Bamberg projects advance; administrator: Hospital work on schedule

The county’s transformation of its defunct hospital into a multi-service complex is on schedule, he said.

Preston said in June that the county is hoping to relocate the sheriff’s department to the building in October, along with the health department and veteran’s affairs office.

Shortly thereafter, the county plans the relocation of its coroner’s office and emergency operations center.

Preston also reported on the county’s courthouse renovation work.

“We’ve started the removal of the hazardous materials. … The courthouse is cleaned out now, and we’re starting to remove all of the bad stuff out of it. While that’s being done, we’ll move into the bidding phase and be bidding out parts of the work, kind of do this over a period of time to make sure we get the best possible prices,” the administrator said following the August meeting.

Preston also presented a progress report on Palmetto Rural Telephone Co-Op’s work expanding broadband service in the county with the help of a grant from the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Program.

Phase 1 service installations are underway. Splicing/testing work in Phase 2 is currently being completed, with service installations to take place between Sept. 1 and April 1, 2023.

Phase 1 consists of Hadwin Road, Orange Grove Road and the Clear Pond area. Phase 2 includes the Lodge Road, Pocketville Road, Ashton Road, Rivers Bridge Road and Ehrhardt areas.

Individuals can visit the PRTC website at prtc.us to learn more about services and pricing, or call directly at 843-538-2020.

The administrator also presented a report of millage increases across the state’s 26 counties in 2022.

“I was curious because I was watching across the state what was going on with counties this past year and millage and their budgets and ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds and all that to kind of see where people were falling. I was a little astonished of the fact there’s so many counties that had tax increases this past year,” Preston later said.

“It was kind of neat. That doesn’t happen often, but we were the only county in South Carolina that’s actually reduced millage to the tune of a 3.5-mill decrease. … For our region, I thought that was a pretty good thing to let people know because they’re always fussing about millage,” he said. “We’re the only decrease in South Carolina. … I thought that might be something to tell the council members.”

The county has received $2.7 million in ARPA funds, some of which the county has already used.

“We paid out our money to employees to get their vaccinations. That was ARPA money. We’ve used some of it in the budget. You have to spend it within two years. We budgeted for not recurring costs, but for one-time expenditures. … Most of that we’re still trying to figure out, what’s going to happen in the future for that. So we’re working on some plans for that,” the administrator said later.

He continued, “We have a healthy fund balance, but we’re going to comply with the law. We’ve already gone through one examination review from the feds that said we were right on target with how we’re managing it.”

The council also heard from the administrator on work on Bristow Road in Denmark.

“That’s a road that’s in the city limits of Denmark. It’s a road that the county scrapes for Denmark. Denmark buried a water line in the street, and they didn’t bury it deep enough. We showed photographs of the exposed water line and told the council we’re not going to work on that road. We’ve stopped all work until Denmark goes out and buries the water line like it’s supposed to be buried,” the administrator said later.

He said the city has begun working on burying the water line properly.

“We reported it a long time ago. This happens two or three times a year, that we’ll find a water line that makes its way up out of the ground. You’ve got to get more than 8 inches,” Preston said.

In other matters, council heard from SouthernCarolina Project Manager Brian Warner. He stated the county has had additional meetings with an industrial prospect dubbed Project Skyfall.

Warner said another project, Project Beam, could bring 75 jobs and a $20 million capital investment. It is also considering the CrossRhodes spec building and visited the site.

Project Echo, yet another industrial prospect that could bring 75 jobs, also visited the CrossRhodes spec building.

Warner said the Rural Infrastructure Authority grant for sewer expansion near Phoenix Specialty Manufacturing is nearing completion.

In other business, council:

• Approved a resolution honoring the late Hallman E. Sease, an 81-year-old businessman, farmer, civic leader, coach and community icon who died April 28 at age 81.

• Approved a resolution recognizing the success of the Bamberg Dixie Youth All-Star Team and appointed them as county ambassadors.

• Presented a resolution to James W. Bowman Sr., designating June 1, 2022 as James W. Bowden Sr. Day and recognizing Bowden as a county ambassador.

Bowden, a Denmark Tech Area Commission member, graduated from Denmark Tech in 1972 and worked with Duke Energy for 42 years. He served as Duke’s first African American vice president before retiring in 2010.