Design work can soon start on multiple county facilities after Greenwood County Council approved advancing three ongoing projects: the county recreation complex, a picnic shelter at a county boating facility and a new county administration building.
At their Tuesday meeting, the council members unanimously approved selecting J.D. Goodrum General Contractors as the designer and builder for the Greenwood County Recreation Complex. More than $9 million in Capital Project Sales Tax funds are going toward building and improving the former civic center site into a recreation complex, and another nearly $1 million for an accessible playground.
CPST Coordinator Josh Skinner said he’s waiting on a contract from J.D. Goodrum for approval, but asked council to approve them as designers, along with spending $36,600 on an aerial survey of the site so Goodrum can begin the design process.
Council also approved a 6×6 timber-frame picnic shelter, to be built by MAR Construction, at the Greenwood County Boating Facility. MAR is already responsible for putting in a ramp and parking lot beside the Highway 72/221 bridge into Laurens County, which will be the county boating facility.
On the horizon, the county will be getting a new administration building and seeing renovations to Park Plaza. On Monday though, Council approved a proposal from design group DP3 to design that new building and the renovations, for $239,500.
Council had to weigh approving a new five-year fire master plan, drafted by firefighter Paul Bagnoli in conjunction with the county’s Chiefs Advisory Committee. The plan lays out a timeline for hiring additional paid staff to work the recently constructed fire stations, as well as replacing outdated equipment, restructuring the service’s organization and administration, revamping training and bolstering funding.
“Obviously our objective was to provide the best level of emergency response for the people of Greenwood,” Bagnoli said.
Bagnoli said that realistically, Greenwood has about 70 “active” volunteers protecting 28,000 structures and parcels from fire. The county has two full-time firefighters on duty, along with four part-time workers during the day and two at night.
“There’s a lot of staff in this plan, I get it, but we need the resources and we need the people,” he said.
Council member Mark Allison voiced his concern that the impending economic situation looks bleak, and if there’s further downturn he doesn’t want council committed to an expansion it cannot afford. For similar reasons, council member Edith Childs said she could not support the plan, though both praised the work fire staff put into planning for the future.
The remainder of council voiced their support, and said there’s a need for a plan to provide a framework for how to expand the county fire service. The plan was adopted by a vote of 5-2, with Childs and Allison voting against it.
Council received a batch of good news from Economic Development Director James Bateman and Treasurer Steffanie Dorn. Bateman gave his first planned quarterly update, showing that since the county hired him to run economic development at the start of fiscal year 2021 the county has seen 10 projects announced bringing in more than $362 million in capital spending from companies.
In that time, those 10 projects are slated to bring in a total of 624 new jobs. The work Bateman, Billy Ray Morgan and Jamie Dowtin are doing, Bateman said, is attracting industries to Greenwood. Morgan is responsible for handling these inquiries from curious companies.
“We’re building a pipeline,” Bateman said. “In the two years of county economic development, we’ve had 69 requests for information.”
Along with the 69 potential investors asking for information about the county, he said there have been 37 visits from prospective investors, though some were repeat visits. Bateman laid out how Dowtin’s role as public information officer has expanded the county’s social media footprint, and resulted in more media attention.
Dorn put a smile a council members’ faces when she said that this past quarter saw less of a dip in CPST income than expected. Usually coming off the fourth quarter’s holiday boon, the first quarter of the following year sees a big dip in funds, she said. This unexpectedly high income in the past quarter has made her confident the county will meet 100% of its expected CPST collections.
Council approved moving funds so the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office can spend more than $23,000 from its budget to buy a new fingerprint machine. It also gave the county manager the authority to opt-in to a state program that Public Works Director Rob Russian said will likely cut the county’s E-waste processing costs.
In other business:
Council tabled a vote on a boundary line agreement for a lakeside property at 110 Dunn Lane in the hopes the owner can come up with a plan that will not cut off neighbors’ access to what is currently publicly owned land.
Childs read two proclamations, one recognizing Command Master Chief Anthony Sanders’ retirement from the U.S. Navy and another noting the 130-year celebration of Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministry’s service.
The county extended its contract with McCormick Area Transit to provide transportation services in Greenwood, with a clause that could cost the county more money if gas prices rise again.
Council recognized its employees of the past two quarters alongside recent retirees.
Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Jul 20, 2022
By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ ddominguez@indexjournal.com
Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/greenwood-county-oks-design-work-on-projects/article_0fcde5a6-296e-576b-8b88-5d75eaf6e8b0.html
CPST collections on track; city, county firefighters deepen ties
/in UncategorizedGreenwood County Council had much to be grateful for at Tuesday’s meeting.
Councilman Dayne Pruitt, of Ninety Six, thanked Economic Development Director James Bateman for bringing industrial recruitment efforts closer to his hometown. Bateman asked council to approve a marketing right and option agreement between members of the Adams family, who own about 425 acres near Ninety Six. The agreement, Bateman said, would allow for marketing the property as a potential industrial site for incoming businesses. The agreement passed unanimously.
Council also approved a bid for timber sales to Walker and Walker Logging, which made a bid of $522,730 for about 215 acres worth of timber from the county. County Engineer Rett Templeton said the funds would go toward the Greenwood County Airport.
The Greenwood County Fire Service and Greenwood City Fire Department made official something that’s been in the works for a while — the two agencies asked council to accept an automatic aid agreement between them. County Fire Chief Steve Holmes said 75% of the county’s fire calls are within four districts close to the city. This agreement would have city firefighters automatically respond to county calls in those four districts, and the county will offer its aid to calls in the city.
The agreement only covers fire calls, not medical, Holmes said, though both agencies are more than willing to work with one another on any call when needed. The agreement passed unanimously.
Capital Project Sales Tax Coordinator Josh Skinner gave his quarterly update on CPST collections and project progress. The revenue check that came in July was for more than $3 million, and County Treasurer Steffanie Dorn’s estimates show the county likely collecting 100% of the expected revenue from the penny sales tax. It’s raked in $50.54 million so far.
Skinner said July’s check is going mostly toward the renovation of the former Civic Center site into the Wilbanks Sports Complex. Skinner gave updates on projects, saying workers had broken ground on the parks in Hodges and Troy, and at Magnolia Park. For the Grace Street Park expansion, demolition of the old water treatment plant is complete and staff has selected a designer and builder for phase two. Foundry Park’s bids came in about a month ago, but Skinner said staff is negotiating the price down as it’s currently over budget. The Ninety Six town park is also over budget, he said, and staff is seeking to tweak the project to bring the cost down to $350,000.
The boat ramp on Highway 72/221 has some of its concrete poured, but Skinner said they’re waiting on the restroom building to be delivered and installed before pouring the parking lot. Ware Shoals officials are negotiating changes to the sewer line project there, but Skinner said the Ninety Six water line project is wrapping up, as is the J.C. Fox Boozer Complex.
Next quarter’s revenue check will fund the Wilbanks project, along with the next step in the fire master plan: building a joint training facility.
In other business:
Council approved, 5-1, a boundary line agreement that gave 0.22 acres of county land to Travis Larson at 110 Dunn Lane.
Council approved second reading of an ordinance to remove two properties on Hospitality Boulevard from the multi-county business park. The city of Greenwood requested this since the properties have changed hands and are no longer receiving an incentive from being in the business park.
WCTel and Brightspeed Broadband requested council’s support in applying for grants from the state Office of Regulatory Staff, and council voted to support both companies.
Renovations at the county office building at Park Plaza are set to be finished up as work on the elections office ends. Next is work on the economic development offices, and Dorn asked council to transfer $184,462 from the general fund to complete the renovations.
Council had first reading on an ordinance that would set standards for the construction and maintenance of marine structures on Lake Greenwood. County Attorney Carson Penney said this would require dock builders to be licensed marine contractors.
J.C. Fox Boozer Complex renovations “90%” complete, ready for fall season
/in UncategorizedThe process that started in late June is almost complete, as the renovations at the J.C. Fox Boozer Complex are taking shape.
The renovation of the complex included a new field, bathroom and concession stand renovations, a walkway throughout the complex and new LED lights for all the fields.
“Ninety Six was one of the older complexes, and it didn’t make a lot of sense when the other fields were added on. There just wasn’t a flow,” Greenwood Parks and Recreation Director Brad Cuttill said. “To have all new fields and all new bathrooms, it makes it more of a center hub style is more exciting for Greenwood County.”
According to Ninety Six parks supervisor Tee Timmerman, the project is “80-90%” complete. The new field is complete, the bathroom and concession stand building has been built and the walkway throughout the complex has been paved. The lone renovation that needs to be complete is the LED lights that will be throughout the ball park.
The nearly $1 million project was paid for through the Greenwood County Capital Projects Sales Tax.
“It was one-cent funds that (were paying for this),” Cuttill said. “We’re happy that Greenwood County passed it. it’s definitely a benefit to Greenwood County residents.”
The fields at the Boozer complex are already in use, as recreational fall sports are using them to prepare for their upcoming seasons. Football is using the outfields, while fall baseball and softball are set to begin playing games at the end of the month.
“Just to be able to get some new stuff and new facilities to show the kids around here that we are behind them, (it shows) that we want them to have good stuff to play on,” Timmerman said. “It’s been awesome to see. It’s the first upgrade that we’ve had here in Ninety Six in a long time. To get a major overhaul, it hasn’t been done since it was built. I’ve had a lot of good feedback from people already using them. People seem to be excited about it.”
PTC Innovation Team of the Year Redefines Creative Collaboration
/in UncategorizedThe Piedmont Technical College (PTC) Area Commission presented the college’s 2022 Innovation Team of the Year Award to the PTC Economic Development Team at a meeting this year.
Members of the team include: President Dr. Hope E. Rivers, Dean of Engineering and Industrial Technology Dr. Alvie Coes III, Associate Vice President for Economic Development and Continuing Education Rusty Denning, readySC™ Area Director Susan Heath, Mechatronics Technology Program Director Sam George, Machine Tool Technology Program Director Phillip Calhoun, Welding Program Director Jim Ladd, and Training Coordinator Trish Buis.
“This team has shown the utmost commitment to economic growth and collaboration in our seven-county service area,” Commission Chair Richard Cain said. “They have a vision, develop strategies, and continue to follow through with innovative projects that benefit our students, businesses, and communities. In way of thanks, the Commission is pleased to bestow this well-deserved recognition.”
When business and industry members of PTC’s multiple program advisory boards talk, the college listens, takes meticulous notes, and ultimately takes responsive action in partnership with its community. From that dialogue comes years of strategic planning not only to address workforce concerns but to build incentives for new investment in the region. PTC is a powerful resource in attracting new business investment. Its continually updated curriculum programs are offered to accommodate the most up-to-date industry workforce needs. The 2021 opening of the William H. “Billy” O’Dell Upstate Center for Advanced Manufacturing Excellence in Greenwood is a recent example of that responsiveness.
When the O’Dell Center was still an idea, all stakeholders understood it would be an ambitious — and expensive — undertaking that required innovative funding strategies, mechanisms and diversified investments. Spearheaded by the PTC Economic Development Team, the completed O’Dell Center is the culmination of years-long collaborations with state, county and federal governments, as well as support from the forward-thinking Greenwood taxpayers who passed a Capital Project Sales Tax ballot measure to help fund it.
The showplace O’Dell Center features 45,000 square feet of state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, flexible training space, and the college’s core industrial programs. In addition, the facility offers adaptable training space for manufacturers’ use in preparing new employees or upskilling existing employees.
“The state-of-the-art facility has hosted numerous tours for visiting prospects, all of whom are most impressed with offerings in mechatronics, welding, machine tool/CNC, and customizable programs to meet their needs,” James Bateman, economic development director for Greenwood County, said in a letter supporting recognition for the team. “The partnership between PTC and readySC™ that can utilize flexible laboratory space at the O’Dell Center for new industries’ workforce training is an advantage that differentiates Greenwood County from other communities competing for economic development projects.”
PTC’s expanding capacity to train people for advanced manufacturing jobs is an important factor in Teijin Carbon Fiber’s decision to locate in Greenwood. The college also works with readySC™ to create custom training programs for local manufacturers opening facilities or expanding existing sites.
Recruitment of Teijin to Greenwood reinforced PTC’s vital role in the region’s economic development efforts. In fact, the O’Dell Center and the PTC Center for Advanced Manufacturing in Laurens County, are regular tour stops for prospective industries that are in the process of site selection.
The college’s tactical investments in new technologies and capital improvements have strengthened its corporate partnerships and, accordingly, expanded apprenticeship opportunities available to students. One example is Lonza, a global supply chain manufacturer serving the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and nutrition industries, which operates a manufacturing facility in Greenwood.
Lonza recently partnered with PTC and Apprenticeship Carolina™ to address its need for maintenance technicians. With newly registered apprenticeships, the company has created a structured training program for critically important roles in maintenance, electronics, and a hybrid of mechanical and electrical disciplines. The apprenticeships not only fill Lonza’s immediate workforce needs, but also helps ensure that Lonza employees receive the training and experience necessary to succeed and grow in their roles with the company.
In addition, Lonza and PTC have forged a strategic partnership to recruit employees from the college’s Mechatronics Technology Program. Lonza has created an innovative work-based learning program that allows mechatronics students to take advantage of convenient six-hour shifts at the company while pursuing their studies at PTC. To date, 13 PTC students have participated in this model program.
PTC’s Career Coordinator position was created in partnership with The Greenwood Promise. That individual, Trae Cary, works alongside the Promise executive director to ensure Promise-eligible students have the opportunity to participate in work-based learning and to ensure that students are connected with employment opportunities after graduation.
Business growth and success often generates a pass-along, beneficial effect, and that is the case with PTC apprenticeships. PTC partners with many key industry leaders on apprenticeship programs, including Stoll Industries in Abbeville County, Diana Pet Food, and Ascend Performance Materials in Greenwood County. The success of these programs stimulates interest among other potential apprenticeship partners, and the growth chain is continued.
Would you like to work for an organization that truly values you? To view PTC job opportunities, go to www.ptc.edu/jobs.
Greenwood County OKs design work on projects
/in Index-JournalDesign work can soon start on multiple county facilities after Greenwood County Council approved advancing three ongoing projects: the county recreation complex, a picnic shelter at a county boating facility and a new county administration building.
At their Tuesday meeting, the council members unanimously approved selecting J.D. Goodrum General Contractors as the designer and builder for the Greenwood County Recreation Complex. More than $9 million in Capital Project Sales Tax funds are going toward building and improving the former civic center site into a recreation complex, and another nearly $1 million for an accessible playground.
CPST Coordinator Josh Skinner said he’s waiting on a contract from J.D. Goodrum for approval, but asked council to approve them as designers, along with spending $36,600 on an aerial survey of the site so Goodrum can begin the design process.
Council also approved a 6×6 timber-frame picnic shelter, to be built by MAR Construction, at the Greenwood County Boating Facility. MAR is already responsible for putting in a ramp and parking lot beside the Highway 72/221 bridge into Laurens County, which will be the county boating facility.
On the horizon, the county will be getting a new administration building and seeing renovations to Park Plaza. On Monday though, Council approved a proposal from design group DP3 to design that new building and the renovations, for $239,500.
Council had to weigh approving a new five-year fire master plan, drafted by firefighter Paul Bagnoli in conjunction with the county’s Chiefs Advisory Committee. The plan lays out a timeline for hiring additional paid staff to work the recently constructed fire stations, as well as replacing outdated equipment, restructuring the service’s organization and administration, revamping training and bolstering funding.
“Obviously our objective was to provide the best level of emergency response for the people of Greenwood,” Bagnoli said.
Bagnoli said that realistically, Greenwood has about 70 “active” volunteers protecting 28,000 structures and parcels from fire. The county has two full-time firefighters on duty, along with four part-time workers during the day and two at night.
“There’s a lot of staff in this plan, I get it, but we need the resources and we need the people,” he said.
Council member Mark Allison voiced his concern that the impending economic situation looks bleak, and if there’s further downturn he doesn’t want council committed to an expansion it cannot afford. For similar reasons, council member Edith Childs said she could not support the plan, though both praised the work fire staff put into planning for the future.
The remainder of council voiced their support, and said there’s a need for a plan to provide a framework for how to expand the county fire service. The plan was adopted by a vote of 5-2, with Childs and Allison voting against it.
Council received a batch of good news from Economic Development Director James Bateman and Treasurer Steffanie Dorn. Bateman gave his first planned quarterly update, showing that since the county hired him to run economic development at the start of fiscal year 2021 the county has seen 10 projects announced bringing in more than $362 million in capital spending from companies.
In that time, those 10 projects are slated to bring in a total of 624 new jobs. The work Bateman, Billy Ray Morgan and Jamie Dowtin are doing, Bateman said, is attracting industries to Greenwood. Morgan is responsible for handling these inquiries from curious companies.
“We’re building a pipeline,” Bateman said. “In the two years of county economic development, we’ve had 69 requests for information.”
Along with the 69 potential investors asking for information about the county, he said there have been 37 visits from prospective investors, though some were repeat visits. Bateman laid out how Dowtin’s role as public information officer has expanded the county’s social media footprint, and resulted in more media attention.
Dorn put a smile a council members’ faces when she said that this past quarter saw less of a dip in CPST income than expected. Usually coming off the fourth quarter’s holiday boon, the first quarter of the following year sees a big dip in funds, she said. This unexpectedly high income in the past quarter has made her confident the county will meet 100% of its expected CPST collections.
Council approved moving funds so the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office can spend more than $23,000 from its budget to buy a new fingerprint machine. It also gave the county manager the authority to opt-in to a state program that Public Works Director Rob Russian said will likely cut the county’s E-waste processing costs.
In other business:
Council tabled a vote on a boundary line agreement for a lakeside property at 110 Dunn Lane in the hopes the owner can come up with a plan that will not cut off neighbors’ access to what is currently publicly owned land.
Childs read two proclamations, one recognizing Command Master Chief Anthony Sanders’ retirement from the U.S. Navy and another noting the 130-year celebration of Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministry’s service.
The county extended its contract with McCormick Area Transit to provide transportation services in Greenwood, with a clause that could cost the county more money if gas prices rise again.
Council recognized its employees of the past two quarters alongside recent retirees.
Foundry Park bid moves forward after gas leak
/in UncategorizedThe smell of gas was the first hint.
Through Capital Project Sales Tax funds, Greenwood city and county government officials have been working to get a public park built on the corner of Foundry Road and Main Street South. The 16.6-acre lot is heavily wooded now, but for 50 years, it housed a Greenwood Mills foundry.
Part of the land is a brownfield, complicating the park’s construction because of contaminants in the soil. In September 2021, Greenway Construction posted a $1.2 million bid for the construction of Foundry Park — the bid ran high of the county’s $1 million budget and didn’t include any playground equipment.
Early concept drawings of the park included playgrounds, walking trails, a multipurpose field, basketball hoops and a gazebo, although this early illustration wasn’t a final design. The lot the park will be built on stretches from Main Street South nearly to the John Lamb Community Center.
The following month, the smell of gas threw a wrench into the process. Crews, including Greenwood Metropolitan District and local firefighters, checked the area after someone noticed the odor and reported it to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
DHEC officials identified the source of the odor: a release of fuel from a gas tank at the Quick Pantry gas station across the street, at 1802 S. Main St., Greenwood. State officials instructed the owner to run tightness tests on the underground fuel storage tanks, along with abatement, assessment and cleanup efforts. The tank owner was back in compliance Feb. 9 after correcting all violations.
“The tank owner is actively cleaning up the petroleum from the ground and monitoring the petroleum constituents,” a DHEC official said in an email.
According to online DHEC records, the Quick Pantry staff abandoned one of its three underground tanks in January, having filled it with foam to seal it off.
“Because of the high bid we received and now the gas leak, we decided to not award the bid and try again with bidding later,” Skinner said. “In the end, the city would just have to place a few monitoring wells on the Foundry Park site near the road for a year or so to make sure the soil continued to test well.”
While DHEC and city officials worked to test and clean the site, county officials discussed rebidding the park project. Skinner said they took the original plans drafted by Davis and Floyd for the park and split it in two: Environmental remediation and the park’s construction. Skinner announced the new bid to County Council on May 3, but the following day planners with Davis and Floyd shared some logistical issues with splitting the bid that needed to be worked out.
“Their concerns were valid, but nothing we couldn’t work through, I don’t think,” Skinner said. “In the end, we decided to try again using the original bid plan — one contractor and one lump sum for environmental cleanup and park construction.”
This bid was posted on the city’s website May 17, and the bid due date is June 28. Skinner said he’s hoping to get more competitive bids, since the bid prior to the gas investigation was over budget.
No tax increase in Greenwood County’s 2023 budget
/in UncategorizedThere’s no tax hike in Greenwood County’s 2023 budget, although the county fire fee might be going up.
Greenwood County Treasurer Steffanie Dorn debuted the 2023 fiscal year budget for County Council at its meeting Tuesday.
The bottom line: No changes to millage rates, inflation has increased some of the county’s costs, the county is budgeting for several new hires and a change in the county’s fire service fees will have most people spending a little more than a dollar extra each month to fund six new firefighters.
Dorn gave council an overview of the changes. The county is spending nearly 24% more on employer health insurance premiums and a likely 17% more on vehicle, building and liabilities premiums. Dorn has planned for an extra $180,000 for increased fuel costs.
She was excited to share with council that county staff will get a 3% cost-of-living pay increase. The county saw a 5% increase in property values, and an similar increase in state funding from the Local Government Fund.
The county will see about $200,000 in savings from cutting retiree health benefits, a decision council made in September 2021.
While taxes aren’t rising, the county’s fire service fees will be going up. The vacant land fee is increasing from a range of $5-$50 to $10-$100. For all other categories of the fire service fee, the fee is increasing 20%; which amounts to about $13 a year.
Council unanimously approved final reading of an ordinance that brings sandwich manufacturing company E.A. Sween to Greenwood County. Previously identified as Project River, Sween will be spending $37.9 million to build a manufacturing site in the North Greenwood Industrial Park, where the company bought the speculative building put there with Capital Project Sales Tax funds.
Josh Skinner, Capital Project Sales Tax coordinator, asked council to approve a contract with Carolina Gold Construction to demolish the old driveways at the Northwest and Coronaca volunteer fire stations and pour new ones. Skinner said the driveways were in need of repair, and the bid of $201,452 covers removing the old, pouring the new and testing the new concrete, along with some other additions. Council approved moving forward with the contract.
Council approved second reading of an ordinance to rezone several properties on Boulware Drive and New Zion Road from the Rural Development District to single-family residential.
The change would allow one resident to subdivide their property and build a house for relatives, and other property owners asked to join the request because single-family zoning offers protections on future land use in the neighborhood. William Booker, one of the residents and a member of the planning commission, abstained from voting on the matter but expressed his support for rezoning at the council meeting. Council unanimously approved the request’s second reading.
In other business:
Council approved second reading of an ordinance to dissolve the Northfall Acres special tax district, which was formed to pay off a debt that will be paid off in June.
Council also approved appointment of Jerry Chastain to the Wellington Green tax district, Frank E. Jackson to Druid Hills, Sharon B. Swofford to Hunters Glen and Loy Sartin to Ammonwood.
Sandwich manufacturer brings $37.9 million facility, 300 jobs to Greenwood
/in Index-JournalAfter 18 months of sitting empty, the North Greenwood Industrial Park now has a tenant that will bring in the most new jobs Greenwood County has seen in years.
At Tuesday’s Greenwood County Council meeting, council voted to approve final reading of a fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement with E.A. Sween Co., a Minnesota-based manufacturer of prepackaged sandwiches. The company, formerly identified as Project River, has agreed to buy the speculative building the county constructed with Capital Project Sales Tax funds in the North Greenwood Industrial Park.
E.A. Sween will spend $37.95 million to expand its manufacturing operations to Greenwood County, creating 300 jobs at the new location. When Teijin Carbon Fibers brought its $600 million facility to Greenwood in 2016, it created 220 jobs. Colgate-Palmolive’s investment in 2013 came with an estimated 270 jobs.
“Our team members are our biggest and most valuable asset, and as we come into your community we hope that you feel that way as we begin to hire your talent into our organization,” said Kristi Broadwater, head of human resources at E.A. Sween.
The company’s origins trace back to 1955, when Earl August Sween started a sandwich company franchise in Minnesota, eventually growing and moving the operation to its current home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. E.A. Sween cut ties with the company it originally franchised from in 1980, and today makes the Deli Express brand of prepackaged sandwiches sold in convenience stores for decades. The facility in Greenwood will produce about 75 million sandwiches a year once operating at full capacity, Broadwater said.
The county’s incentive agreement with Sween includes a 30-year agreement to lock the property’s millage at 6% of its assessed value in the industrial park. The agreement also includes a 65% special source revenue tax credit for years one through five of the project, then a 50% SSRC for years six through 10.
Sween will be moving into the building constructed speculatively at 5730 U.S. Highway 25, which was built without a planned occupant. The county’s plan for the spec building was to have it as a site to show industries interested in coming to Greenwood County.
The North Greenwood Industrial Park was started with funds from the 2016 Capital Project Sales Tax, with $4 million going into the first building, which was completed in November 2020.
“I owe you a personal debt of gratitude, because all of those people who, when four year ago I was insisting we build that building were telling me I was crazy,” Council member Theo Lane said. “So thank you.”
The 100,000 square-foot building has knock-out panels on an exterior wall, allowing it to be opened up for an expansion that could double its size. Other accommodations were made at the site to allow the company that eventually moved in to expand on what was built.
The building — just north of Symrise Pet Foods, Colgate-Palmolive and Caterpillar — has another $4.4 million of CPST funds going into it in 2024. County officials have shared the goal of the North Greenwood Industrial Park is to continue expanding it by using the funds from selling this first building to pay for construction of the next speculative site.
Our View: When best laid plans come together after all
/in Index-JournalHave you ever attended a meeting that starts off rather normally and then turns into a WTH moment with the utterance of just a few words by one of the speakers?
Well, that’s what happened back in September 2019 during the Greenwood S.C. Chamber of Commerce’s annual state of the city and county gathering.
Steve Brown, who was chairperson of Greenwood County Council at the time, shared with the audience that the county’s Capital Project Sales Tax might come up short of the projected dollars taxpayers thought would be collected when they voted in favor of the penny sales tax to fund 27 projects throughout the county. In fact, Brown said the coffers could come up short by as much as $20 million, which would spell the demise of a handful of projects toward the end of the to-do list.
That was big news, bigger news than some wanted to hear and certainly bigger than some wanted to see plastered across the front page of this newspaper. That was 2019. Fast-forward through the years since then and the dire straits shortfall is not so dire after all. In subsequent quarterly reports, the county has seen substantial gains in the collection rate, something of an economic miracle, really, when growth in the collections also occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Not too many weeks ago, Steffanie Dorn, county treasurer, shared in her report to council that the CPST funds were at about 97% of the predicted total the ballot initiative put before voters in November 2016. And this week, Josh Skinner, CPST coordinator, gave cause for an even greater sigh of relief when he and Dorn confidently told council nearly 100% should be collected by 2025. That, he said, will be enough to fund the full list of 27 projects approved by voters.
As reported earlier this week from County Council’s meeting, December, January and February saw a record collection rate, with more than $3 million pouring into the county’s coffers via the penny tax.
Accurately predicting to the penny what total a penny tax will bring over an eight-year period is just that, a prediction. Yes, it is and should be based on solid projections, but many economic factors can quickly change people’s spending habits and, thus, how much is collected.
Perhaps the $20 million shortfall message went out too soon from the county to the stakeholders, with stakeholders being not only the project beneficiaries, but also the taxpayers and voters. Perhaps the shortfall amount was a bit overblown.
Or perhaps the initial numbers were good, then along came a storm cloud that gave cause for concern that the collection rate was a bit ambitious and truly was headed for the dreaded $20 million iceberg. But in this case, the county lucked out after all. It steered clear of the iceberg and appears to be headed to a successful finish.
That means all 27 projects will also head to a successful finish. Many of those projects have already been completed or are nearing completion.
Those old enough to remember the TV show “The A-Team” will find the pet phrase used by George Peppard’s character, “Hannibal” Smith, wholly appropriate now: “I love it when a plan comes together.”
No doubt county officials feel that way right about now.
Greenwood County CPST set to collect near 100% of goal
/in Index-JournalGreenwood County received more than $3 million in three months, one penny at a time.
The Capital Project Sales Tax, a 1% sales tax passed by voters in 2016, had its highest quarterly earnings since the tax started, CPST Coordinator Josh Skinner said at Tuesday’s County Council meeting. In December, January and February, the tax brought in more than $3 million, hitting a total of more than $47 million collected to date.
Skinner said County Treasurer Steffanie Dorn projects the tax will bring in all the money it needs to fund each project the county’s voters approved in 2016.
“Steffanie is confident that we’re going to get nearly 100% by 2025, which will fund all 27 projects almost completely,” Skinner said. “This is great news. Things are going well.”
The news of a near-100% collection comes nearly three years after concerns of a potential $20 million shortfall. In 2020 that predicted deficit shrank to about $10 million, based on an unlikely projection of no increase in collections for the remaining term of the tax.
At a previous meeting, Dorn said this past quarter’s collections were a record high, in part because of holiday spending. Funds from that quarter will go toward design and construction of the new Wilbanks Sports Complex at 1552 Highway 72/221 E.
Skinner told council that crews broke ground on the upgrades to the Hodges town park, and efforts to clean up the former wastewater treatment plant on the site of the Grace Street Park expansion are going well.
Updates to the Ninety Six town park are about 60% through the design process, he said, as is the design of a stormwater drain that will run through the park and toward the mill village. Gravel and asphalt are expected in the next few weeks for the boat ramp being built near the bridge over Lake Greenwood on Highway 72/221, Skinner said.
County officials are working with the state Department of Transportation on the contract for the Highway 246 expansion. Once work on the last of the county fire stations is finished, likely by late summer or early fall, more than 99% of the county’s homes will be within five minutes of a fire station.
Next quarter’s CPST check comes in July, and that along with part of October’s quarterly check will go toward funding the Wilbanks project. The rest of October’s check will go toward building a training center for first responders.
“I wish that every taxpayer in Greenwood County could see that presentation,” said Council Vice Chairperson Theo Lane, who led the meeting Tuesday in Chairperson Chuck Moates’ absence. “I concur with the treasurer. I think her forecast that we will fund it 100%.”
Council approved second reading of a fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement known as Project River. The incentive agreement would bring a Minnesota-based company to Greenwood, with the company spending nearly $38 million to bring its business to the area. The company, which expects to create 300 jobs, is set to be identified at the public hearing for this FILOT agreement on May 17.
Dorn shared more good news with council. She requested their vote on two resolutions: one to spend money that’s set to be reimbursed by a state grant on equipment for 10 new school resource officers, and another to spend surplus funds on a slate of capital needs for various departments.
Dorn said the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, working with Greenwood County School District 50, secured a grant to fund 10 school resource officer positions.
The details are ironed out and the county is set to be reimbursed, but she said council needed to approve a budget amendment to spend a total of about $498,000 from the general fund to purchase vehicles, radios, Tasers and vehicle radios for the 10 officers. Dorn said the county will be reimbursed through the grant.
The other resolution was to spend excess funds in the budgets of various departments, a total of about $144,000 in surplus, on capital needs. Some of these include cellular dialers for fire and burglar alarms, a vehicle service lift, a slope mower and copier for the lake management department, and roll-off truck and half-ton pickup truck.
Public meetings
/in UncategorizedTUESDAY
LANDER UNIVERSITY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
TIME: 2 p.m.
LOCATION: F. Mitchell Johnson board room
AGENDA: Approval of minutes; President’s Report; Committee Reports: Academic Affairs – Robert Barber (Action Items: Faculty Annual Review Process, Tenure and/or Promotion Review Timeline), Enrollment and Access Management – Holly Bracknell, Finance, Facilities and Audit/Governmental and Strategic Initiatives – Don Lloyd (Action Item: Special Tuition Rate Proposal); Institutional Advancement – Marcia Hydrick, Policy – Bob Sabalis (Action Item: Americans with Disabilities Act Policy), Student Affairs/Intercollegiate Athletics – Ray Hunt; Other business/announcements/reports: Bylaw Appendix – Bob Sabalis, Faculty Senate – Dr. Daniel Harrison, Staff Senate – Anissa Lawrence; Executive Session – Discussion of employment, compensation, promotion, demotion, discipline or release of an employee, a student or person regulated by Lander University.; Adjournment
GREENWOOD COUNTY COUNCIL
TIME: 4 p.m.
LOCATION: Greenwood County Library
AGENDA: Executive session at 4 p.m. Regular public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Presentations: 1. Proclamation recognizing National Correctional Officer and Employees Week at Leath Correctional Institution as May 2-6, 2022. Capital Projects Sales Tax quarterly update — Josh Skinner, CPST Coordinator. Public comment. Old business: Second reading: 1. Ordinance 2022-10 authorizing the execution and delivery of a Fee in Lieu of Tax Agreement by and between Greenwood County, South Carolina and Project River to provide for payments of fees in lieu of taxes and the issuance of certain infrastructure credits, the conveyance of certain real property to Project River, the inclusion of the subject property in a multi-county industrial park, and other related matters. – James Bateman, Economic Development Director. New business: A. Consideration of the appointment of special tax district commissioner for the following subdivisions- Canterbury, Trey Jenkins. B. Approval of revisions to Greenwood County policy 5.6, travel policy C. Resolution 2022-15 to amend the FY22 budget for the purchase of sheriff’s department vehicles and equipment awarded through a S.C. Department of Public Safety grant for school resource officers. D. Resolution 2022-16 to amend the FY22 budget for allocation of surplus funds and expenditure of needed capital expenditures. E. First readings: 1. Ordinance 2022-11 dissolving Northfall Acres as a special tax district. 2. Ordinance 2022-12 to amend the Greenwood County Zoning Ordinance, being ordinance 13-86, as and if amended, so that four parcels of land totaling approximately 2.94 acres, owned by Andrea Mitchell Terry, William Booker, Willie N. Norman Jr. and Tommy Foster located in Bradley, S.C., which changes zoning classifications from RDD to R-1.
WEDNESDAY
MCCORMICK COUNTY COUNCIL BUDGET WORKSHOP
TIME: 10 a.m.
LOCATION: 610 S. Mine St.
AGENDA: Budget workshop to discuss fiscal yea 22-23 budget.
THURSDAY
MCCORMICK COUNTY
PLANNING COMMISSION
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
LOCATION: 610 S. Mine St.
AGENDA: Old business: Zoning ordinance, comprehensive plan. Reports: County council report, economic development report. Next meeting: June 2, 2022 at the county administration center.