Elaine Reed sworn in as Darlington City Council’s 7th member
Elaine Reed sworn in to Darlington City Council by City Attorney Albert James III at the April City Council meeting April 12, 2016.
Elaine’s son, Cisco Reed, accompanied her.
Photo courtesy.
By Jana E. Pye, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
Elaine Reed was officially sworn in to office at the April 12m 2016 meeting with her son, Cisco Reed, at her side. She won the special election on April 5th for Ward 2, replacing the seat left vacant by Mayor Gloria Hines.
Council had a long agenda, ending after executive session at 10 p.m. as council met with Darlington Area Recreation Department Director Lee Andrews about the option to purchase property for a new city recreation complex.
According to Andrews, the city is long overdue.
“We are looking at a piece of property near the city limits of Darlington. It is approximately 100 acres, and we are excited about the prospects of finally getting to upgrade our facilities. There are still a couple of hurdles we may have to jump, but we are closer now than ever to getting a sports complex!”
Several residents approached council about issues.
Sharon McCullough, a resident of Sparks Street, approached council with several concerns about the differences she and her family found from moving from the Warley Street area of town to Sparks Street.
She noted that when she called the city about when to expect the mosquito truck, she was told, “Welcome to the neighborhood,” and received no help in getting an aggressive stray dog removed from in front of her home. She also mentioned the poor drainage in the area, expressing dismay that recent improvements only went as far as the American Legion post, not the end of the street.
Jannie Lathan, consultant for the storm water drainage, shared with Mrs. McCullough that the issues are all over the city and several grants have already been procured to help address it. “There is a five year master plan in place,” said Lathan. “We are working on it, it can’t happen overnight.”
The matter was discussed at length, and the city water department will check into it.
Pastor Kendall Williams updated the council about the proposed Soup Kitchen project. Over 10 churches have partnered with his church, the First Church of God, to begin with two Saturdays in May to hand out food. Some mold issues in the proposed site are impeding the distribution inside, so he requested permission to distribute in the parking lot, which was approved.
Darlington resident Andrea Knapp approached council voicing concerns on the lack of follow through on ordinances in the city; she brought copies of photos of complaints by another resident, John Wallace, that was shared with the City Inspector Henry Chapman in November of 2015, nothing multiple offences by business owners. Knapp quoted a media story in which Mayor Hines was quoted about the city being the Pearl of the Pee Dee, and Knapp referenced the photos of dilapidated buildings and said, “There, that’s the pearl right there.”
Mayor Hines said, “We need to fine them again,”
In other business, Cynthia Atkinson, Outreach Advocate for the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault approached council about services the coalition provides for victims, both children and adults. Mayor Gloria C. Hines signed a proclamation proclaiming April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a national directive to shed light on the horrors of abuse.
A satellite center for the PDC is located on 460 W. Carolina Avenue in Hartsville to assist Darlington County residents, and the Coalition has a toll-free, 24 hour crisis line at: 843-669-4600 or 1-800-273-1820. The website is: www.peedeecoalition.org
Council voted to approve the Second Reading of Ordinance 2016-01 SCRLF Sewer Grant Approval to move forward on the ongoing water and sewer projects.
Second Approval of Ordinance 2016-02 to increase Mayoral/Council Filing Fee was also approved.
Dilapidated Houses:
Council also voted to approve the bid for the demolition of dilapidated houses. According to building inspector Henry chapman, six contractors picked up packets but there were only two bids; the bid was awarded to M.T.Talbert Demolition, who bid $42,190.00 to remove thirteen houses, including:
105 Reid Street, 219 Edwards Ave., 203 Lee St., 205 Lee St., 509 S. Dargan St., 204 Chalmers St., 509 Chestnut St., 115 Kirven St., 514 S. Main St., 408 Guess St., 301 Darlington St., 306 Darlington Ave., and 204 Chestnut St. Five houses are expected to be removed by June 30.
Furniture Placement on Streets
Council discussed at length how to properly address the issue that the News and Press reported last week about mattresses and large furniture items being placed on the curb on the side of the road in Darlington. Council will explore the options, including imposing fines or removal fee of items. The issue of people “dumping” items in front of other homes or businesses was discussed, and how that may impact imposing a fine on the correct party.
Christmas Decorations:
City Planner Lisa Chalian Rock addressed council with her findings on restoring existing large metal frames, the angels and trees that were used in past years. Council voted last month to allow $40,000 towards the decoration budget. Councilman Bryant Gardner had expressed a desire to gather volunteers to help restore the old lights, but after much discussion the project may be too costly to tackle, as the bulbs are expensive to replace, along with any electrical wiring that may be needed to restore them. The liability of having non-city employees working on this was an issue as well.
Council decided to hold a workshop to develop the plans for Christmas decorations further.
Trash in Ditches:
City manager Howard Garland and council members discussed the ongoing problem of clogged up roadside ditches, in which residents have caused major issues by dumping items such as televisions, refrigerators, etc. into the ditches causing water to stagnate and not flow.
Backhoe:
Council voted to approve request by Freddie Kinsaul Director of Water and Sewer department to lease a new Caterpillar backhoe, and purchase the old leased backhoe at a reduced price. The cost would be shared with the Street Department, with the Water Department sharing 60% of the payment, and Street Department sharing 40%.
EDA By-Pass Sewer Project Bid Approval:
Council voted to approve the bid for the EDA By Pass Sewer relating to S.C. Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund. This will benefit future business growth for the city on the Bypass.
Darlington County Downtown Revitalization Association director Lisa Chalian-Rock addressed council and shared that the DDRA were planning a golf tournament fundraiser the following day at the Darlington Country Club, and a ribbon cutting for the new restaurant Sweet Jane’s Café and Wine Bar on the Public Square on Thursday, April 14. A Clean Up Darlington event was planed for Saturday April 16.
Upcoming events include the Taste of Darlington on Thursday, April 21 at Darlington Raceway from 7 – 9 p.m.. Two free spring concerts are planned for Liberty Lane from 6 – 9 p.m. on Saturday May 21 with Radio Vibe of Darlington, and Friday June 10 with the beach music group The Recollections. Food and drinks will be available for sale. In the fall, DDRA will partner with the Pilot Club to bring back the Yam Jam on Friday October 7 with Jim Quick and the Coastline Band at Palmetto Office Furniture on S. Main Street.
The Greater Darlingon Chamber of Commerce board of directors chair Jannie Latham shared report from director Norm Steadman. An Administrative Professionals’ Day event is scheduled for April 27 at the SiMT Building. Plans are ongoing for the July 4th Freedom Fest event, which will extend their hours this year from 2 – 10 p.m. Lathan shared that a larger kids zone will be shared with more family activities. The headline band is still a secret, but promises to be a crowd pleaser. The event is touted to be the largest fireworks display in the Pee Dee region.
The next council meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 3rd at 7 p.m.
