Hartsville parks making progress
City of Hartsville Parks Committee chair Nancy McGee
Photo by Samantha Lyles
By Samantha Lyles
Staff Writer
slyles@newsandpress.net
Hartsville City Council convened a regular meeting June 9 and heard a presentation from Parks Committee chair Nancy McGee lauding several major projects to improve the city’s recreational spaces.
McGee said that in 2012, the committee set three goals: the construction of the Piratesville splash pad, the renovation of Pride Park, and the replacement of tennis courts at Lawton Park. As of this year, the first two projects have been completed, and McGee said she hopes to tackle the aged and cracked tennis courts next.
She cited the ongoing success of Garrison’s Place, a playground near Piratesville that is equipped with swings and zip lines designed for children with disabilities. McGee also noted that new, state-of-the-art playground equipment is being installed now in Lawton Park and should soon be available for kids to enjoy.
Dorothy Hines, director of the Hartsville Community Center, asked for council and the public to attend a rally in support of cancer patients scheduled for June 13 from 10 am until 2 pm at Pride Park.
Council passed first reading of three ordinances:
No. 4201 would amend the city’s smoking ban to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices in public places of employment. Council member Teresa Mack voted against this measure.
No. 4202 would adopt a fee schedule for the Piratesville splash pad, with daily tickets for kids and adults priced at $4 and $2, respectively, season passes for city residents at $30 (kids) and $15 (adults), and season passes for non-city residents at $40 (kids) and $20 (adults).
No. 4203 amends the budget to account for expenditures related to the Multi County Business Park and updates the city’s infrastructure fund budget from $2.8 million to $3.5 million.
Council awarded a street sweeping contract of $43,860 ($3,655 per month) to Southco of Darlington. Mack also voted against this measure, citing poor legibility of the contract documents.
Also, council passed resolution 06-15-01, designating a number of property parcels within the corporate city limits of Hartsville as part of the Joint County Industrial Business Park of Marlboro and Darlington Counties, and ratifying a related infrastructure finance agreement. This agreement dovetails with a county incentives package offered to Sonoco Products Company for its $12 million research and development expansion.
The complete version of this story will be available in our print and online editions on Wednesday, June 17, 2016.
