Unlike any year before, 2020 has affected every facet of life from restaurants to retail businesses to government entities.
Restaurants in the Lakelands were hit very hard by the pandemic. Gov. Henry McMaster’s state of emergency and executive orders forced restaurants to change how they had operated for years.
“It’s been trying,” Howard Corley, owner of Howard’s on Main, said. “It’s cost us a lot.”
Corley said his business has faced additional costs of buying plastic eating utensils instead of using reusable metal utensils. Also, he said catering has not come back. With more usage of virtual meetings and fewer in-person meetings, the catering side of his business has taken a hit.
Restaurants, such as Corley’s, have survived on one key ingredient.
“Our customers have been so loyal,” Corley said. “Just good loyal customers.”
With the novel coronavirus vaccine rolling out to health care workers, hope is in sight.
“I’m going to take it,” Corley said.
He is also going to encourage his employees to take the vaccine when it rolls around to food service workers.
Small businesses were also affected.
“2020 has been extremely difficult for small business owners,” Lara Hudson, Uptown Greenwood Manager, said in an email. “We have only seen two close in Uptown, however the remaining businesses are struggling with less traffic, difficulty getting inventory in their shops and just overall lower spending in general.”
The year saw two businesses close in Uptown, Crossin’s Deli and Main Street Market, while another business, Trapped Cuisine, opened.
Hudson said she believes creativity was the one thing that helped businesses get through the year.
“These small businesses have had to reinvent how they exist and how they run their businesses,” Hudson said. “Many of them had an online presence or e-commerce platform already in place so they were prepared for closures and less traffic and spending.”
Hudson said many Uptown businesses had to completely pivot their business model to stay afloat.
“The community support of our local businesses this year has also been vital,” Hudson said.
Local governmentsGovernment departments also had a tough year while the pandemic raged.
“Local governments faced a pandemic the likes that no one else had seen,” Greenwood County Manager Toby Chappell said in an email. “There was no analogous issue or history to follow.”
Both Greenwood County Council and Greenwood City Council switched to video teleconferencing for a few meetings to reduce in-person meetings. Both councils continued to use forms of this technology throughout the year, ensuring members had a safe way to get together.
“We were forced to close buildings, deal with nervous staff, interpret guidance that was oftentimes ambiguous and all the while serve as a place that people could rely upon to receive accurate and timely information,” Chappell said.
Chappell said governments are prepared for disasters, such as hurricanes, through procedures that can be modified and followed.
“Given the unprecedented nature and the prolonged timing of what we have faced, I am proud of the work that has been done by local governments in South Carolina,” Chappell said.
Government revenue also took a hit in 2020, although compared to others, it was a mixed bag.
“We fared 2020 relatively well with only minor projected decreases in revenue anticipated for our 2021 budget,” Greenwood City Manager Julie Wilkie said in an email. “We will have to keep a very close eye on both revenues and expenditures as we navigate the next 6 months.”
Wilkie said while the city’s hospitality tax collections were down $49,000 compared to 2019, the accommodation tax collections were up $3,600.
It was slightly different for Greenwood County. Chappell said county accommodations tax revenue was down 39% compared to 2019, while Capital Project Sales Tax collections and hospitality tax collections were both up 14% and 6% respectively.
“Since A-tax is so closely tied to travel, it only makes sense that this would be most heavily impacted by COVID,” Chappell said.
Chappell said the pandemic did not cancel any projects in 2020, some did get the level of attention that they would have during non-pandemic times. He said restoring the floors in the courthouse by the facility maintenance department had to be temporarily halted because of change in their work related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wilkie said early talks of constructing a new public works and fleet management facility were halted because of the pandemic.
Overall, she said the city did quite well during the pandemic.
“We were diligent in monitoring expenditures for worst case scenarios, many departments were forced to freeze positions,” Wilkie said. “We have a very resilient staff that put their heads together to continue to thrive.”
Stopping trials bloats
local docketsCrime never sleeps, but when a global pandemic makes it unwise to pack jurors into a courtroom, trials have had to take a rest this year.
In-person court and all criminal jury trials were suspended in mid-March, brought back at the end of July and then halted again Dec. 4. Hearings that used to be held in courtrooms moved to WebEx and Zoom screens, and plastic partitions went up in courthouses across the state.
“Doing things online was a whole different world,” said Greenwood County Clerk of Court Chastity Copeland. “Now though, it’s like the new normal.”
Online meeting software and record filings let attorneys go on about their business while state court administrators figured out ways to safely bring the criminal justice system back. In August, the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office brought the first jury case to trial in the state after trial restrictions were lifted, but the courtroom looked drastically different. Partitions separated the judge from the witness stand, seating was spread out to allow for physical distancing and everyone wore masks or face shields to guard themselves and those around them.
“We have done everything in our power, in light of our limited resources in the 8th Circuit, to be at the forefront of this crisis and continue to work our dockets,” Solicitor David Stumbo said.
Still, court stoppages have meant cases that would have gone to trial this year have sat dormant while new warrants are still being served. The year added about 4,500 new warrants to the 8th Circuit’s docket — about 300 more warrants for the 14 general sessions prosecutors in the circuit.
“I fear it will take a few years to get these numbers back to the December 2019 levels with our current staffing,” Stumbo said. “This reality burdens me, but my staff and I will continue to do everything in our power to overcome this as we work one case at a time to get the greatest amount of justice that we can in each case. No matter how long it takes.”
The novel coronavirus has crept into every aspect of our lives in 2020, making decisions for us, leaving us mired in uncertainty, and education was no exception.
Education adjustingSchools were shut down in March, by McMaster, leaving educators and parents scrambling to keep the children’s education going.
“I think in the beginning there was a lot of uncertainty,” Kerri Pratt, an 11th-grade teacher at Ware Shoals High School, said. “This was something none of us had ever experienced, I felt so unprepared as both a teacher and a parent.”
Although the beginning of the pandemic was uncertain, parents and students got into the swing of things as time went on.
“I feel like I communicated more with parents than before,” Pratt said, adding that families, students and teachers had no choice but to get comfortable with technology.
Of course, virtual learning is not for everyone. It requires skills in time management, which can take some time to get used to.
“Our teachers have been so good at extending grace and working with students that struggle,” Pratt said.
Children were forced to become independent learners, which according to Pratt isn’t a bad thing, but they did need some time for adjustment. “I think that’s what disrupted education the most,” Pratt said.
While students were learning to adapt to virtual learning and an A/B schedule, sports and extracurricular activities were also canceled.
“I think it disrupted the community connection,” Pratt said. “Our community loves to come to our sporting events.”
Pratt is hopeful that with all the adversity that this year has brought us, the teachers will come out stronger.
“This has shown us that we need to be flexible and adapt,” Pratt said. “There’s just a learning curve with all of this.”
Lost art: Cultural arts,
entertainment among hardest hit in 2020The performing arts sector has been among the first to close and the last to reopen amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Stephen Gilbert, executive director of Greenwood Community Theatre says the 300-seat theater is “in survival mode.”
“The current focus is trying to make enough money to function month-to-month, for our mortgage, utilities, salaries and insurance,” Gilbert said. “Looking back at 2020, we had a loss of approximately $300,000 in revenue, almost exclusively related to lost ticket sales and sponsorships. Most grants and sponsorships are tied to our programming, such as shows, outreach and our Penguin Project (a theater program pairing disabled actors on stage with peer mentors in a modified Broadway musical).”
Incredibly, the Downtown Abbeville Merchants Association was able to host all of its 2020 events, including a summer wine walk in July that sold-out and holiday events this fall.
Paige Bowser, owner of Breezy Quarters, and vice president of the Downtown Abbeville Merchants Association said the group plans to proceed into 2021 “better than ever.”
“We have been careful to encourage safety in our community by encouraging mask-wearing and social distancing,” Bowser said. “Our first priority has been keeping people aware of what’s available in Abbeville and supporting merchants who did need to close, with awareness of their alternative plans, such as offering take-out or changed business hours.”
Karen Jennings, executive director of The Museum and Railroad Historical Center in Greenwood said that for the first two-thirds of 2020, those two nonprofits were unable to fundraise, but supporters of the nonprofits have continued staunch support.
“Federal grants for nonprofits helped keep us going during that time, and our supporters have continued to be generous, “ Jennings said. “We are fortunate the Railroad Historical Center has outdoor space, so we have more flexibility in fundraising events there.”
Normally, by this time of year, the McCormick Arts Council at the Keturah would have a roughly 80 percent estimate on the picture of year-end giving, according to Heather McNally, director of programming and development.
“We’ve had consistent growth in our development program each of the last five years,” McNally said. “But, it’s unclear yet on the giving amount for larger gifts.”
By July 2020, McNally said MACK had already amassed a loss of $24,000 from programming revenue and she said total shortfalls could be much greater.
However, even in these pandemic times, McNally said MACK has received a combined charitable gift of $2.6 million through the Yoder Rosenberg Family Foundation.
Funds are for rehabilitation and maintenance of the historic building that houses the MACK and funds are being used for an educational scholarship and youth programs.
“In our 35th anniversary year, we got a pandemic and it hasn’t gone away,” McNally said. “We’ve had to rethink. For example, this summer, we partnered with Clemson Extension and our library. We provided creativity kits instead of our usual on-site summer arts program for youths.”
Lisa Sanders, executive director of Greenwood Performing Arts, stepped into that role in October after a long banking career.
“I felt like it was more important than ever for us to have music and entertainment,” Sanders said. “We did have to cancel two fall events that were to be at Greenwood Community Theatre, but have partnered with others to do socially distanced concerts outdoors with Lander and at venues Uptown with limited audiences.”
Ticket sales revenue is down at the Abbeville Opera House, according to Mike Clary, Abbeville community development director.
“I think it’s safe to say $75,000 to $100,000 in ticket sales revenue has been lost,” Clary said. “The loss of events at the Abbeville Opera House during this time has been especially hard on commerce here…It’s difficult to replace the 200 to 1,000 visitors each weekend that events at the Opera House would bring in.”
Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Dec 26, 2020
By From staff reports
Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/2020-the-year-that-wont-be-missed/article_fc016df9-722c-514f-a652-d493a8b3d78d.html
Greenwood County expands coverage of new records management system
/in Index-JournalGreenwood County is one step closer to a countywide records management system.
Greenwood County Council voted unanimously approving a resolution allowing to allow the county to enter into a contract with Caliber Public Safety to create a countywide RMS at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The original contract with Caliber included Greenwood Police Department and Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office mobile units as well as the E-911 system.
“They will add in the jail, the county sheriff’s office, the city police department along with Ware Shoals police and Ninety Six police for a total $540,000,” Josh Skinner, Capital Project Sales Tax project coordinator, said at the council meeting.
This would account for $780,000 in savings as the amount allocated for the project was approved at $1,326,535, Skinner said.
Council’s approval is contingent upon the other entities — mainly the Ninety Six Town Council and Ware Shoals Town Council — approving of the plan. Skinner made the presentation before leaving to go to the Ware Shoals Town Council meeting on Tuesday evening to seek its approval.
Skinner said he will seek Ninety Six’s approval next week.
The contract includes five years of annual service for Ware Shoals and Ninety Six and one year of annual service for the Greenwood Police Department, Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office and the jail.
The RMS will allow for law enforcement agencies in the county to share records with one another as well as share with agencies nationwide, information provided by Skinner said.
Skinner was not alone in working on the project. Danny Byrd, IT director for the City of Greenwood, worked with Caliber to secure this contract.
“Danny thank you for your work on that,” Councilman Theo Lane said. “You saved the county about three-quarters of a million dollars.”
Council also approved an intergovernmental agreement between the county and SCDOT for funding and administering the Highway 246 widening project.
Both projects were approved by county voters in 2016 as part of the Capital Project Sales Tax.
CPST recorded its third-highest revenue collection at $2,537,159 — just behind the $2.575 million reported in April 2020 and the $2.7 million collected in October 2020.
“A little less than our record,” Skinner said. “But we are still trending upward.”
The 1% sales tax has yielded $32,863,820.55 to date.
Skinner reported to council on the status of CPST projects.
“Parks are out of conceptual phase and moving into the actual construction and design phase,” Skinner said.
He said the plan for Grace Street is to demolish the old CPW water treatment plant to create a parking lot for the rest of the park.
Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site is now fully funded.
“They found a little extra money,” Skinner said.
Council also presented a proclamation to Anne Craig, former executive director of the Greenwood Arts Council, upon her retirement after 23 years of service.
“Continue to be the bright light and star you are in this community,” Vice Chairman Chuck Moates said.
Craig thanked council for its support over the years.
Council gave its blessing for the county tax assessor to begin the five-year reassessment of properties and also approved a list of roads to be submitted to the County Transportation Committee for funding.
Robert Russian, the county’s public works director, said the list is put together on a worst first basis — having the worst roads at the top of the list for funding.
Council also approved transferring $154,900 from the 2007 Capital Project Sales Tax fund to the Hydro fund to cover additional design work for the Lake Greenwood emergency spillway project.
Rett Templeton, the county’s engineer, said the project is progressing.
“We are getting closer,” he said.
Greenwood County expands coverage of new records management system
/in UncategorizedGreenwood County is one step closer to a countywide records management system.
Greenwood County Council voted unanimously approving a resolution allowing to allow the county to enter into a contract with Caliber Public Safety to create a countywide RMS at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The original contract with Caliber included Greenwood Police Department and Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office mobile units as well as the E-911 system.
“They will add in the jail, the county sheriff’s office, the city police department along with Ware Shoals police and Ninety Six police for a total $540,000,” Josh Skinner, Capital Project Sales Tax project coordinator, said at the council meeting.
This would account for $780,000 in savings as the amount allocated for the project was approved at $1,326,535, Skinner said.
Council’s approval is contingent upon the other entities — mainly the Ninety Six Town Council and Ware Shoals Town Council — approving of the plan. Skinner made the presentation before leaving to go to the Ware Shoals Town Council meeting on Tuesday evening to seek its approval.
Skinner said he will seek Ninety Six’s approval next week.
The contract includes five years of annual service for Ware Shoals and Ninety Six and one year of annual service for the Greenwood Police Department, Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office and the jail.
The RMS will allow for law enforcement agencies in the county to share records with one another as well as share with agencies nationwide, information provided by Skinner said.
Skinner was not alone in working on the project. Danny Byrd, IT director for the City of Greenwood, worked with Caliber to secure this contract.
“Danny thank you for your work on that,” Councilman Theo Lane said. “You saved the county about three-quarters of a million dollars.”
Council also approved an intergovernmental agreement between the county and SCDOT for funding and administering the Highway 246 widening project.
Both projects were approved by county voters in 2016 as part of the Capital Project Sales Tax.
CPST recorded its third-highest revenue collection at $2,537,159 — just behind the $2.575 million reported in April 2020 and the $2.7 million collected in October 2020.
“A little less than our record,” Skinner said. “But we are still trending upward.”
The 1% sales tax has yielded $32,863,820.55 to date.
Skinner reported to council on the status of CPST projects.
“Parks are out of conceptual phase and moving into the actual construction and design phase,” Skinner said.
He said the plan for Grace Street is to demolish the old CPW water treatment plant to create a parking lot for the rest of the park.
Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site is now fully funded.
“They found a little extra money,” Skinner said.
Council also presented a proclamation to Anne Craig, former executive director of the Greenwood Arts Council, upon her retirement after 23 years of service.
“Continue to be the bright light and star you are in this community,” Vice Chairman Chuck Moates said.
Craig thanked council for its support over the years.
Council gave its blessing for the county tax assessor to begin the five-year reassessment of properties and also approved a list of roads to be submitted to the County Transportation Committee for funding.
Robert Russian, the county’s public works director, said the list is put together on a worst first basis — having the worst roads at the top of the list for funding.
Council also approved transferring $154,900 from the 2007 Capital Project Sales Tax fund to the Hydro fund to cover additional design work for the Lake Greenwood emergency spillway project.
Rett Templeton, the county’s engineer, said the project is progressing.
“We are getting closer,” he said.
Public meetings
/in UncategorizedTODAY
TROY TOWN COUNCIL
TIME: 6 p.m.
LOCATION: Troy Community Center
AGENDA: Decision items: Easter Egg Hunt, Town Hall renovation project, Town property sale, Troy Community Center Banking Account; Old business: Standardization of business license, Wisteria Park, McCormick County water system extension, Greenwood County Transportation Committee and SCDOT road repairs, MASC Hometown Development Grant, MASC SCMIRF Public Works Property and Liability Reduction Grant radar speed signs, Community Service Grant from CSX Transportation, Town of Troy Building and Inspection department, Troy Community Association Lease Fulfillment; New business: GovDeals purchase, Town credit card, Troy Community Association Easter Egg Hunt, Troy Community Center Banking Account; Departments: Troy Fire Department: Flag Etiquette resolution, Digital sign for Town Hall and the Troy Fire Department; Executive session: discussion of Troy Town Hall Renovation project bids, Request to purchase property owned by the Town of Troy, Discussion of Troy Community Center; Open discussion and public input.
NINETY SIX TOWN COUNCIL
VIRTUAL WORKSHOP
TIME: 6 p.m.
LOCATION: Virtual: https://zoom.us/j/92259371269?pwd=SmZYMTM5NHlDVVhpQVlNMy9lOUU1Zz09 Meeting ID: 922 5937 1269, Passcode: 444389
AGENDA: Distribution of financial statements: October 2020 — February 2021; Petitions received and disposed of; Mayor’s report: Recommendation to expend $1,000 from the Reserve Fund for engineering services for the Old Mill Site; Report of standing committees: public safety, streets and sanitation, finance committee, judicial committee, maintenance of buildings and planning committee; Special committee reports: Main Street Revitalization, Update on Town of Ninety Six Greenwood Capital Project Sales Tax Projects; Executive session: Section 30-4-70(A)(2) Discussion of negotiations incident to a proposed contractual arrangement with Greenwood County regarding a County Wide Records Management System, and the receipt of legal advice where the advice relates to matters covered by the attorney-client privilege.
Promised Land: A place to call home
/in UncategorizedDown 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.
Promised Land: A place to call home
/in Index-JournalDown 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.
County fire chief reflects on 8-year master plan, 5 years in
/in UncategorizedWithout a crystal ball, it wasn’t likely county officials would be able to see the future when they created the Greenwood County volunteer fire service master plan in 2015.
The eight-year plan outlined the strategic goals the county had for funding, staffing and expanding the reach of the fire service, and recently County Fire Chief Steve Holmes gave County Council a brief update on where things stand more than five years into it.
“Any time you present a plan over eight years, things you foresaw for the future aren’t always what pans out,” he said in an interview Thursday. “It just felt like it was time to say all right, this is where we’re at.”
Staffing goals called for transitioning into a hybrid of volunteers and paid staff, and the fire service has full and part-time paid firefighters. But over the years, staffing has proven to be one of the toughest challenges facing the fire service.
“It was hard for me to project five years ago how many volunteer firemen I would have eight years later, and our numbers are down,” Holmes said. “Younger, stronger, more able-bodied firefighters — we have to find a good reason for these people to volunteer for the fire service.”
COVID-19 hasn’t helped. Franklin Cloninger, a city and county firefighter who serves on the county chief’s advisory group, said stations have a tendency to lose volunteers the less the crew meets in person. Because of the pandemic, there have been significantly fewer opportunities to get station staff together.
“While we’re trying to be safe in COVID, it starts to be really detrimental to our engagement of our volunteers,” he said. “People who might be in a high-risk category, too, might get a call and say, well, do I really want to risk going out there and potentially being exposed.”
On the other hand, Cloninger sees opportunity. COVID has shown how integral firefighters are as essential first responders during the pandemic, and he thinks that could be leveraged in recruitment — provided the county can develop tangible benefits to offer volunteers.
“Right now, it’s an incredibly tough atmosphere to recruit in,” he said. “The biggest benefit we have now, as I see it, is that we can go after the people who are able to work from home, who can be flexible enough to also work in the fire service.”
It’s also been a tough atmosphere to train in, Holmes said. COVID precautions meant also shutting down weekly, centralized training at the Coronaca fire station, where firefighters from any station were welcome to come and join in group training sessions. Firefighters are still training with their home stations, but training opportunities have become scarcer under COVID conditions because it often requires people to work closely together.
In terms of equipment, Holmes said a major chunk of the problem faced five years ago was solved with the Capital Projects Sales Tax. Funds were used to buy new trucks and other equipment and vehicles, allowing them to decommission older tools that were past their life expectancy.
Holmes said his maintenance costs on older equipment hit more than $200,000 a year, so firefighters have leaned heavily on using the new equipment, which is covered by a two-year, bumper-to-bumper warranty and preventative maintenance plan.
Some of that newer equipment is coming up on a year and a half of service, however, and Holmes said he knows they’ll have to address the older equipment again soon.
The county has been striving toward getting a unified, countywide fire district with a single fire safety rating from the company Insurance Services Office. Right now, some stations have to hold onto more vehicles than needed to ensure they meet ISO’s standards for their fire district. A single, countywide fire district would allow them to decommission certain older equipment, because stations will no longer be formally isolated, and they’ll work together to respond to calls.
More fire stations have gone up, as well. Recently the fire service opened the Bradley station, along with one on Carter Road and the finishing touches at the Medic 30 station on U.S. Highway 25 South are nearly complete. The county has land on Miller Road and on Highway 221 for two more and is working to acquire land on Morgan Road for another station, with construction expected to start in the spring.
“What we were able to do with these stations was put 99% of the county within five miles of a fire station,” Holmes said. “Whether we get a countywide rating of five or a countywide one, if you live more than five miles from a fire station, you’re an automatic 10.”
ISO ratings range from one to 10, with one indicating the highest category of fire safety possible.
One of the most impressive things of the past five years, Holmes said, was how cohesive the fire service has become. He was warned years ago by people in other fire services that mixing paid staff and volunteers creates a volatile environment, but instead, Greenwood has seen harmony as the part-time, full-time and volunteer crews work together to tackle calls.
“My faith in my volunteer departments has only been reinforced, in how well every one of them has gotten along and came together,” Holmes said.
2020: The year that won’t be missed
/in UncategorizedUnlike any year before, 2020 has affected every facet of life from restaurants to retail businesses to government entities.
Restaurants in the Lakelands were hit very hard by the pandemic. Gov. Henry McMaster’s state of emergency and executive orders forced restaurants to change how they had operated for years.
“It’s been trying,” Howard Corley, owner of Howard’s on Main, said. “It’s cost us a lot.”
Corley said his business has faced additional costs of buying plastic eating utensils instead of using reusable metal utensils. Also, he said catering has not come back. With more usage of virtual meetings and fewer in-person meetings, the catering side of his business has taken a hit.
Restaurants, such as Corley’s, have survived on one key ingredient.
“Our customers have been so loyal,” Corley said. “Just good loyal customers.”
With the novel coronavirus vaccine rolling out to health care workers, hope is in sight.
“I’m going to take it,” Corley said.
He is also going to encourage his employees to take the vaccine when it rolls around to food service workers.
Small businesses were also affected.
“2020 has been extremely difficult for small business owners,” Lara Hudson, Uptown Greenwood Manager, said in an email. “We have only seen two close in Uptown, however the remaining businesses are struggling with less traffic, difficulty getting inventory in their shops and just overall lower spending in general.”
The year saw two businesses close in Uptown, Crossin’s Deli and Main Street Market, while another business, Trapped Cuisine, opened.
Hudson said she believes creativity was the one thing that helped businesses get through the year.
“These small businesses have had to reinvent how they exist and how they run their businesses,” Hudson said. “Many of them had an online presence or e-commerce platform already in place so they were prepared for closures and less traffic and spending.”
Hudson said many Uptown businesses had to completely pivot their business model to stay afloat.
“The community support of our local businesses this year has also been vital,” Hudson said.
Local governmentsGovernment departments also had a tough year while the pandemic raged.
“Local governments faced a pandemic the likes that no one else had seen,” Greenwood County Manager Toby Chappell said in an email. “There was no analogous issue or history to follow.”
Both Greenwood County Council and Greenwood City Council switched to video teleconferencing for a few meetings to reduce in-person meetings. Both councils continued to use forms of this technology throughout the year, ensuring members had a safe way to get together.
“We were forced to close buildings, deal with nervous staff, interpret guidance that was oftentimes ambiguous and all the while serve as a place that people could rely upon to receive accurate and timely information,” Chappell said.
Chappell said governments are prepared for disasters, such as hurricanes, through procedures that can be modified and followed.
“Given the unprecedented nature and the prolonged timing of what we have faced, I am proud of the work that has been done by local governments in South Carolina,” Chappell said.
Government revenue also took a hit in 2020, although compared to others, it was a mixed bag.
“We fared 2020 relatively well with only minor projected decreases in revenue anticipated for our 2021 budget,” Greenwood City Manager Julie Wilkie said in an email. “We will have to keep a very close eye on both revenues and expenditures as we navigate the next 6 months.”
Wilkie said while the city’s hospitality tax collections were down $49,000 compared to 2019, the accommodation tax collections were up $3,600.
It was slightly different for Greenwood County. Chappell said county accommodations tax revenue was down 39% compared to 2019, while Capital Project Sales Tax collections and hospitality tax collections were both up 14% and 6% respectively.
“Since A-tax is so closely tied to travel, it only makes sense that this would be most heavily impacted by COVID,” Chappell said.
Chappell said the pandemic did not cancel any projects in 2020, some did get the level of attention that they would have during non-pandemic times. He said restoring the floors in the courthouse by the facility maintenance department had to be temporarily halted because of change in their work related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wilkie said early talks of constructing a new public works and fleet management facility were halted because of the pandemic.
Overall, she said the city did quite well during the pandemic.
“We were diligent in monitoring expenditures for worst case scenarios, many departments were forced to freeze positions,” Wilkie said. “We have a very resilient staff that put their heads together to continue to thrive.”
Stopping trials bloats
local docketsCrime never sleeps, but when a global pandemic makes it unwise to pack jurors into a courtroom, trials have had to take a rest this year.
In-person court and all criminal jury trials were suspended in mid-March, brought back at the end of July and then halted again Dec. 4. Hearings that used to be held in courtrooms moved to WebEx and Zoom screens, and plastic partitions went up in courthouses across the state.
“Doing things online was a whole different world,” said Greenwood County Clerk of Court Chastity Copeland. “Now though, it’s like the new normal.”
Online meeting software and record filings let attorneys go on about their business while state court administrators figured out ways to safely bring the criminal justice system back. In August, the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office brought the first jury case to trial in the state after trial restrictions were lifted, but the courtroom looked drastically different. Partitions separated the judge from the witness stand, seating was spread out to allow for physical distancing and everyone wore masks or face shields to guard themselves and those around them.
“We have done everything in our power, in light of our limited resources in the 8th Circuit, to be at the forefront of this crisis and continue to work our dockets,” Solicitor David Stumbo said.
Still, court stoppages have meant cases that would have gone to trial this year have sat dormant while new warrants are still being served. The year added about 4,500 new warrants to the 8th Circuit’s docket — about 300 more warrants for the 14 general sessions prosecutors in the circuit.
“I fear it will take a few years to get these numbers back to the December 2019 levels with our current staffing,” Stumbo said. “This reality burdens me, but my staff and I will continue to do everything in our power to overcome this as we work one case at a time to get the greatest amount of justice that we can in each case. No matter how long it takes.”
The novel coronavirus has crept into every aspect of our lives in 2020, making decisions for us, leaving us mired in uncertainty, and education was no exception.
Education adjustingSchools were shut down in March, by McMaster, leaving educators and parents scrambling to keep the children’s education going.
“I think in the beginning there was a lot of uncertainty,” Kerri Pratt, an 11th-grade teacher at Ware Shoals High School, said. “This was something none of us had ever experienced, I felt so unprepared as both a teacher and a parent.”
Although the beginning of the pandemic was uncertain, parents and students got into the swing of things as time went on.
“I feel like I communicated more with parents than before,” Pratt said, adding that families, students and teachers had no choice but to get comfortable with technology.
Of course, virtual learning is not for everyone. It requires skills in time management, which can take some time to get used to.
“Our teachers have been so good at extending grace and working with students that struggle,” Pratt said.
Children were forced to become independent learners, which according to Pratt isn’t a bad thing, but they did need some time for adjustment. “I think that’s what disrupted education the most,” Pratt said.
While students were learning to adapt to virtual learning and an A/B schedule, sports and extracurricular activities were also canceled.
“I think it disrupted the community connection,” Pratt said. “Our community loves to come to our sporting events.”
Pratt is hopeful that with all the adversity that this year has brought us, the teachers will come out stronger.
“This has shown us that we need to be flexible and adapt,” Pratt said. “There’s just a learning curve with all of this.”
Lost art: Cultural arts,
entertainment among hardest hit in 2020The performing arts sector has been among the first to close and the last to reopen amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Stephen Gilbert, executive director of Greenwood Community Theatre says the 300-seat theater is “in survival mode.”
“The current focus is trying to make enough money to function month-to-month, for our mortgage, utilities, salaries and insurance,” Gilbert said. “Looking back at 2020, we had a loss of approximately $300,000 in revenue, almost exclusively related to lost ticket sales and sponsorships. Most grants and sponsorships are tied to our programming, such as shows, outreach and our Penguin Project (a theater program pairing disabled actors on stage with peer mentors in a modified Broadway musical).”
Incredibly, the Downtown Abbeville Merchants Association was able to host all of its 2020 events, including a summer wine walk in July that sold-out and holiday events this fall.
Paige Bowser, owner of Breezy Quarters, and vice president of the Downtown Abbeville Merchants Association said the group plans to proceed into 2021 “better than ever.”
“We have been careful to encourage safety in our community by encouraging mask-wearing and social distancing,” Bowser said. “Our first priority has been keeping people aware of what’s available in Abbeville and supporting merchants who did need to close, with awareness of their alternative plans, such as offering take-out or changed business hours.”
Karen Jennings, executive director of The Museum and Railroad Historical Center in Greenwood said that for the first two-thirds of 2020, those two nonprofits were unable to fundraise, but supporters of the nonprofits have continued staunch support.
“Federal grants for nonprofits helped keep us going during that time, and our supporters have continued to be generous, “ Jennings said. “We are fortunate the Railroad Historical Center has outdoor space, so we have more flexibility in fundraising events there.”
Normally, by this time of year, the McCormick Arts Council at the Keturah would have a roughly 80 percent estimate on the picture of year-end giving, according to Heather McNally, director of programming and development.
“We’ve had consistent growth in our development program each of the last five years,” McNally said. “But, it’s unclear yet on the giving amount for larger gifts.”
By July 2020, McNally said MACK had already amassed a loss of $24,000 from programming revenue and she said total shortfalls could be much greater.
However, even in these pandemic times, McNally said MACK has received a combined charitable gift of $2.6 million through the Yoder Rosenberg Family Foundation.
Funds are for rehabilitation and maintenance of the historic building that houses the MACK and funds are being used for an educational scholarship and youth programs.
“In our 35th anniversary year, we got a pandemic and it hasn’t gone away,” McNally said. “We’ve had to rethink. For example, this summer, we partnered with Clemson Extension and our library. We provided creativity kits instead of our usual on-site summer arts program for youths.”
Lisa Sanders, executive director of Greenwood Performing Arts, stepped into that role in October after a long banking career.
“I felt like it was more important than ever for us to have music and entertainment,” Sanders said. “We did have to cancel two fall events that were to be at Greenwood Community Theatre, but have partnered with others to do socially distanced concerts outdoors with Lander and at venues Uptown with limited audiences.”
Ticket sales revenue is down at the Abbeville Opera House, according to Mike Clary, Abbeville community development director.
“I think it’s safe to say $75,000 to $100,000 in ticket sales revenue has been lost,” Clary said. “The loss of events at the Abbeville Opera House during this time has been especially hard on commerce here…It’s difficult to replace the 200 to 1,000 visitors each weekend that events at the Opera House would bring in.”
Public meetings
/in UncategorizedMONDAY
SALUDA COUNTY COUNCIL
TIME: 6 p.m.
LOCATION: Saluda County Administrative Building
AGENDA: Public hearing: Second reading of Ordinance No. 11-20 to repeal Section 22-2 County Roads, Uniform Service Charge, in Chapter 22 Roads and Bridges, Article I, in the Code of Ordinances, Saluda County, South Carolina.
TUESDAY
GREENWOOD COUNTY COUNCIL
TIME: 4 p.m. — Executive Session, 5:30 p.m. — Regular Meeting
LOCATION: Greenwood County Library
AGENDA: Executive session; Presentations: Introduction of Hope Rivers, newly appointed president of Piedmont Technical College, Manly Garvin FY2020 Final Audit presentation; Public comment: Due to the Video Conference format of the County Council meeting to accommodate the Social Distancing requirement of the Governor, a member of the public will have the option to submit a written Public Comment. If you wish to do so, please submit your comment in writing to the Clerk to County Council via email: smcintyre@greenwoodsc.gov by Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 12:00 Noon. The meeting will be streamed live to the County YouTube Video Channel. Your comment may be read during this portion of the
meeting, and will be included with the minutes and records for the meeting. If you wish to attend the meeting in person, there will be a sign up sheet and opportunity to speak during the Public Comment portion of the meeting. Pursuant to Section 2-2-9 of the Code of Ordinances of Greenwood County, as amended April 2, 2013, a member of the public may speak on any listed item appearing on the agenda, with the exception of personnel matters. Please identify the agenda item to which you will be speaking. No speaker will be allowed to speak to multiple agenda items. At the discretion of the Chairman or presiding officer, the length of time for any speaker’s presentation may be limited, and the number of speakers may also be limited; New business: Appointment of Greenwood County Treasurer, Consideration of H-Tax application for the Greenwood Community Theatre in the amount of $40,000 for expenses related to the operations of the theatre, Update from Litter Coordinator regarding Team Up to Clean Up results, Capital Project Sales Tax update, Consideration of the appointment of special tax district commissioner for Quail Run Court subdivision, Consideration of the creation of Policy 4.17 Vehicle Collision Review Board, Consideration of revisions to Policy 10.4 regarding the purchase of multiple budgeted vehicles, Resolution 2020-29 committing to negotiate a fee in lieu of ad valorem taxes agreement between Greenwood County and Project Tripletail, Ordinance 2020-28 authorizing the execution and delivery of a fee in lieu of ad valorem taxes and special source revenue credit agreement by and between Greenwood County and Project Tripletail; District reports; Manager’s report; Attorney’s report; Executive session if needed.
THURSDAY
MCCORMICK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
LOCATION: McCormick County Administration Center
AGENDA: Old business: Review of McCormick County Zoning Ordinance, Economic Development Director Thessa Smith — Updates on Zoning Ordinance, Planning Commission member issues; New business; Reports: County Council reports; Next meeting: January 7,2021 at County Administration Center.
County Council cuts the ribbon at NGIP
/in Index-JournalOne of the largest projects on the 2016 Capital Project Sales Tax initiative slate of projects is the construction of a spec building at the North Greenwood Industrial Park. On Friday, Greenwood County Council cut the ribbon on that key economic development project.
“It’s been a countywide effort,” CPST coordinator Josh Skinner said.
The 100,000-square-foot building features 112 pre-cast insulated concrete panels, 40 VELUX skylights, four loading dock doors installed by Lakeland Overhead Door and a 50,000-square-foot pad in the back for expansion, Skinner said.
Greenwood County interim economic development director James Bateman said this is the first of three new Palmetto Sites in South Carolina.
The Palmetto Sites program is run by the state Department of Commerce. The program checks industrial sites for tenant readiness and gives the designation for sites that pass. Only three other sites have been given this designation.
This spec building gives Greenwood County something it has been missing out on.
“Greenwood County has been missing new Class A industrial product for a long time,” Bateman said. “Now we are no longer missing those opportunities.”
Councilman Theo Lane, who represents the area where the building is located, agreed.
“In 2015, the Greenwood County Council had the vision to realize we were losing out on opportunities for visits from site selection professionals,” Lane said. “Our success in Greenwood County had made us short on product.”
The spec building is on Highway 25 in Hodges just north of Diana Pet Food, Colgate-Palmolive and Caterpillar.
“I feel great that we could about accommodate everyone’s needs who want to call Greenwood home,” Lane said.
Lane said the building can be expanded by 100,000 square feet depending on the needs of the industrial tenants.
“This is a good size building, 100,000 square feet with expansion options,” Trey Pennington, senior vice president of advisory and transaction services at CBRE, said. “It gives you a lot of options to attract businesses.”
CBRE has been contracted by the county to market the spec building worldwide.
Pennington said the market for industrial sites is very good right now. Bringing in an industrial tenant will not only bring tax revenue but also could provide more jobs.
“It’s going to help Greenwood attract businesses,” Pennington said.
County Council cuts the ribbon at NGIP
/in UncategorizedOne of the largest projects on the 2016 Capital Project Sales Tax initiative slate of projects is the construction of a spec building at the North Greenwood Industrial Park. On Friday, Greenwood County Council cut the ribbon on that key economic development project.
“It’s been a countywide effort,” CPST coordinator Josh Skinner said.
The 100,000-square-foot building features 112 pre-cast insulated concrete panels, 40 VELUX skylights, four loading dock doors installed by Lakeland Overhead Door and a 50,000-square-foot pad in the back for expansion, Skinner said.
Greenwood County interim economic development director James Bateman said this is the first of three new Palmetto Sites in South Carolina.
The Palmetto Sites program is run by the state Department of Commerce. The program checks industrial sites for tenant readiness and gives the designation for sites that pass. Only three other sites have been given this designation.
This spec building gives Greenwood County something it has been missing out on.
“Greenwood County has been missing new Class A industrial product for a long time,” Bateman said. “Now we are no longer missing those opportunities.”
Councilman Theo Lane, who represents the area where the building is located, agreed.
“In 2015, the Greenwood County Council had the vision to realize we were losing out on opportunities for visits from site selection professionals,” Lane said. “Our success in Greenwood County had made us short on product.”
The spec building is on Highway 25 in Hodges just north of Diana Pet Food, Colgate-Palmolive and Caterpillar.
“I feel great that we could about accommodate everyone’s needs who want to call Greenwood home,” Lane said.
Lane said the building can be expanded by 100,000 square feet depending on the needs of the industrial tenants.
“This is a good size building, 100,000 square feet with expansion options,” Trey Pennington, senior vice president of advisory and transaction services at CBRE, said. “It gives you a lot of options to attract businesses.”
CBRE has been contracted by the county to market the spec building worldwide.
Pennington said the market for industrial sites is very good right now. Bringing in an industrial tenant will not only bring tax revenue but also could provide more jobs.
“It’s going to help Greenwood attract businesses,” Pennington said.