A Japanese chemical technology company that specializes in the production of carbon fiber is making the largest single-day investment in Greenwood County history – a move so significant that one local leader called it a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.
Teijin will spend $600 million and create 220 jobs, building a facility on more than 454 acres off Highway 246. Construction is expected to start in the summer.
“This is going to be our shining star for the year,” Greenwood Partnership Alliance CEO Heather Simmons Jones said. “Greenwood was ultimately selected as the successful site because of its excellent training available at Piedmont Technical College, an abundance of water and a history of welcoming foreign investment.”
Securing an agreement with Teijin has been seven years in the making. Simmons Jones traveled to Japan earlier this year to meet with company executives.
A centerpiece in Greenwood’s efforts at luring Teijin are local commitments to widen Highway 246 and the construction of a Center of Manufacturing Excellence at Piedmont Tech – items included in the $85 million capital projects sales tax initiative on the ballot for Tuesday.
Piedmont Tech President Ray Brooks said Teijin’s pending arrival in Greenwood “is probably one of the most exciting things I’ve been involved in in my career.”
“All the boards/groups that came together — this is like the Cubs winning the (World) Series. It’s been a long time coming. Words are not adequate to describe the magnitude of the impact on this county’s future,” he said.
The venture, code named “Project Café,” was first discussed publicly at a Tuesday County Council meeting, but the company’s identity was not released until 9 a.m. Friday.
The council will have a public hearing and is expected to approve a fee-in-lieu-of taxes agreement, or FILOT that will reimburse all or a share of property taxes for 22 years, on Dec. 6. To be eligible, Teijin must invest the estimated money and create the promised number of jobs within 13 years.
Teijin purchased the land – identified on county property maps as “Teijin Holdings USA Inc.” between 1008 and 1122 Highway 246 and Hillcrest Farm Road – for $6.3 million from Carolina Pride in May. Fujifilm’s campus is adjacent to Teijin, and Portucel Sporcel’s wood pellet plant is across the highway.
The Greenwood employees will join 16,000 others across 20 countries and Teijin’s 150 companies. It posted consolidated sales of 790.7 billion Japanese yen, or $7.4 billion, and total assets of 823.4 billion Japanese yen, or $7.7 billion, in the fiscal year ending March 31. The announcement means Teijin becomes the sixth highest single-day investment in South Carolina over the last five years, according to the state Department of Commerce.
Failure to invest the estimated amount of money or meet the job target could result in tax incentives being modified.
Teijin’s carbon fiber manufacturing facility in Greenwood will supply the automotive, aerospace and industrial markets.
“We are hopeful that because this is an emerging market, a growing industry sector, there will be opportunities for future growth,” Simmons Jones said.
However, said County Council Chairman Steve Brown, Greenwood leaders are confident Teijin will deliver and become a major player in the region’s economy.
“The economic benefits that this project will bring to Greenwood, they’re just tremendous. In years to come, we will look back on this day as very, very good for the county and our citizens,” he said. “Everybody in Greenwood County can feel good about a project of this nature.”
Greenwood Mayor Welborn Adams said even though the plant isn’t located within city limits, there will be a benefit to the municipal economy with the number of new jobs being produced.
“It’s a community-changing company that only arrives a couple of times in your lifetime,” he said. Adams said long-term planning helped secure the agreement.
“These companies are very deliberate in making their decisions and you’ve got to put the ground work in place years before. It’s why we did (The) Greenwood Promise and penny sales tax Everything is tied to the future in getting the skilled workforce these companies need,” he said.
Frank Wideman, chairman of the Greenwood Partnership Alliance’s board of directors, said the organization was tenacious in navigating details of the deal.
“This is by far the longest relationship we’ve ever had with a company that was interested in moving into Greenwood. You had the county, city and business community working together to further create opportunities for people in the county,” he said.
In a prepared statement, Teijin Director of Government Relations Wayne Trotter hinted at the company’s long-term plans for its Greenwood County site.
“We plan to invest in resources to develop new and innovative products to meet the increasing demands of the global carbon fiber market,” he said.
In May, the Nikkei Asian Review said Teijin’s Greenwood plant will be the company’s largest investment in 10 years and will boost its carbon fiber output capacity by 30 percent, to 14,500 tons annually.
Teijin’s main fields of operation include high-performance fibers, such as aramid, carbon fibers and companies, resin processing, polyester fibers and more.
Trotter cited the state and Greenwood’s “pro-business atmosphere” as a catalyst for Teijin setting up operations here.
Teijin will become the second major manufacturer to open up along the Highway 246 corridor since April 2015, when Portucel Sporcel Group broke ground on its $110 million Colombo energy wood pellet plant.
“Greenwood County has worked diligently throughout this process to cultivate our relationship with Teijin, and as our relationship transitions into this new phase, we are confident they will be great corporate citizens in the community,” County Manager Toby Chappell said.
Details on hiring for the new positions will be announced after completion of ongoing engineering studies. For more on the company, visit teijin.com.
Contact staff writer Adam Benson at 864-943-5650 or on Twitter@ABensonIJ.
Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Nov 4, 2016
By ADAM BENSON abenson@indexjournal.com
Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/teijin-to-make-largest-single-day-investment-in-greenwood-county-history/article_da2a7f0e-099e-50b5-bd1c-c4ff9ecd385c.html
South Greenwood Park plan moving from concept to reality with CPST funding
/in UncategorizedAfter years of planning by city officials and hope by southside residents for the development of a park at the old Greenwood Mills Foundry site, concept is quickly turning into reality.
With voter approval last month of a special sales tax to pay for $85 million worth of capital improvement projects across the county, $1.75 million of that is dedicated to converting the 13.5-acre site from a brownfield to a community-anchoring recreational space.
The levy will be collected by adding 1 percent to the county’s sales and use tax for up to eight years or until the total amount approved by voters is met.
“I am so excited about the idea of it coming to fruition,” said Anne Gunby, a vocal proponent of the plan and resident of the nearby Wisewood Apartments complex. “I guarantee you that we put a lot of time and effort into this.”
City Manager Charlie Barrineau said an actual park opening likely won’t take place until 2019, but officials plan to spend the coming months working through a series of transactions with local, state and federal agencies to create the facility.
“Our goal will be to do a lot of leg work in 2017 with hopes of moving toward design into 2018, with hopefully some construction starting before the end (of 2018),” Barrineau said. “I would say that it would not be likely for anything to be open to the public until 2019.”
Barrineau said the city should collect $1 million near the end of 2018 from the penny sales tax, with the balance of funds for the South Greenwood Park available by year seven.
Currently, the land is owned by the Greenwood Housing Authority’s nonprofit arm, which bought it from Greenwood Mills in 2004. The City Council provided the authority with $50,000 to demolish and remove the old foundry structure.
“The site is ideal (for a park) because of its central location to Main Street,” Barrineau said. It’s also surrounded by several neighborhoods including Blyth Heights, Panola, Mathews Mill, Wisewood and the authority itself.
The project might sound familiar to some southend residents. It was the subject of a 2012 public meeting to gauge community input on the city’s efforts at creating green park space at the site.
Barrineau said 2017 figures to be a busy year for the future park, starting in the early months when the city council will be asked to sign an agreement with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control on a “non-voluntary cleanup contract.”
That action 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.
Next fall, Barrineau said Greenwood 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.
“In essence, the city intends to leverage the fact that we have anticipated CPST revenue to secure grant funds,” Barrineau said. “Cleanup funds could assist the city to remove contaminated materials and implement a plan to cap (them) on site.”
Another revenue stream could be the state Revolving Brownfield Loan Fund that can also the promise of dedicated money from the penny sales tax to secure a non-refundable grant.
The Greenwood Parks and Trails Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding the county’s recreation portfolio, is also interested in bringing a park to the south side. Foundation President Billy Nicholson signed an application to the penny sales tax committee advocating for the project.
“If constructed in such a manner to serve as a regional destination, the city of Greenwood can utilize local hospitality tax dollars to maintain the facility,” Nicholson wrote. “The vision of the park is to be similar to that of West Cambridge Park. The current proposal also includes the development of a large multi-purpose area (open space, soccer field, etc).”
Contact staff writer Adam Benson at 864-943-5650 or on Twitter@ABensonIJ.
South Greenwood Park plan moving from concept to reality with CPST funding
/in UncategorizedAfter years of planning by city officials and hope by southside residents for the development of a park at the old Greenwood Mills Foundry site, concept is quickly turning into reality.
With voter approval last month of a special sales tax to pay for $85 million worth of capital improvement projects across the county, $1.75 million of that is dedicated to converting the 13.5-acre site from a brownfield to a community-anchoring recreational space.
The levy will be collected by adding 1 percent to the county’s sales and use tax for up to eight years or until the total amount approved by voters is met.
“I am so excited about the idea of it coming to fruition,” said Anne Gunby, a vocal proponent of the plan and resident of the nearby Wisewood Apartments complex. “I guarantee you that we put a lot of time and effort into this.”
City Manager Charlie Barrineau said an actual park opening likely won’t take place until 2019, but officials plan to spend the coming months working through a series of transactions with local, state and federal agencies to create the facility.
“Our goal will be to do a lot of leg work in 2017 with hopes of moving toward design into 2018, with hopefully some construction starting before the end (of 2018),” Barrineau said. “I would say that it would not be likely for anything to be open to the public until 2019.”
Barrineau said the city should collect $1 million near the end of 2018 from the penny sales tax, with the balance of funds for the South Greenwood Park available by year seven.
Currently, the land is owned by the Greenwood Housing Authority’s nonprofit arm, which bought it from Greenwood Mills in 2004. The City Council provided the authority with $50,000 to demolish and remove the old foundry structure.
“The site is ideal (for a park) because of its central location to Main Street,” Barrineau said. It’s also surrounded by several neighborhoods including Blyth Heights, Panola, Mathews Mill, Wisewood and the authority itself.
The project might sound familiar to some southend residents. It was the subject of a 2012 public meeting to gauge community input on the city’s efforts at creating green park space at the site.
Barrineau said 2017 figures to be a busy year for the future park, starting in the early months when the city council will be asked to sign an agreement with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control on a “non-voluntary cleanup contract.”
That action 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.
Next fall, Barrineau said Greenwood 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.
“In essence, the city intends to leverage the fact that we have anticipated CPST revenue to secure grant funds,” Barrineau said. “Cleanup funds could assist the city to remove contaminated materials and implement a plan to cap (them) on site.”
Another revenue stream could be the state Revolving Brownfield Loan Fund that can also the promise of dedicated money from the penny sales tax to secure a non-refundable grant.
The Greenwood Parks and Trails Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding the county’s recreation portfolio, is also interested in bringing a park to the south side. Foundation President Billy Nicholson signed an application to the penny sales tax committee advocating for the project.
“If constructed in such a manner to serve as a regional destination, the city of Greenwood can utilize local hospitality tax dollars to maintain the facility,” Nicholson wrote. “The vision of the park is to be similar to that of West Cambridge Park. The current proposal also includes the development of a large multi-purpose area (open space, soccer field, etc).”
Contact staff writer Adam Benson at 864-943-5650 or on Twitter@ABensonIJ.
Voters approve Greenwood penny sales tax by large margin
/in UncategorizedGreenwood County’s proposed 8-year, $85 million investment in 27 capital improvement projects will move forward after voters on Tuesday widely approved a referendum authorizing a special penny sales tax to pay for the work.
According to unofficial results, the ballot question received 15,056 votes in favor and 7,965 against, with 39 out of 48 precincts reporting. The outcome means Piedmont Technical College can create its Upstate Center for Manufacturing Excellence; sheriff’s deputies will be provided with upgraded radio systems; U.S. Highway 246 will be widened to accommodate major new business development and the city will see the creation of an industrial park on its north side.
It’s the second time since 2007 county leaders asked voters to assess a special sales tax to boost the region’s economy and financial health. Projects that came out of that referendum included a new $10 million library in Greenwood and retiring $10.5 million in debt.
This year’s ballot question was accompanied by an aggressive marketing campaign led by the Greenwood Area Chamber of Commerce, whose “Yes for Greenwood County” push included billboards, the creation of a Facebook page, community forums and a public information blitz.
Contact staff writer Adam Benson at 864-943-5650 or on Twitter @ABensonIJ.
OUR VIEW: ‘Yes’ vote invests in now, our future
/in UncategorizedCome Tuesday, if you’re a voter in Greenwood County, you might find yourself in a quandary as you try to decide how to cast your ballot in the presidential election. There’s one vote, however, that should already be cemented in your mind, and that’s the decision to vote yes for the capital project sales tax.
Specifically, the referendum on the ballot reads: “Must a special one percent (1%) sales and use tax be imposed in Greenwood County for not more than eight (8) years to raise the amounts specified for the following purposes?”
Yes. Yes it must be imposed if Greenwood County is going to continue its upward trek in terms of economic development and quality of life. Just this past week a project that was years in the making is finally coming to fruition as it was announced that a second Japanese company, Teijin, is investing $600 million to build and operate a high-tech carbon fiber manufacturing plant that will initially employee 220 people. Note the word “initially” as that number represents a minimum figure for the plant’s startup. It will have as its neighbor another newcomer to Greenwood County, Portucel Sporcel Group’s energy wood pellet plant. And across the county, off Highway 25, Colgate Palmolive will soon begin manufacturing its toiletries products.
Greenwood County has undergone tremendous change and growth since the early years when it essentially was a mill town. Greenwood Mills provided a tremendous foundation and backbone, providing thousands of residents jobs and the ways and means to raise a family. But mills alone could not and, as evidenced in the 1970s’ migration of textiles overseas, would not sustain the county’s population and fully meet its job needs.
Greenwood County’s ability to attract the Fujifilms, the Veluxes, the Eatons and Teijins of the world must be met by its ability to provide the proper education and skills for its residents to fill the jobs provided. It must also be met by outstanding quality of life improvements as provided by parks, the arts, a lake master plan and other related facilities and venues. It must be met by the county’s ability to ensure the safety of its residents and industrial sites with state-of-the-art communications systems and a comprehensive fire protection plan. It certainly must be met by the county’s ability to provide the best infrastructure it can, certainly to include the roadways that serve the industrial corridor.
These are all part of the 27 items the penny sales tax will address, as are the planned Upstate Center for Manufacturing Excellence on the campus of Piedmont Technical College, which will meet the needs of Teijin and future industrial partners that locate here, and the spec building planned for the industrial park, which will serve as a beacon to attract additional new industries that are scouting new locations.
Is every line item on the list of capital projects for every Greenwood County resident? Arguably, no. But that’s flying at too low an altitude when considering the penny sales tax. Far better is to fly at 5,000 or so feet and get the fuller picture of what can be, what will be. What benefits Ninety Six, Ware Shoals and Promised Land actually benefits the county as a whole.
With upwards of 40 percent of tax revenue pouring into our county’s coffers from visitors, tourists and those in neighboring counties in the eight-year lifespan of the tax, we are poised for a win-win with a “yes” vote on Tuesday. With the help of others, we can better position Greenwood County for today, for tomorrow and for many more years to come.
A penny for our thoughts? We think of the capital project sales tax as a form of caring for our neighbors, even if we don’t visit them that often. We think of it as an investment in our future, our children’s future, our grandchildren’s future.
Teijin to make largest single-day investment in Greenwood County history
/in UncategorizedA Japanese chemical technology company that specializes in the production of carbon fiber is making the largest single-day investment in Greenwood County history – a move so significant that one local leader called it a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.
Teijin will spend $600 million and create 220 jobs, building a facility on more than 454 acres off Highway 246. Construction is expected to start in the summer.
“This is going to be our shining star for the year,” Greenwood Partnership Alliance CEO Heather Simmons Jones said. “Greenwood was ultimately selected as the successful site because of its excellent training available at Piedmont Technical College, an abundance of water and a history of welcoming foreign investment.”
Securing an agreement with Teijin has been seven years in the making. Simmons Jones traveled to Japan earlier this year to meet with company executives.
A centerpiece in Greenwood’s efforts at luring Teijin are local commitments to widen Highway 246 and the construction of a Center of Manufacturing Excellence at Piedmont Tech – items included in the $85 million capital projects sales tax initiative on the ballot for Tuesday.
Piedmont Tech President Ray Brooks said Teijin’s pending arrival in Greenwood “is probably one of the most exciting things I’ve been involved in in my career.”
“All the boards/groups that came together — this is like the Cubs winning the (World) Series. It’s been a long time coming. Words are not adequate to describe the magnitude of the impact on this county’s future,” he said.
The venture, code named “Project Café,” was first discussed publicly at a Tuesday County Council meeting, but the company’s identity was not released until 9 a.m. Friday.
The council will have a public hearing and is expected to approve a fee-in-lieu-of taxes agreement, or FILOT that will reimburse all or a share of property taxes for 22 years, on Dec. 6. To be eligible, Teijin must invest the estimated money and create the promised number of jobs within 13 years.
Teijin purchased the land – identified on county property maps as “Teijin Holdings USA Inc.” between 1008 and 1122 Highway 246 and Hillcrest Farm Road – for $6.3 million from Carolina Pride in May. Fujifilm’s campus is adjacent to Teijin, and Portucel Sporcel’s wood pellet plant is across the highway.
The Greenwood employees will join 16,000 others across 20 countries and Teijin’s 150 companies. It posted consolidated sales of 790.7 billion Japanese yen, or $7.4 billion, and total assets of 823.4 billion Japanese yen, or $7.7 billion, in the fiscal year ending March 31. The announcement means Teijin becomes the sixth highest single-day investment in South Carolina over the last five years, according to the state Department of Commerce.
Failure to invest the estimated amount of money or meet the job target could result in tax incentives being modified.
Teijin’s carbon fiber manufacturing facility in Greenwood will supply the automotive, aerospace and industrial markets.
“We are hopeful that because this is an emerging market, a growing industry sector, there will be opportunities for future growth,” Simmons Jones said.
However, said County Council Chairman Steve Brown, Greenwood leaders are confident Teijin will deliver and become a major player in the region’s economy.
“The economic benefits that this project will bring to Greenwood, they’re just tremendous. In years to come, we will look back on this day as very, very good for the county and our citizens,” he said. “Everybody in Greenwood County can feel good about a project of this nature.”
Greenwood Mayor Welborn Adams said even though the plant isn’t located within city limits, there will be a benefit to the municipal economy with the number of new jobs being produced.
“It’s a community-changing company that only arrives a couple of times in your lifetime,” he said. Adams said long-term planning helped secure the agreement.
“These companies are very deliberate in making their decisions and you’ve got to put the ground work in place years before. It’s why we did (The) Greenwood Promise and penny sales tax Everything is tied to the future in getting the skilled workforce these companies need,” he said.
Frank Wideman, chairman of the Greenwood Partnership Alliance’s board of directors, said the organization was tenacious in navigating details of the deal.
“This is by far the longest relationship we’ve ever had with a company that was interested in moving into Greenwood. You had the county, city and business community working together to further create opportunities for people in the county,” he said.
In a prepared statement, Teijin Director of Government Relations Wayne Trotter hinted at the company’s long-term plans for its Greenwood County site.
“We plan to invest in resources to develop new and innovative products to meet the increasing demands of the global carbon fiber market,” he said.
In May, the Nikkei Asian Review said Teijin’s Greenwood plant will be the company’s largest investment in 10 years and will boost its carbon fiber output capacity by 30 percent, to 14,500 tons annually.
Teijin’s main fields of operation include high-performance fibers, such as aramid, carbon fibers and companies, resin processing, polyester fibers and more.
Trotter cited the state and Greenwood’s “pro-business atmosphere” as a catalyst for Teijin setting up operations here.
Teijin will become the second major manufacturer to open up along the Highway 246 corridor since April 2015, when Portucel Sporcel Group broke ground on its $110 million Colombo energy wood pellet plant.
“Greenwood County has worked diligently throughout this process to cultivate our relationship with Teijin, and as our relationship transitions into this new phase, we are confident they will be great corporate citizens in the community,” County Manager Toby Chappell said.
Details on hiring for the new positions will be announced after completion of ongoing engineering studies. For more on the company, visit teijin.com.
Contact staff writer Adam Benson at 864-943-5650 or on Twitter@ABensonIJ.
Capital Project tax will do much good
/in UncategorizedGreenwood County has been my home for the majority of my life and I have spent the past 20-plus years educating Greenwood’s children and raising my own sons.
Our children need every opportunity available to help them become successful residents. The 1 percent Capital Project Sales Tax takes the bold step of investing in our community and offering our children a better chance at achieving success.
As a teacher, I celebrate the successes of my students and see great things happening in our schools to help them succeed. The projects funded by the sales tax help ensure opportunities for my students not only now, but when they graduate from high school, college and during their search for gainful employment.
Whether one looks at the investments in parks and recreation, which will give our children safe places to play and engage in athletic competition, or at the economic development projects, which will add good paying jobs to our economy, the sales tax is a great initiative for our children’s future and the county’s future.
I have spoken to some who do not support this initiative because they might not agree with two or three of the 27 projects. To them I say, we all have projects we might not agree with on this initiative as no project list is perfect. However, not agreeing with 7 percent of the total projects is not a good reason to ignore all the good this initiative is capable of doing.
Vote yes on Nov. 8.
SUSAN NICKLES
Hodges
Penny sales tax will meet public need
/in UncategorizedI will be voting yes on Nov. 8 for the penny sales tax. If passed by the voters of Greenwood County, this penny tax will provide funding for a number of projects, including the important area of public safety.
I have read about the Fire Service Master Plan and the Countywide radio system. I was surprised and disappointed to learn of the state of radio communications among our public safety entities. I found it hard to believe the radio communication is so unreliable that many of the firefighters in my district use their mobile phones to organize a response to an emergency. It was also disappointing to learn the fire service, police and EMS cannot talk to each other directly by radio. They have to route communications through the dispatchers.
The Fire Service Master Plan pointed out the need to build additional stations and the Public Safety Training Facility. When we as residents have an emergency, we want help quickly, and we want those coming to help trained to resolve our problem. The plan also calls for badly needed new trucks to be purchased for each of our volunteer fire departments. My fire department has four trucks; all but one is between 25 and 35 years old. In my district, 80 percent of our area is without fire hydrants, so when there is a fire the firefighters have to bring water and shuttle it to the fire.
Please vote yes on the Capital Project Sales Tax referendum.
MARILYN MURPHY
Ninety Six
Partnership Alliance celebrates $2.15M in new investment to county at annual meeting
/in UncategorizedWith a movie theater-styled production, the Greenwood Partnership Alliance on Thursday capped off a busy year that saw an infusion of more than $2.1 million into the local economy and the addition of eight jobs.
But, true to the cinematic form, officials with the economic development agency were just as excited about the coming attractions as they were for the featured presentation.
“When I talk about the partnership and what makes Greenwood County unique, the one word that stands out to me is ‘vision,'” Partnership Alliance CEO Heather Simmons Jones told stakeholders during the agency’s annual meeting at the Greenwood Community Theatre. “When we talk about how we differentiate ourselves, having product that meets the needs of investors that others don’t have is certainly a way we do that.”
Jones said the Alliance took three “major wins” in 2015-16, seeing more than $1.5 million in expansions by Central Packaging and Crating and Monti Inc., and adding CrawlSpaceRepair.com to the county’s commercial portfolio after it purchased the former Carolina Coatings Building and added eight local jobs in February.
Officials also worked closely with the Greenwood Genetic Center in creating a strategic plan for its research park.
But much of the talk focused on November’s capital project sales tax referendum and how its passage would boost the county’s economic development prospects.
Frank Wideman, chairman of the Alliance’s executive committee, said two of the projects: Construction of a Center for Advanced Manufacturing Excellence on the campus of Piedmont Technical College and the development of a county industrial park are essential for long-term competition.
Wideman said Greenwood County has missed out on 39 opportunities over the past two fiscal years, forgoing more than $1.5 billion in unrealized capital investment and 4,500 jobs “due to a lack of ready product.”
The industrial park project would lead to the construction of a spec building and pad-ready construction site.
“Both of these projects are vitally important to the economic success of Greenwood County,” Wideman said.
Contact staff writer Adam Benson at 864-943-5650 or on Twitter @ABensonIJ.
1 year later — Cleanup, damage remain from flooding
/in UncategorizedFrom the hill above their home, Leroy and Tina Byrd watched the field across from their porch turn into a pond.
Tina was able to park her newly bought SUV safely above the rush of water. Leroy frantically tried to drive Tina’s beloved, older car up the hill from the Wilson Creek neighborhood, but the car didn’t make it.
Despite months of wading through federal paperwork seeking help, her car still sits where the flood waters reached it. Its tires sunk into the ground, with caked mud along the car’s interior and a line showing that water reached to the windows.
The waters of the thousand-year flood have long since receded, but the damage it caused lingers a year later.
An empty lake
Tall grass has grown up from 20 acres of mud and dirt in the Chinquapin community in the past year.
That 20-acre tract is Lake Chinquapin.
The dam that kept water in the lake sustained heavy erosion as water poured over its spillway into a lake. Leaders of the Chinquapin subdivision decided to drain the lake to ensure the safety of people living along its shores.
Across South Carolina, 51 dams were breached or failed by raging waters, and 23 roads were closed on 23 of them. As of Sept. 23, 11 remain impassable.
No dams in Abbeville, Greenwood, McCormick or Saluda counties were among those breached, but the state Department of Health and Environmental Control identified 17 of them — including Chinquapin’s — as being in need of inspection by a professional engineer.
Jerry Stevens, a member of the Chinquapin Special Tax District board, said the homeowners’ association recently approved closing on a loan that will finance $150,000 in repairs to the dam.
“We had spent a lot of money validating that there are no houses within a hazardous area behind the dam. We identified every structure out there. We did individual studies on each of these houses,” Stevens said. “We had to increase the millage in order to cover the cost of this, but the downside was reduced valuations of homes.”
Stevens said the average impact for the 130 homes is about $70 a year.
‘My baby’
“That was my baby right there,” Tina said Thursday. “I had that car since my 14-year-old boy was still in his car seat in the back.”
She said she had hoped to give her son the car, so he could learn to drive — but the historic flooding drenched the engine, which was rusting by the time she was able to check on it.
“It was in good shape before that,” Leroy said. “If it hadn’t flooded the engine, I could have worked on it and fixed it myself. I should have been able to have it repaired at no cost — that was an act of God, I can’t control that.”
Tina applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency benefits, but was denied. When she appealed the decision, she was denied again. Getting denied was frustrating, she said, but the process alone was draining. She works as a correctional officer at a prison at night, and after sleeping during the day, she attends to her children and other daily chores. Getting through the application process was a burden, she said.
“They just had so much red tape that I had to go through,” she said. “They want me to get this paperwork and that paperwork, and I don’t know where it’s all at.”
‘All possible emergencies’
Derek Kinney, Greenwood County’s emergency services director, said local government agencies were quick to collaborate following the flooding.
“Throughout the county, major areas of impact were Wilson Creek Trailer Park, of course Fox Hollow and a home on Sample Road. All these areas were evacuated and sent to shelters during the event. The Sample Road home is still under repair and non-livable,” he said.
The state Department of Transportation has inspected many bridges in the area, while County Engineer Rossie Corwon has developed a plan to survey and inspect flood areas — a project that would be paid for through the capital projects sales tax on the ballot in November.
“The flood event of October 2015 highlighted the cooperation and interoperability of all responding agencies. City and county officials and departments, EMS, law enforcement, city and county fire services, state agencies and volunteer organizations,” Kinney said. “All agencies and services were represented in the emergency operation center and worked together to plan, respond, mitigate and recover from this event.”
Meanwhile, Greenwood city is about to receive a third knuckleboom loader to speed up debris removal after storms — joining two others in the public works fleet.
The $139,000 expenditure, administrators say, was the result of two things: Years of collaboration with Kinney’s office and significant tree damage in the wake of October’s flooding and a February 2014 ice storm.
“We meet frequently with city, county and municipal officials and utility providers in Greenwood County to ensure proper response to all possible emergencies. Actually, just this week, local officials from Greenwood and Abbeville attended a damage assessment training hosted by the S.C. Emergency Management Division,” Assistant City Manager Julie Wilkie said.
Officials also used the storm to pinpoint areas of improvement, including pre-emptively closing roads and improved communication with county leaders.
Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or on Twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. Contact staff writer Adam Benson at 864-943-5650 or on Twitter @ABensonIJ.
Penny sales tax could mean funding for lake master plan
/in UncategorizedIn in 2015, Greenwood County adopted the Lake Greenwood Master Plan with the hopes of beginning the process of transforming Lake Greenwood into a center for business and recreation.
Implementing that plan is among 27 projects that could receive funding from a proposed additional 1-percent sales tax that will go before voters this November.
If the tax — which would generate $82 million for the county over eight years — is passed, $810,000 will go to funding the execution of the plan.
The plan includes the construction of a public access beach area, restrooms, biking and walking trails, trash collection facilities, landscaping and signage.
The plan will help transform Lake Greenwood into a commercial and recreational hub, said County Manager Toby Chappell.
“The best analogy is probably the Uptown and what it is to the city right now. Twenty or 25 years ago it was an underutilized resource. They put their efforts into it and now it is what it is. Now it’s a focal point for the city and I think that the lake has the potential to do the same thing for the county,” Chappell said.
The plan also includes objectives for protecting and improving the environmental health of the lake.
According to Phil Lindler, the Greenwood County planning director, these objectives are important as development of the lake continues
“We look at it (the lake) as a natural resource, our water intake, a recreational resource, as well as tourism and business. So there’s a lot of opportunities for us to do more things on the lake but we also want to make sure that the things that we do are enhancing it for the future and protecting it,” Lindler said.
Public access to the lake, in particular, has been a major concern in the community, Chappell said.
“During the master plan study, one of the key — if not the key — item that kept coming up was we need better access to the lake,” Chappell said. “So one of the opportunities we have with the Capital Projects Sales tax is to address that issue that came up in virtually ever Lake Greenwood Master Plan meeting we had.”
There is currently only one such public access area on the lake, which is in the Lake Greenwood State Park, Chappell said.
The plan, which was developed by the Orion Planning Group, was also adopted by Laurens County Council in March.
Contact Conor Hughes at 703-517-4171 or follow on Twitter @IJConorHughes.