Lamar prepping for Christmas and future parks projects

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

Lamar Town Council convened their regular meeting on Dec. 9 and discussed holiday plans both present and future.

Council member Inez Lee said the rest of downtown Lamar’s Christmas decorations would be installed and illuminated later in the week. Due to safety regulations and ongoing maintenance expenses, the town no longer strings multicolored bulb lights over Main Street.

Instead, seasonal decorations are being placed along Railroad Avenue, and LED snowflakes will be mounted on utility poles downtown.

Lee, Mayor Darnell Byrd McPherson and guests in the audience discussed the possibility of staging a Christmas parade. McPherson suggested that volunteers could form a Christmas Committee and team up with the town to plan seasonal activities for next year.

Also at this meeting, McPherson said the town still plans to explore establishing small parks and painting murals that celebrate Lamar’s history and diversity.

These suggestions came from a study done by Clemson University students, and McPherson said the town has secured a donor to purchase paint and is seeking to contract an artist for the murals. She also said that Darlington County Historical Commission director Bryan Gandy will attend Town Council’s Jan. 13 meeting to talk about how local history can be highlighted in future parks projects.

Police Chief Carl Scott announced that he has hired a second full-time officer. Scott noted that the three-man Lamar Police Department is working hard to address traffic concerns, mainly drivers speeding through residential neighborhoods, and they’re also teaming with the Beautification Committee to enforce violations of town ordinances.

Lamar’s quest for a permanent building inspection/permitting system continues. Mayor McPherson said in order to outsource building inspections to Darlington County, Lamar will need to formally adopt the county’s regulations via ordinance. If the town pursues this course, people seeking building permits or inspections would pay Darlington County for these services and would be charged according to the county’s fee schedule.

Author: Stephan Drew

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