Bamberg County supporting Jasper terminal

Officials hope the county can someday share a portion of the park’s revenue through a multi-county park agreement.

“This is beneficial to Bamberg County because Bamberg will be able to garner revenue from large investments outside of the county as they currently do with projects in Allendale, Barnwell and Hampton counties,” said Kay Maxwell, vice president of marketing at the SouthernCarolina Alliance.

The resolution allows the seven member counties of the alliance, including Bamberg County, to be included in a revenue-sharing agreement for the Jasper park, “both at the terminal site and on adjoining properties that may be developed as the terminal comes to fruition,” she said.

“The counties signing the resolution are agreeing to share in the benefits of the tax revenue generated by those projects, but at this early stage, they have not negotiated the percentage that each county will receive. … The Jasper Ocean Terminal would be a game-changer for our region and would provide Bamberg County with additional revenue to fund county services and projects,” Maxwell said.

County Treasurer Alice Johnson gave the June financial report, stating the county had $871,518.20 in income and expenditures of $1,144,778.50, for a negative balance of $273,260.30.

When the positive bank balance at the end of May ($244,509.11) was added, the county’s regular account stood at a negative $28,751.19.

County Finance Director T.M. Thomas reported the general fund had year-to-date revenues as of the end of June of $8,459,962, with expenses coming in at $8,911,011, for a negative general fund balance of $451,049.

Thomas said county departments continue to operate within their budgets.

County Controller Gina Smith said, “We’re in the throes of getting the year-end books closed out. Our goal is to turn the general ledger and the books over to the auditors by Oct. 17. … We’re sort of busy in the finance area just balancing accounts and reconciling accounts and making sure that everything on the books is accurate.”

SouthernCarolina Alliance

SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance Project Director Joshua Urwick said the county’s CrossRhodes Industrial Park is “gaining a lot of traction.”

“I think I’ve lost count of the number of RFIs (requests for information) that I’ve filled out. We’ve been pushing Bamberg hard. So hopefully we’ll have something land there soon,” he said.

Shelby Broomfield, the regional training coordinator at the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, has been accompanying Urwick on existing industry visits.

“We’re trying to figure out workforce needs in the county and the region as a whole,” Urwick said.

County Council member Sharon Hammond asked why there has been difficulty filling the existing speculative building at the CrossRhodes park.

Urwick and County Administrator Joey Preston said the building is 10,000 feet smaller than what industries had been looking for.

Administrator’s report

Preston reported that the county received a $581,000 grant to make improvements to its water tower.

“DHEC helped us out on that one. It took four different applications. That’s just the water tank. That doesn’t get us water to the airport yet. We’ve got to get water out there, and that’s on the way,” the administrator said.

Preston showed slides of the street and parking lot resurfacing work underway at Denmark Technical College.

He also planned on meeting with officials about on-campus lighting for pedestrian safety.

“Rather than the telephone poles with a light hanging off, we’re talking about lighting up the whole campus area and to try to figure out a way to work through the state to get that funding,” Preston said.

Preston’s developing a resolution recognizing the late state Sen. John Scott, who died Aug. 13. Scott helped the county’s efforts to keep Denmark Tech open.

“He was an important person not just to Richland County, but to Bamberg County,” Preston said. “He’s going to be tough to replace.”

In other business:

• Council approved the commissioning of its new animal control officer, Virginia Mitchell, who will enroll in the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy class for class 3 basic officer training by the end of August. Preston later said Mitchell will formally take her oath of office on Aug. 28.

• Council gave second reading approval to an ordinance amending the master agreement for the establishment of the Quad-County Industrial Park between Bamberg, Barnwell, Allendale and Hampton counties to include Project Homegrown in Bamberg County.

Project Homegrown has been the code name for Innovative Poultry Products, a manufacturer of poultry farming equipment. It announced plans April 5 to expand its operations in the county.

The company’s $2.86 million investment will create 30 new jobs over the next five years.

Under the revenue-sharing agreement among the member counties, the host county for the incoming industry will receive 70% of the tax revenues, with the remaining three counties receiving 10%.

Public comments

Denmark resident Mabel Wright of 193 Circle Drive asked council for assistance on improving the condition of her unpaved dirt road.

“There are two ditches, one to the right and one to the left. There is no drainage. You know what? When the young man comes to scrape the road, the dirt is piled up. When the dirt is piled up, the water comes in and it’s just mud,” she said.

Wright continued, “When mud gets under your vehicle, that’s damage. You don’t really know what vehicle to drive if you don’t listen to the weather report. I can’t take a certain car out because that mud gets stuck under there, and that causes a problem.”

She has an ill husband, her 97-year-old mother lives with her and she doesn’t know when she’ll have to call EMS to her residence.

“I’m asking for help, I really am. … The road is deteriorating,” Wright said.

Council Chairman Dr. Jonathan Goodman II said, “Thank you for your comments. We will take note of it, and we’ll respond.”