen. Mike Gambrell echoed this characterization of humility, and said O’Dell was a true southern gentleman. He could get upset, but never showed anger, he said.

And he was experienced — a seasoned politician who knew his way around Columbia offices. State Sen. Floyd Nicholson said he was grateful to move into O’Dell’s office suite when he was elected in 2008.

“The only thing they told me when I got down there was where the bathroom was,” he said.

He said it was good not only to have someone who knew his way around, but someone to look up to.

“If we want to follow in his footsteps, remember: We are public servants, and we are doing things for our constituents,” he said.

Instead of rallying around O’Dell’s many accolades, many chose to remember him with stories. Legislators shared fond moments talking politics, while O’Dell took a break from legislative debates to smoke a cigar, or go on disastrous dove-shooting trips that ended with a laugh.

State Rep. Mike Pitts explained that he was wearing a polo to an event where many wore suits and ties.

“Billy said even if we held this event in January, it would be the hottest damn day of the year,” he said.

In his absence, many state politicians lost the metric they used to measure statesmanship by, said state Rep. Anne Parks.

“What are we going to do without Billy O’Dell,” she said. “In the House, we used to have a saying … ‘Thank God for the Senate.’ But I had my own saying, ‘Thank God for Billy O’Dell.’”

Building of the center is made possible through $6.1 million of Capital Project Sales Tax money, and construction on the 45,000-square-foot building will start in 2018, Brooks said. For Greenwood County Council, Chairman Steve Brown said it was an honor to help pass the tax that made the building possible.

He commended naming the building in O’Dell’s honor, and called him a helper and a friend.

“We are not here tonight because someone has passed from us,” he said, “but for someone who lived.”

When the building is complete, many manufacturing classes will move to the new facility, which will house new classrooms and lab spaces, along with training space to support workforce development.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on: Oct 6, 2017

 By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ ddominguez@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/odells-legacy-memorialized-in-new-ptc-building-name/article_402f3424-1ef2-534b-9a7f-41a2a105d186.html

Greenwood city leaders have taken over the deed to a parcel of land owned by the Housing Authority since 2004, the first step toward converting it into a park on the south side.

“The critical piece of this is we can’t get grant funding for the site unless we own it,” City Manager Charlie Barrineau.

The 13.5-acre site at 1801 Foundry Road, was purchased by Housing Authority from Greenwood Mills in 2004. Officials have been talking about converting it to recreational space for years, and will use $1.75 million from the capital project sales tax approved in November to finance it.

But to make it a park, the property needs to change hands again so the city can apply for a “non-voluntary cleanup contract,” or VCC, with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The contract protects the city from any environmental liability with an agreement that officials will implement a state-approved cleanup and redevelopment plan. By the summer, Barrineau said the council intends to ask the Housing Authority to deed the property – which requires authority board approval – for construction of a public park.

Barrineau said in February the city plans to apply for a $200,000 cleanup grant through the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which can’t be done without the state agreement and direct ownership of the property.

Another revenue stream could be the state Revolving Brownfield Loan Fund that can also be the promise of dedicated money from the penny sales tax to secure a non-refundable grant.

Also Monday, the City Council approved spending a $21,880 federal Justice Assistance Grant to purchase winter coats and surveillance equipment for the police department.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on: Aug 22, 2017

By ADAM BENSON abenson@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/city-taking-steps-toward-building-south-greenwood-park/article_bd1dc030-c68f-5f67-b18b-5d7a9e5cb500.html

ABBEVILLE — West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative’s expansion of West Carolina Fiber — a fully owned subsidiary of the co-op — into Greenwood County is underway.

Shannon Sears, the co-op’s director of commercial operations, said the first Greenwood customers could be up and running as early as June.

The Abbeville County-based co-op — which offers service in Abbeville and McCormick counties as well as the Starr-Iva area of Anderson — chose to expand into Greenwood County for a number of reasons, Sears said.

“This was the most logical place. We already had some service right on the border and it made business sense,” he said. “And Greenwood is a growing community. They’re much like Abbeville in that they’re community minded and community focused and that’s what we’re about.”

Expanding into Greenwood County, which Sears said is projected to take 10 years and cost $48 million, pits WCTel against Northland Communications — the county’s only cable provider — as well as other service providers present in the county, such as Dish Network, AT&T and Charter Spectrum.

On May 5, Northland Communications announced a $5 million investment in services in Greenwood County to boost internet speed and television services. Melanie Hannasch, Northland Communications’ vice president for marketing and sales, said the investment was not related to WCTel’s expansion.

WCTel CEO Jeff Wilson said he looks forward to the co-op participating in the growth the area has been experiencing.

“As we look to expand and grow, Greenwood is a natural place,” he said. “I’m excited, and our board is excited, when we look at Greenwood and all the positive that’s going on there today. Whether it’s the Partnership Alliance, Piedmont Tech, Lander, Greenwood Promise, the 1-percent capital sales tax project — all those things together make it an exciting place to be.”

Regency Park Apartments will be the co-op’s first customer in Greenwood and about 132 units will be converted to fiber optics by mid-May, according to a release from WCTel.

About 360 homes in Hunters Creek will have access to WCTel services by June, Sears said.

WCTel — which provides fiber optics to the majority of its customers — chose to make the transition to fiber optics several years ago to keep up with a growing demand for bandwidth, Wilson said.

“When we look at the investment in fiber infrastructure, we know that that technology is basically future proof,” Wilson said. “We truly believe by having the fiber platform, we can continue to grow and offer higher speeds.”

The services that will be offered will include data and hosted voice services for small- and medium-sized businesses, phone, TV and voice services, high-speed internet and security services, the release said.

Sear said there has been a largely positive response since the co-op announced the expansion.

“Most everybody was excited about the fact that, over fiber optics, you can provide a lot more bandwidth,” he said. “It’s not limited by the distance to somebody’s home or office so it’s a more reliable form of delivery.”

Originally Published by Index-Journal on: May 22, 2017

By CONOR HUGHES chughes@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/wctel-greenwood-logical-place-to-expand/article_2ab6f9ef-1949-51ba-8cb4-78c2c3b94968.html

A trio of high-profile county projects are moving forward on schedule.

County Manager Toby Chappell told council members Monday that early conceptual designs for a $3.1 million animal shelter and adoption facility to be built on Old Laurens Road have been submitted, nearly a month after Greenwood leaders voted unanimously to construct the facility.

The 15,000- square-foot complex — to be built on 10 acres of county-owned land across from the Leath Correctional Institution — will be funded through a public-private partnership between the county and the Humane Society of Greenwood, which is putting up $1.1 million of capital, or 35 percent of the total.

Expected to open in the spring of 2018, the facility will replace a 50-year-old site on the former Civic Center grounds originally built as a dog pound and never intended to be used as a daily clearinghouse for the county’s wayward animals.

Meanwhile, the county is expected to submit site plans for its North Greenwood Industrial Park to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control by late May. It’s the first phases of an $8.45 million venture using capital project sales tax dollars to develop a 31.7-acre site on Highway 25 that will include a 100,000-square-foot speculative building.

Finally, Chappell said, a meeting is planned this week to create schematics for a $900,000 fire station in Ware Shoals that will replace the town’s aging building at 39 E. Main St.

Under terms of the deal – known as a memorandum of understanding – the cost of land preparation, construction and design is being carried by the county, while Ware Shoals will pay for equipment and compensation for firefighters.

The county is also responsible for “infrastructure maintenance” and “operational costs” related to the station.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Apr 18, 2017

By ADAM BENSON abenson@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/trio-of-high-profile-greenwood-county-projects-on-schedule/article_613853be-e3a9-5dd4-ad3d-e1e55c6f6c59.html

Doors opened Wednesday at Greenwood Genetic Center’s newest research facility — the Self Regional Healthcare and Clemson University-sponsored Self Regional Hall.

“This project has been in the works for a long time, and it’s taken a lot of turns,” said Clemson President James Clements. “There’s some very important work taking place here.”

The 17,000-square-foot facility will house the Clemson University Center for Human Genetics, he said. There, graduate students and researchers will develop diagnostic tests and treatments for Autism spectrum disorder and other genetic disorders, he said.

The youngest of Clements’ four children was born with multiple genetic disorders, he said, and there was once a time where his family thought she would never crawl, walk or talk. She has surpassed all of those expectations, he said, with the help of genetic specialists who diagnosed and treated her.

“As the parent of a child with special needs, the kind of research that you’re doing here is especially meaningful and important to me and my family,” he said.

Inside, the building has eight laboratories along with classrooms, conference rooms and offices for research staff. Guests from each affiliated agency, along with representatives from city and county government, gathered for the ribbon cutting and a tour of the facility.

“Today is most definitely a day of celebration,” said Self Regional Healthcare CEO Jim Pfeiffer. “The genetic center is a diamond just to have the talent and innovation here in Greenwood.”

Dr. Steve Skinner, director of the genetic center, said the building marks a step forward in collaboration with Clemson and Self Regional Healthcare — one that will bring more researchers to Greenwood to broaden the areas of study at the genetic center.

“It means we can finally start pulling the teams together locally,” he said. “We can bring in more grad student and have more minds at work.”

While the expansion’s main contribution is to improving genetic research in the area, the Self Foundation’s President Frank Wideman said bring world-class researchers to Greenwood might also attract industry to the area.

“It will create the environment to attract outside industry and research partners to pair with the genetic center,” he said.

The opening of Self Regional Hall comes about a month after the genetic center announced it was investing $5.5 million to create a diagnostic testing laboratory that will create 15 jobs. The project was helped along by the passing of the Capital Projects Sales Tax in November, which included allocating $358,283 for the installation of a new fiber optic data cabling and related equipment on the center’s campus.

Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on Twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Feb 16, 2017

 By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZddominguez@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/genetic-center-unveils-new-research-facility/article_41ae24a8-76ee-5dc9-93cf-2bce3109f1be.html