CareSouth’s Society Hill office building plans still on track
On a day in March 2019, there was “universal happiness” in Society Hill.
That was when the Darlington County School Board quickly voted to slash through the legal red tape that had long restricted how the town of Society Hill could use St. David’s Academy, a former school closed since the 1980s.
The board’s action opened the door for Society Hill Town Council to convey the deed for the property to the Hartsville-headquartered CareSouth Carolina, which plans to renovate the building into an administrative office. About 50 people would work there, and it would be the town’s biggest employer.
“Universal happiness,” said then-Mayor Tommy Bradshaw. “It’s great, great news. … We’ll be much, much better off. It’s a great day.”
Three years later, CareSouth’s plans for the old St. David’s Academy are still on track, but as yet, there are no dates for when the renovation work might begin and end, said CareSouth executive Joe Bittle.
Bittle told the News & Press that the USDA has approved the company’s loan for the project, but there is still more paperwork to be dealt with. “We’re in the process” of moving ahead on the project, he said. “Everything has been laid out” as far as plans for the building’s interior.
The original St. David’s Academy was built sometime in the 1700s, and various versions of the school have been erected at the site for centuries. The Darlington County School District deeded the property to the town of Society Hill in 2005, but town officials lacked the authority to sell or lease it. Until the School Board lifted restrictions on the deed in 2019, clearing the way for the town to convey the property to CareSouth for a token fee.
“Society Hill is where CareSouth began,” Bittle said in 2019. “ … We’re very happy we can help the growth of Society Hill.”
— Bobby Bryant