It’s common knowledge that certain foods can help your physical health. But did you know that the right foods can also benefit you neurologically?

The Lower Savannah Council of Governments says it’s working to improve Bamberg County residents’ lives, including the lives of older residents.

“We do a lot of different things for seniors,” LSCOG Executive Director Dr. William Molnar said Monday.

Molnar addressed Bamberg County Council on Monday about the work his agency does in the areas of senior services, transportation and planning.

For instance, the LSCOG administers aging, disability and transportation programs funded by the federal Older Americans Act.

Molnar highlighted the agency’s accomplishments over the past year.

There were 166 seniors in the county who were assessed by LSCOG staff for Older Americans Act services such as meals, homemaker services and transportation services in 2022.

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He said 27,326 home-delivered meals were provided to 1,617 homebound seniors in the county, while 2,597 meals were served to 309 seniors at congregate meal sites in the county.

Also, 2,875 hours of homecare services were provided to 37 seniors, while 9,126 miles of transportation services were offered to 343 seniors. Also, 27 Family Caregiver funding grants for respite services were awarded to Bamberg County clients.

The average person spends about seven hours a day in front of some sort of screen, and the effect that can have on your health can be serious.

Molnar said his planning staff has also met with officials from Bamberg County, the town of Olar and the cities of Bamberg and Denmark to address comprehensive planning and zoning issues and other needs.

Phase Two of work on the U.S. Highway 78 corridor improvement project from Bamberg to Denmark is complete. This project created six-foot paved shoulders along the corridor to increase its safety.

LSCOG administers the Community Development Block program, which provided a $366,300 grant for a rescue pumper in the City of Denmark.

“It will cover the Denmark Fire District, the city of Denmark, the town of Govan and some of the unincorporated areas of northwestern Bamberg County,” Molnar said.

A $950,903 grant will also be used for the construction of a new well for the City of Denmark, as well as some upgrades to an existing well. Molnar said the project is ongoing.

He also reported that the agency is looking to ramp up activities with its Housing Consortium over the next two months, with a little over $1 million to be used for both new home construction for low- to moderate-income households, as well as housing rehab projects in the region.

“I know we’ve done a number of projects over the years here in Bamberg County. … We hope to do more projects with that. We also received the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) money, about $3.8 million, to combat homelessness in the region,” Molnar said.

He said the county is also awaiting the state’s announcement of recipients of South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program grants.

“They’ll announce that hopefully this month or next month. Those have got to move fast. We are all playing that waiting game right now,” Molnar said.

The LSCOG staff, in conjunction with the Bamberg Board of Public Works, submitted applications for two SKIIP grants.

One would be for a BBPW interconnection with the Orangeburg Department of Utilities, which is a $4.3 million project. The other grant would support a nearly $10 million multi-faceted project to include a large-scale sewer line replacement and a water line extension to a community serving more than 70 county residences.

Molnar also reported on the county’s Thoroughbred Tourism Committee.

“They’re out there continually working to sell the area in regards to events,” he said, with the committee distributing, for example, a 60-page tourism guide. There were 20,186 guides distributed in FY 2021-2022.

In the area of workforce development, Molnar said the SC Works Lower Savannah mobile unit made 23 visits to Bamberg County and served 48 county residences.

The LSCOG was forced to close the Denmark SC Work Center because the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce cut the agency’s workforce budget by $1.2 million over the last two years, he said.

“That was a cost-cutting measure, but we do have a mobile unit. … We try to get that vehicle out there to as many places as we possibly can. If you have any ideas of where it’s needed out there somewhere, please let us know,” Molnar said.

Also during the meeting, SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance Project Manager Joshua Urwick gave a report for Bamberg County.

“We had three more site visits since last council meeting, a couple at the CrossRhodes site and, again, still working on a project over at the Wolfe site in Denmark. We’ve got an existing industry that’s getting ready to move forward with a possible expansion, as well. So I think that speaks to Bamberg County. People enjoy being here and want to continue to do business here,” he said.

Urwick also gave an update on SC Oak to Barrel LLC, the company that has announced it will invest $6.8 million and create 122 new jobs at the former Black Water Barrels plant at 3914 Bamberg Highway.

“They’re working toward their job number goal, and they’ve got their investments in place,” Urwick said.

County Administrator Joey Preston said the county council members will also take a tour of the company at noon Monday, April 24.

County Treasurer Alice Johnson gave the February financial report, stating the county had $244,775.17 in income and expenditures of $840,530.97, for a negative balance of $595,755.80.

When the positive bank balance at the end of January ($1,783,077.36) was added, the county’s regular account stood at a positive $1,187,321.56.

County Finance Director T.M. Thomas reported the general fund had year-to-date revenues as of the end of February of $6,881,671, with expenses coming in at $5,627,238, for a positive general fund balance of $1,254,433.

Thomas said county departments continue to operate within their budgets.

Administrator’s report

County Administrator Joey Preston said officials from the Federal Communications Commission will be in the county to discuss a program through which broadband users could potentially get a $30 reduction in their bill per month.

The officials will be at the Bamberg County Office on Aging at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 26, to talk to seniors about the program and then later with community leaders at 11 a.m. at the county courthouse annex building.

“It looks like … a significant part of the Bamberg County population will qualify. It’s just going to depend on whether or not the provider participates in the FCC program, which we think most of them do. Once we learn about this program, we’ll post it on our social media and try to teach as many people how to get involved in this as possible,” Preston said.

The administrator said he is also gathering more information on a new tax incentive program that the General Assembly has adopted and that council councils can pass to support the renovation of historic buildings across the county.

“Those folks investing in that property can see as much as a 10 to 20 percent reduction in their taxes for a period of time to allow them to be able to renovate that building and get that building back on the market. It’s like for abandoned buildings that are just sitting there,” Preston said.

He also updated council on the county courthouse renovation project.

“The specs for the foundation work are complete and have been sent to us. We’ll be hitting the street for bids to get that part of the project underway and done. Then we’ll move into the much larger project, where you’ll see things start to really happen at the courthouse,” Preston said.

He also reported that Salty Road and Lazy Lane, which have had major drainage issues, are set to be graveled later this year following paving projects for which he is anticipating a construction schedule in the next 30 days.

The administrator also gave an update on the first phase of work in the creation of a veterans park on a vacant space on Main Highway. The property had been the site of buildings that were destroyed in a massive fire in March 2019.

“The city is putting up the lights right now, and then Moore Street will be the first street that will be resurfaced. The engineers told me they’ll start paving that project within the next two weeks. That’s a C-Fund project,” he said.

Preston also said he’d be meeting with officials from the state Department of Archives and History on April 28 to seek grant money to redo roofs on many abandoned buildings, including those in Denmark, Olar and Bamberg.

“People just walked away from them, and they didn’t fix the roofs. … We can at least try to find folks that are interested in coming in and restoring them and putting businesses in them. We’re actively working with the SouthernCarolina Alliance to do that.”

Other business

Council approved a resolution to amend a state-issued certificate of franchise authority which Spectrum Southeast LLC filed with Secretary of State’s Office.

“You have to pass that so that they can go in and start construction. They’ve been approved through the FCC for funding to construct, I believe, up to 1,300 residences countywide. They’re ready to get started now. … I have a feeling that in the next two to three years our county is going to be pretty much built out in broadband, which is a good thing,” he said.

The council also approved a resolution setting the county Recreation Committee’s grant application and guidelines in place. Groups seeking recreation funding must turn in their applications by 5 p.m. Friday, May 5, with applicants to be notified Tuesday through Thursday, June 6-8, if council has accepted or denied their application. For those accepted, all receipts must be turned in for reimbursement by Tuesday, June 20.

Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow “Good News with Gleaton” on Twitter at @DionneTandD

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