Hartsville approves demo bid for Lincoln Village

Hartsville Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Andrews (center) joined Frenchrist Jackson (left), Center Manager at Butler Head Start and Monica Davis (right), Center Manager at St. Joseph’s Head Start to issue a proclamation naming April 24 – 28, 2017 as “Week of the Young Child,” hailing the importance of early educational opportunities.
Photo by Samantha Lyles

By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net

At their April 11 regular meeting, Hartsville City Council took what should be their final step on the long journey to demolish the blighted Lincoln Village Apartments – a dilapidated housing project in the 8th Street area of Hartsville.

Council approved Resolution 04-17-03, awarding the contract for hazardous materials abatement (including asbestos and lead paint) and demolition to Trifecta Services Company of Charlotte, North Carolina. This company submitted the low bid of $547,300.

Abandoned since around 2000, the Lincoln Village complex became a nuisance, drawing drug and criminal activity. The City of Hartsville acquired the property in April 2015 after several developers failed to follow through with rehabilitation plans. A fire in June 2015 heavily damaged some of the structures. The city applied for and received Community Development Block Grant funding of $500,000 to help pay for site remediation, which will include grading and greening.

Also on the agenda, a public hearing and final reading was held for Ordinance 4288, to renew the annual lease for property at 147 West Carolina Avenue to the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics. GSSM pays the City of Hartsville $600 monthly rent on this property. No one spoke at the public hearing, and the ordinance was unanimously approved.

Council also approved first reading of Ordinance 4289, leasing seven office spaces at 147 West Carolina Avenue to GSSM for $600 per month. The spaces were previously used by the Hartsville Community Foundation for co-working space.

First reading of Ordinance 4290, agreeing to sell the Cargill Building located at 201 South 5th Street to CareSouth Carolina, Inc. for fair market value, received Council approval. CareSouth has leased this space from the city since 2012 and their contract includes an option to purchase the property if they so choose.

Council agreed to commit $750,000 in Water/Sewer reserve funds as a 25 percent match for a hazard mitigation grant application. Resolution 04-17-02 states that “certain areas of the City (4th Street and South Hartsville) regularly experience significant flooding and/or drainage issues during even the most mild of rain events. We seek to pursue this one time available funding for the purpose of studying these problems, engineering solutions and completed phased construction as funding allows.” The city must commit that $750,000 in order to access over $2 million in grant funds.

Author: Duane Childers

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