Calhoun County Council: County to test longer trash collection hours

Calhoun County is planning to extend its solid waste collection site hours at the Sandy Run and the Riley Road locations as part of a trial run to gauge the demand.

The sites will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The sites will also accept tires and electronics.

“This will be pilot project to see how many folks actually come in and utilize during that period of time,” County Administrator John McLauchlin said. “If it gets to a point where we have enough response, we will certainly look at it at a bigger picture throughout the county.”

“Our goal is to ultimately have it convenient for the citizens but also convenient where you are not throwing on the side of the road when these convenience sites are closed,” McLauchlin said.

The public will be kept abreast of when the new hours and days will take effect. The change is expected to start in the coming weeks.

The site at 43 Riley Road will remain open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

The Sandy Run Road site, located at 9507 Columbia Road, will remain open from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

Calhoun Hills

During Calhoun County Council’s most recent meeting, council also unanimously agreed to spend $26,250 to replace the roof of the Calhoun Hills Clubhouse.

Reliable Roofing and Repairs LLC will remove the existing roof and replace it with 30-year architectural shingles, McLauchlin said.

“We do have a working relationship,” McLauchlin said. “We have worked with them in the past on a few roofs and they have done a good job.”

McLauchlin said the county received six bids ranging from $26,250 to $31,500.

“It is in the budget,” McLauchlin said.

Councilman James Haigler said, “It has been postponed for several years and we thought we ought to do something because we don’t want any more damage.

“We know water can give you a lot of damage over a period of time.”

Rules and procedures

Council gave unanimous first reading to an ordinance establishing rules and regulations for council meetings.

“A lot of that ordinance we probably don’t even need,” Haigler said. “There are just a couple of things we will be proposing to change on that.”

“We are revisiting that,” McLauchlin said. “There is already an ordinance in place. We are making a few changes to it.”

McLauchlin said details of the specific changes will be provided at the next reading.

Fire District

Council unanimously passed a resolution appointing commissioners to the Calhoun County Fire District. Members were nominated by their departments.

The individuals who will sit on the fire district board and their terms include:

• Ross Binsley, Belleville Volunteer Fire Department, term expires June 30, 2025

• Scott Pate, Midway Volunteer Fire Department, term expires June 30, 2025

• Christopher Sanders, Jumper Station Volunteer Fire Department, term expires June 30, 2027

• Caroline Sandlin, Fort Motte Volunteer Fire Department, term expires June 30, 2025

• Nick Stabler, Caw Caw Volunteer Fire Department, term expires June 30, 2027

• Christian Wolfe, Sandy Run Volunteer Fire Department, term expires June 30, 2027

The terms are staggered based upon the terms of their respective Calhoun County Council seat representatives.

In other business:

• Council unanimously passed a resolution honoring attorney Mary Pondexter Miles, who served in the S.C. House in 1982-1984.

Miles was praised for her advocacy of human and civil rights.

• Council went into closed session to discuss an economic development matter related to Project Volta-Pile and to discuss a personnel matter.