Full meeting transcript - April 8, 2025

» Let's get started. We're live? No, don't worry, sir. Welcome out tonight, everyone, for this Tuesday, April 8, 2025, Kershaw County Council meeting. We've been called to order, and I will do the invocation. Dear Heavenly Father, we're thankful for our many blessings. We're grateful for the opportunities that we have in our lives. We're thankful for our family members, thankful for thy grace and the gift of thy son. We pray for the Mullican family and all those who have experienced loss and mourn. May we always remember that we're supposed to mourn with those that mourn and stand in comfort those that need comfort. Please bless us as we try to do the business of Kershaw County tonight. We pray for thy guidance and direction, that we can have wisdom and make good decisions.

» We pray for Councilman Tucker, as he's not with us, and all those who might be traveling, and those who are sick and afflicted and need that assistance. Please prepare the way before us. And we say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Amen. With a Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much, and for all those who are here tonight. Gentlemen, that brings us to adoption of the agenda. I'd seek a motion to adopt the agenda and also suspend rule 2.5F regarding proclamation so that we can have three, if Mr. Tucker is able to get on the line. Do we have a motion? I make a motion to amend. Second. All right.

» Any discussion? And just for clarification, that's a motion to adopt the agenda and suspend rule 2.5F. And we have a second. Any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous in person. And do we have Mr. Tucker on the line? We do not. All right. Mr. Tucker is not on the line. That takes us to item number 5A. And since Mr. Tucker is not here, I'll make a motion that we defer this to the next meeting. Is there a second? Second. Okay. All right. Any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor? Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous by those who are voting in person. Deferred to the next meeting, second meeting in April. That takes us to item number 5B, National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Yes, sir. Do you need the... I do have a copy. Thank you, though. All right.

» I'll make a motion that we adopt and approve this proclamation. Is there a second? I'll second. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Cato, for the second. And if I could have those individuals who are here tonight and involved with it, if you would just stand up briefly. We've got various board members present tonight. I think there's only two board members present for one entity. But I'll go ahead and share this. This is a proclamation proclaiming April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Where is sexual violence and child abuse affected... Tess, Tess, you good? Hello. Can you hear me? All right.

» Where is sexual violence and child abuse affect every person in Kershaw County as a victim, survivor, and as a family member, partner, neighbor, or co-worker of a victim or survivor? And where is the Family Resource Center, DSS, and the Foster Care Review Board of Kershaw County, staff and volunteers, some of whom we have present tonight, are working to provide quality services and assistance to sexual violence and child abuse survivors, staffing 24-hour crisis lines, offering holistic services in trauma-informed and victim-centered environment, providing advocacy during medical exams and criminal proceedings, providing therapy, and other support services throughout the healing process.

» As the Family Resource Center, staff and volunteers of sexual violence and child advocacy programs are promoting and prevention by offering quality educational programs to schools, faith-based, and civic organizations, as well as medical, mental health, law enforcement, and criminal justice personnel regarding sexual violence and child abuse issues. And, whereas, it is critical to increase community awareness of sexual violence and child abuse, to educate community members about the need for engagement and support in these efforts to eradicate child abuse and sexual violence. And, and some of these statistics are the ones that particularly surprised me. Whereas, one in four girls and one in six boys are a victim of sexual violence. Only one in ten disclose or confirm any abuse.

» Kershaw County Foster Care Review Board completed 176 child reviews in 2024. The average age of 9.4 years old and the average length in foster care was 24.1 months. And, whereas, the Family Resource Center requests community support and engagement, as it continues to work toward a society where all individuals, women and men, girls and boys, live in safe spaces of trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and that are culturally competent, so that we may all live in peace, free from violence and exploitation. Now, therefore, Kershaw County Council does hereby proclaim the month of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. That is the proclamation. We have a motion in a second. Is there any further discussion before we vote? Yeah, I'd like to say something.

» I'd like to say that I appreciate those of you that are standing in support of this. I know that we can all agree that this is egregious and horrific. And all we have in our life is our own experience. And for those that have experienced something horrific like that and grown up in a tough situation, we need to do more. We need to do more, and you're doing more. Thank you for being here. Thank you, Councilman Brousel. Any further discussion? Yeah, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Shemek, go ahead. Again, thank you for your work. As many of you know, in a prior life, I did prosecute human trafficking cases. And organizations like yours allow victims of not just, you know, child abuse like we think about, but also those victims of these crimes use organizations like yours to rebound.

» And I've seen the power of organizations like yours. There was a young girl, a young victim that we handled, a case I handled. And had it not been for an organization very similar to yours, she would have been a very different way. She's about to graduate Coastal Carolina now and came out of this horrible, horrible experience and got on the right foot. And without organizations like yours, stories like that would never happen. So thank you all. I appreciate it. Thank you. Mr. Shemek. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, sir. I just wanted to say, echo kind of what they said. Thank you so much for all you do. And this is a huge issue and we need continued support and growth in our state for the help of it.

» And my mother-in-law, who's in the audience right now, was the attorney for DSS for a year, spent majority of her career. I think at one point she represented 13 counties. And so we've heard horrific stories. But thank you all for all you all do. It's much needed. And that's absolutely, and she is a rock. And even Tom will tell you. Tom's pretty smart, but he says Virginia Ann's the smartest attorney he's ever met in his life. Well, I'm glad that overlapped tonight. Mr. Cato, please. And I wanted to say thank you because seeing firsthand what y'all go through and what y'all see, it's very difficult. And I really appreciate the job y'all do. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Cato. Any further discussion? I'll just mention that the statistics are staggering.

» These surprised me, but I heard another one that by the age of nine or 10, just about 90% of children are exposed to something extremely graphic and terrible, just heinous. And it's not necessarily that you can't control what's happening in your own household. It's when they get to school around their friends, you've got to protect your babies at every turn. And so I think this is important. Thank you very much for bringing this up, Ms. Parks. And let's move it to a vote, and then we'll have the group come up. No further discussion. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous for those who are present and voting. Ms. Parks, if your group would come up, please. Would it be better? Ms.

» Parks, if we could be training, we could be testing, so you could just come in and talk about the issues for more context. For a minute, thank you. Good now. Yes, sir. Thank you very much, gentlemen. That brings us to the next agenda item. Very close and near and dear to all of our hearts. Item 5C, honoring the life of Mary Elizabeth Mulliken. A proclamation tonight. Councilman Tomlinson, do you have a motion? I'll make a motion. Please accept. I'll go ahead and second. And so we've got it on the floor. I'll share the proclamation. We have numerous family members here tonight, loved ones, and our hearts are tender as we think about the family and friends who have been impacted by the loss of Mary Elizabeth Mulliken. She was a friend to all, and so I'll go ahead and share this.

» This is a proclamation honoring the life of Mary Elizabeth Mulliken. Our lives are full of special moments and wonderful memories when a loved one is lost. Sharing those moments and memories through a tribute that beautifully memorializes a life lived, provides family and friends with the opportunity to reflect and remember. Whereas the Kershaw County Council humbly honors a life well lived, a life that has left an impact on the lives of family, work, and community involvement that has ended too soon. Whereas we pause to celebrate and reflect on the beautiful memories, the charming smile, and unforgettable personality of Mary Elizabeth Mulliken.

» Whereas we offer our deepest condolences to the Mulliken family for a special gift in the life of their beloved daughter, sister, friend, co-worker, and special loved ones. And whereas no words could ever change the way your heart feels right now. But know that Kershaw County was honored to have such representation from Camden, South Carolina, as the Palmetto State's top lobbyist and healthcare attorney. Whereas Mary Elizabeth Mulliken, we know that smile is shining bright like a diamond in the sky above us. Now we therefore proclaim that in Camden, South Carolina, this eighth day of April 2025, be it named in honor of Mary Elizabeth Mulliken. Any discussion council members? Yes, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Tomlinson, please.

» On behalf of the family, we are overjoyed of the outpouring support that has been shown from our community. It's a blessing just seeing what a community does coming together. Every single day, there's hundreds of calls to family, text messages, and we live in a wonderful place. It is a true blessing. Mary Elizabeth was quite a go-getter. She was as type A as they come. She was hard-headed. She was sweet. She was loving. She was a fighter. If I can, and I'm going to be very, very brief. I don't want to, if I get emotional, I will stop. But I think I can get through it. Take your time, right. So speaking of her being a fighter, if you know, Alex, my wife, Thomas, and Mary Elizabeth, they're black belts, and they used to fight growing up.

» Tom would take them to tournaments across the country, across the southeast, and he would always, for some reason, not really sure why, but would put them in age groups two ages above what the age they were at. And Mayor Liz was fighting at the city arena, fighting two age groups below what she was. So she was fighting a girl three times her size, and the girl was huge. And Tom looks at her and said, "You can't lose." So she walks on the mat and starts barking at her. Beat the crap out of the girl. The girl had no idea what to do. She was terrified. And that's who she was. She was a fighter, and she fought to the very end. But she was also a loving and caring person. She cared about her family very much. She cared about, she was a sister, a daughter. She was an aunt.

» She was a professional that I, or a mentor to me in her professional career. She, as we look at 38 years, and it seems so short. 38 years, and it is. It's a very short time. But in 38 years, she accomplished more and changed more lives than people do in 95 years. And I am blessed, personally, to have had her as a sister for 27 years. And thank you all, my colleagues, for doing this. Thank you very much, Brant. Council members, any further discussion? Yeah, if I may. Go ahead, please. I never had the privilege of meeting her, but I know the family. I've gotten to know Brant very well over the last couple of years. But, you know, we walk in this room with something else on our mind, typically.

» We walk into this room with some kind of issue that we think is the biggest issue at hand in that moment. We walk in here, typically, to solve problems. But seeing Kershaw County come together and just the different people showing support, it does say how special she was. It also says how special the entire family is and the extended family. I don't know how to put this into words, but people have ached for you that you don't even know. And it's not because you're the director of DNR or politically connected or anything like that. It's just you're a good family, you're good people. From Cassette to Pine Grove to, you know, all over, you have friends. Tom, you and your wife. And I want you to know that Casey and I have ached for you.

» We have three kids, and I just don't know how these last days and weeks have been. It's horrific. And we will continue to pray for you and your family. And I wish I could put more of my feelings and emotion properly into words. But God bless you. Lean on Christ in these moments. And for those of you who don't believe who Jesus Christ is and was and continues to be, if it weren't for faith, I wouldn't be here. And if anybody ever wants to hear more about my experience in life and how God changed my heart, I'd be available for those conversations. God bless all of you, okay? Thank you, Councilman Brazel. Any further discussion? Mr. Cato. I'll be brief. I wanted to say a few things. I wanted to share the first time I ever met Mary Elizabeth. Brand introduced me to her.

» And the time she was introduced to me, she treated me as if she had known me my whole life. She was that kind of person. And every time I saw her after that, she treated me like she had known me for more than just a couple of years. This family has done the exact same thing to me. And I thank them for that friendship. And I have grown really close to this family over the last couple of years. If you look at her achievements as someone, and I tell you, it was our pastor, we had prayer for her and the Mulligan family this Sunday at church. And he said he read the obituary, and he told the congregation, he said, just look at the achievements that she had made in 38 years, the contribution she had made to society. That's something to be proud of.

» I could not imagine going off of what Russell said. I have lost some dear friends and some very close loved ones, including my father. But I can tell you, I hope I never have to experience the loss of a child or a grandchild. I could not imagine what that's like. My heart deeply goes out to you, Tom and Virginia Ann, and I pray for you daily. And I hope this, in some way, helps heal your broken heart. Chairman. Thank you, Councilman Kato. Mr. Shumak, please. Chairman Shumak: So I've known the Mulligan family for, gosh, since I was 16, 30 years. I think Mayor Elizabeth would have been six or seven. You know, I can remember every time I saw Tom or Virginia Ann at their house, and she was there.

» She was always, you know, I don't know if it's possible to be a more welcoming Mulligan than Tom or Virginia Ann, but I think she achieved it. Something that whole family is good. You go into the Mulligan household, and you have to check your wallet to make sure that you're not a Mulligan yourself, because they make you feel like you're one of their kids. And that's how I grew up. At 16, Tom and his family have been mentors to me. Mary Elizabeth became a friend as I got older. And, you know, my heart breaks as well. Everyone up here is a father. And, you know, the social, the sort of human condition, you know, bearing a child is just not something that people are supposed to do. And, again, my heart breaks for this family. And, you know, I was fortunate enough to come from a good family.

» But if I didn't, you guys would have been the first door I went to. And I know Mary Elizabeth would have been there to, you know, make a bed for me. And I just sorry for your loss. And I love your family more than you will ever, ever know. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Shumake. Mr. Jones, please. I was just waiting for everybody to get through. Um, my introduction to the family, I think, came when my son was a little boy going to Grace the Pisco. And all the moms, including my wife, Marla, were fighting over Mary Pat. They had to have her to take care of our son Taylor, who you know now is 25 years old. That's how long it's been, Mary Pat. This is -- there's been a fist in my gut this entire week. I got to know Tom through some mutual black belt friends of ours.

» And, you know, you only know if you -- just like with wrestling, Mr. Chairman, you build a camaraderie there. Even if you don't know each other, you get to know each other because you have something in common that you shared. And, of course, I didn't realize that the whole Mulligan family were black belts. But Tom, from the very first time I met him and his beautiful wife, he welcomed me into their home. And I didn't really know Mary Elizabeth well. I had met her. But I cannot imagine -- my wife and I have been talking about this every night. We just cannot imagine the pain, the loss of a child. And our heart goes out to you from the Jones family. We love you guys. You know, we can have political differences. And we can sit up here and we can battle each other and fight with each other.

» But I tell you what, when something like this happens, it kind of brings reality to you. It's what's really important in life. It's not the titles. It's not the elections. It's not the politics. It's family. It's friends. And Mary Pat, Tom, Virginia, you guys should be so, so proud at the turnout, the outpour of concern and love for your family through the last week or so. But I've been praying for you. We'll continue to keep you on our prayers daily. And the Jones family is always there if there's ever anything we can do. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Jones. If I can get through this, I'll share just a few remarks.

» In talking with Councilman Tomlinson about putting something like this on the agenda, it was certainly not to encourage any sad feelings or any overbearing mourning or anything like that, but to celebrate what an amazing life Mary Elizabeth had and to recognize the impact that a person like her continues to have. It's just amazing to really think about. And so as hard as it is to be joyful or grateful and reflective and thankful, that's the purpose of this, is looking at this moment and recognizing that you've got love and support. And I hope that the family and friends who represent the full spectrum of life here, I mean, we've got parents and children and grandchildren, fiance, friends who are like family, co-workers.

» And in that cross-section, there are a few themes that stick out in my mind. In particular, Mary Elizabeth had such a huge impact on me at the Statehouse. I don't know how many of you have been up there, but I went up there and served for about two years, and there's a lot of sausage that gets made at the Statehouse. And some of that's not a real savory experience. There's a lot of great things that happen up there, too. But in particular, Mary Elizabeth and Maria were lights in my life. Every day I'd get to go out in the lobby or at the halls at Blott or otherwise, I would get reminded about the great people in Kershaw County and why we serve and why we go through some of this process to try to fight for the people that you represent locally. And for that, I'll be ever grateful.

» She made the experience so much more enjoyable and so much more effective as a consistent reminder of why you serve. And then she would talk about things going on back home or otherwise and get you fired up again. The one thing in my work, I tend to interact with families who have experienced loss quite regularly. And the one thing that other than the gospel that seems to help is recognizing that all the grief and pain that you feel, that grief is a representation, a direct reflection of all the love that you never got to share. So in some ways, the more that it hurts, that just means you love them that much more. And you've got to embrace that, in my experience, so that you can have the good memories with the tough ones, too.

» And so that that grief, when it comes and it'll come in waves, sometimes it'll be very tough. That represents all the love that you have, in my experience. And the saying goes, if you show me a great child, I'll show you some great parents. I've certainly known that to be true, as I've looked up to Mr. Tom and Ms. VA my whole life, and been very honored to know their children and sons and daughters-in-law. And I'm just extremely thankful and blessed. I hope I'm not stepping too far, but what a perspective that these parents have. In particular, Tom mentioned to me how grateful he was to have 38 years with such a wonderful daughter.

» I hope that I will adopt that same perspective with my own children, that I will embrace the gratitude and love and gift that they are, and always remember that. And so I just wanted to share those remarks. Any further discussion? Council members, thank you so much for your comments tonight, gentlemen. It means a lot. Appreciate you doing this, Mr. Chairman. All those in favor? Ms. Hanna, of course it's unanimous for those who are voting. We do have a plaque to present to the family. You certainly do not have to come up or take pictures or anything like that. We can just hand it off to you. You're welcome to say something if you'd like to, in the honor of Mary Elizabeth's memory, if you want to. If not, we completely understand.

» While we get family and friends here, if you want, please come up. Mr. Mulliken, please. I'll do my best. You know me the best, now I'm a bit of a crybaby. I just want to say on behalf of the family, thank you. Thank you for recognizing Mary Elizabeth, and thank you for the tremendous job you do for our community. Last several days have been very difficult. Outpouring from this community, state, world, been beyond anything we can imagine. I won't use the words Mary Elizabeth would use because you'd have to censor me. But I suspect she would have something to say that it's a shame we have to have a death to bring people together. What we're reminded of is just exactly how lucky we are to have each other, and at the end of the day, that's all we have. We were blessed for 38 years. I'm fine.

» I held her for her first breath, and I held her for her last breath, and that was a blessing. And for 38 years in between, we watched her grow and give to us and everybody. Jimmy, sometimes that was an ass whooping, but she gave all the time, and it's apparent. We quote a lot, and thank you, Russell, for invoking the name of God, because that's really all you have. And if you come into our house, you'd see that Charlie painted something from Psalm 39. Show me, O Lord, the number of my days that we might see how fleeting our life truly is. Our life is but a mere hand breath in front of you. We're not here long. I hope, if anything, her death would bring us all together.

» Let us move beyond politics and race and gender to heal as a community and to set an example for our state and our nation. The Apostle Paul said in the Mamertine prison, which was converted from a sewage tank where he sat, that we live by three things: faith, hope, and love, and love is the greatest of all. And so I can tell you on behalf of our family, one, we thank you. Our faith is strong. Continue to hope for a better day, and we love each of you. Thank you. God bless. Thank you, Tom. Thank you. Can I say something? Sure. Mr. Brazel. I don't know what's on the rest of the agenda because I was running late, and I haven't given it a thorough view, but there's an old Billy Graham video that talks about the devil's toolbox. And the simplest device in that toolbox is a wedge.

» If anybody's got one in their pocket tonight, I want you to leave with it. I don't want to hear anything negative tonight. We've got business to do tonight. If you've got a wedge to drive between me or anybody else in this room, take it out the back door. We can talk later. Tonight, we're going to get this business done. We're going to go home to our families. Well said. Thank you, Mr. Brazel. I just hope that's a great example for anyone anywhere in the world, to have a father pour his heart out like that regarding such a beloved child and how to deal with mourning and loss with grace and faith and love and charity and kindness. That's an example, which I'm extremely grateful for. And I just hope we'll all remember the spirit we felt tonight.

» And I pray for the peace which passes all understanding to be upon the Mulligan family and all those who are impacted. With that, gentlemen, I will try to get us back on the agenda. I will try to get us back on the agenda. Next up, gentlemen, we have item number six, public comments. It's not a time for question and answers. It's a time for council to hear from the public in general. Mr. DuBose, do we have anyone signed up? Yes. Four speakers. First speaker is William Robinson, Knights Hill May Day Festival. Mr. Robinson, please. Good evening, Mr. Chairman and council members and Ms. Hannah. Next month, May 10th, we are having the 102nd celebration of the first meeting of African-Americans in the Knights Hill community. And we call that day May Day Festival.

» And I have a poster for each of you to hang wherever you desire. But that will remind you of this date to come out to Knights Hill Park and participate in the activities. We're going to have the Corvette Club of Columbia's coming back this year, horseback riding. We have a kids zone. There'll be plenty of fried fish and and and fries and also other food vendors and information booths as well. So I just wanted to invite you all and to help lighten this load. Thank you, Mr. Robinson. All right. Appreciate it. Appreciate that. Mr. DuBose. Next speaker is Lawrence Gray, home internet line. Mr. Gray. Council and Chamberlain for having me. My name is Lawrence Gray. I live on 1549 Sherrard Road. I came up here a couple of weeks ago with a personal issue with the internet.

» I want to thank you, first of all, for your quick response to, I believe it was Mr. Tomlinson that got back to me pretty fast about it. I reached out to both of the sources that were given to me. It was AT&T and T-Mobile that were offered to me. I also reached out to the True Vista and everywhere in the city as well. And they said they cannot also put a line to where I'm at. I've been there for about five years. And for the five years, I've been using Hot Spot. And every time it goes to a storm or anything, it goes out and I lose all communication. I don't even think I have a home phone line hooked to the area where I'm at. And I'm not so far out in the rural area. I'm just the only one on my street that doesn't have the hookup.

» And they tell me it's going to be $5,000 to $15,000 out of my pocket to hook it up myself. So I appreciate the response again. So if you can continue to please try to help and work on that issue for me, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you for coming out tonight. Thank you. Appreciate that. Mr. DuBose. Next speaker is Tom Webb, third letter ordinance. Mr. Webb. Well, it's time to celebrate 250 years since the American Revolution, since the Revolutionary Era. Many of us have forebearers who fought in the war and fought the bloody British, who still don't have a Bill of Rights anything like ours, and Germans too. No Bill of Rights. I bring up Germany because George III, King of England during the Revolution, was a German. And our patriots had to fight German troops too, the Hessians.

» Awesome. So now both England and Germany seem to have gone off the deep end of socialism and most of Europe as well. I have heard, and I don't know if it's really true, but I've heard it more than once. If you have acreage in some of the European countries, anybody can just walk around on it any old time with no permission. And if in hunting season, if they have what it takes to hunt, they can hunt on your property without permission. I would say it's no real private property at all then. Certainly not private property the way the Americans think of it. So whatever is wrong with them mentally, I hope it's not contagious and I hope our governments don't get it. How could any of this apply to us? Well, our litter ordinance is a clue. It disrespects our Bill of Rights Amendment 8.

» No excessive fines. You could fine you $250 for a little styrofoam cup. It's not graduated. We have a state litter law with a graduated rate of fines, $25 to $1,000. A little bit of litter gets your $25 fine and a lot gets you a $1,000 fine. And it doesn't pit the people against the government. It's reasonable and it recognizes private property. So much better than our local litter ordinance. So this cup could get you a $250 fine if you're out in the boondocks with a pickup truck and you don't tie your load down well. Some people are good at tying a load and some are not. This could leak out. And I don't think anybody's going to fine you $250 for it, but it's in the law. They can do it. It's bad to make a law whether you enforce it or not. It's a bad law.

» So some people are better at tying things down and some are not. And I don't have a pickup truck. So this is not a $250 threat to me. So I'm not going to turn it in tonight. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Webb. Mr. DuBose. Last speaker is Christine Dennis, funding for Lake Watery Algae Treatment. Ms. Dennis. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. My name is Christine Dennis. My husband and I call Lake Watery our home since May of 2021. We are members of the Lake Watery Association, and I also serve on the Kershaw County Clean Commission. Protecting the environment and keeping our communities clean are very important to me. Lake Watery is not just for those who live on the lake.

» Thousands come to the lake every year for the recreational activities it offers, such as boating, fishing, and wildlife viewing. 14,000 people who live in Camden, Lugov, and Elgin area also get their drinking water from our lake. We have a serious threat to the health and the water quality of the lake. The lake, also known as Microsera walleye, is a cyanobacteria that produces a toxin that's harmful to the fish, humans, and pets. Left untreated, it spreads rapidly. It has been seen by what's happened to Lake Watery since this was first detected 10 years ago. In the last few weeks, Lake Watery Association had over 60 volunteers and 30 boats, my husband and I included, complete a survey to determine the presence of this toxic algae on the lake.

» The last time a survey was done was back in 2021, and that was done by Duke, before they actually lowered the water levels to do the dam modifications. Since that last survey, the amount of areas impacted has grown exponentially. This algae kills fish, obstructs navigation, will harm or kill dogs who drink the affected waters. In humans, it will cause a skin irritation or skin rashes, and certain strains of this can actually produce neurotoxins that can affect other body systems in a human. It affects the quality and the taste of the drinking water, even if it's treated. And for those, I'm sorry, in one of the areas that we found, Limbia, it was close to the water intake valves for the city of Camden's water supply.

» For those homeowners who live in areas with this algae, it is unsightly, and it smells horrible. In the heat of the summer, the algae beds from the lake floor actually grow up to the top of the water surface. In those areas, people can't swim, you cannot put your pets in the water, and if you have a boat and you're trying to navigate back to a dock, it is virtually impossible. When fish try to lay eggs in this, they cannot, they can't get oxygen to them, and the fish in, their eggs will die. The type of Limbia that we have in our lake is very similar to the Limbia that's found in Crystal Springs River in Florida, and it's actually killing the manatee there. This algae will also negatively affects the property, the values of people's property that live on the lake and have this.

» We live near the dam on the Camden side, but in the end of the summer months, we actually see mats of this algae float by in the deepest parts of the lake. So, it can get separated from an area that has it and travels someplace else, and most of the places that we've seen have been in four feet, four and a half feet and below, like in the lower things. We haven't, where we've thrown the rake, we haven't seen it in places at 10 or 12 feet, but we need to act now and start to control and treatment measures. The longer that we wait, the more algae is going to develop, and then the cost to treat this will be much higher. We are asking for funding from Kershaw County to do this.

» Lake Watery Association has actually secured the help of a renowned professor from Clemson University, who is an allergy expert for over 30 years of experience, and has agreed to be our treatment administrator for free. And we need to start our treatment as soon as we possibly can, because once this stuff starts to bloom, it gets harder and harder to treat, and it usually takes six courses of treatment in a year to basically reduce the amount or control the amount of algae that's spread. Please help us with funding. Without this, this beautiful lake that I live at and that people can enjoy, and the abundant wildlife that we have here will suffer. Thank you. Thank you for coming out tonight, ma'am. Mr. Bowes, does that conclude? Public comments? All right. No further speakers.

» Thank you, sir. Thank you for those who came tonight and participated. This takes us to item number 7A. We've got a public presentation placed on the agenda by the administrator. Do we have a motion? I make a motion. Mr. Thomas, can we have a second? I'll second. Got a second. Mr. Templer, any introduction or comment before the presentation? Just real quick, you can expect an update, Mr. Chairman, members of council on current and future trail activities and plans throughout Kershaw County, as well as some planned activities on those trails. We have Tom Slyker and Bob G. in Georgia here to make that presentation. Gentlemen, please. First of all, thank you for allowing us to come.

» We've been here in the past several times and have just trying to give an update to what we've been doing with KC trails across the county. And just as a reminder, you know, we are a citizen advocacy group. So we come together primarily to advocate for more trails throughout the county. Our main message tied in with that increase in the trails is the benefits that go to the citizens of the county. Activity out in nature helps your physical activity, excuse me, physical health improve as well as mental health. So in addition, we want to put emphasis on the youth. This year we're trying to do more programs that are youth involved.

» Example, tomorrow we're working with First Steps Nature as Teacher to have a program there for the young youth to get them introduced to nature as teacher and the trails. We participate in many community wide events. We're involved in many of the back to school programs. We've participated in the Kershaw County Wellness Fair for a number of years. We sponsor the first day hike out at Goodall State Park. We're involved in numerous events at Nature as Teacher. And as I mentioned, First Steps. So we continue to remain very active and out in front of the community. And like tonight, we periodically get out, meet with the towns, county councils, city councils to talk about the importance of nature trails. And I want to emphasize, too, we're always putting safety first in terms of those ideas.

» And we are also encouraging ongoing trail planning. Many of the things that we started talking about four, five, six years ago are just starting to come to fruition now. You know, trail ideas don't happen overnight, and it does take time and good planning. The other thing that we do, we put a lot of emphasis on the communications, informing the community about trail activity. I've left you copies of the Tri-Fold on Casey Trails. The other is the map of the trails in the county. And when we pass these out at events, people love them. They just really have not seen anything like it that summarizes the trail availability that's here in the county. So we put a lot of effort into the communications. As far as current projects, we're involved with North Central Middle School.

» The idea there is to put a trail around the middle school and the elementary school and connect it to the trail that goes around the high school. So that will give you approximately a 2.5-mile trail in an area where you really don't have anything like that at all. So we're hoping to get that one moving along. We're waiting on some grant funding, but it's a neat, neat project. Down at Nature as Teacher, and many thanks to Duke Energy, KC Trails received a grant for interpretive signage on the Nature as Teacher Riverview Trail. This will add to their educational footprint and capability. And it's a great trail, and it does offer really a good opportunity for children to understand the different ecosystems that are out there.

» And we're going to be using Woodard Technical Center for the graphic design on the signage. So we're trying to make this really a win-win across the county. With the City of Camden, we have early discussions on adding two new walking paths in existing parks. And we'll be starting to lay out the first of those soon. Again, that's going to depend on grants that should happen in the future. I want to mention, too, at Nature as Teacher, we were involved with them in putting together what was called REC camp, REC camp. And that was directed at building resiliency skill sets in youth. And that was a week-long program last year. This year, we're going to do it with two two-day camps, try to hit more children with this, and divide it out by age groups.

» But it was a very successful program last year, and we've got to thank the Health Services District for the grant that allowed us to do that. We are now a 501C3, which enhances our fundraising potential, and we're out looking to partner wherever we can with the cities, counties, or the towns to see where we can just link various grants together. Over the past couple of years, we've become much more integrated into the community. We work closely with Live Well Kershaw, Nature as Teacher, Goodall State Park, First Steps, the towns of Bethune and Elgin, City of Camden, and Kershaw County, to find ways to improve the well-being of our citizens through a more robust trail environment and trail-related activities.

» And I want to mention, too, it is worth noting that the Nature as Teacher Rec Camp that was established last year, that came out of the involvement of the Live Well Kershaw Resilient Children and Families Work Group. So we're really able to bring a lot of organizations together around the idea of nature and increasing physical activity in nature. Just in closing from my part, we've talked about the last couple of years the potential of expanding the number of days that Nature as Teacher is open to the public. And I know the county has been moving in that direction. We're encouraging to keep on moving. We hear that question all the time.

» People will say they're out there on a Saturday, and they'll say, why are we only out here one day a month? You know, they're looking to be out there more days. So anything the county can do to make that happen greatly is appreciated by the community. I'll turn it over to Tom. Part of what we do is put a lot of trail ideas together. It doesn't mean that every one of them is possible, but he's going to be talking about the 25 in 25. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Slucker, go ahead. I see you taking time with us. I want to bring your attention to this document here. It's called 25 for 25. And these are trail ideas, projects that are going on. Some of them are just an idea. Some are things that are already underway.

» But I'd like to kind of go through real quickly some of the highlights that might affect you all. If you go to number one, this is a project that we're called open community use in the schools. And that's the ability to use school properties for exercise in off hours and for the public. And that's been approved for elementary schools. And we're proposing that we advocate for getting that same thing done with the high schools and the middle schools. We're just looking for ways for people to get out and get exercise. Those properties belong to the county. And it would be great to see them more used for outdoor exercise. Also, I just want to mention, if you notice the cover of this, anybody know where that is? That's Dobie's Mill School. They have a nature trail.

» It's part of their curriculum. They take kids outdoors. They teach them to walk. They enjoy nature. And so we are advocating use of places like that and other opportunities to use school properties. Number two is what Bob just mentioned about nature as teacher, trying to help them be open more. This is about 800 acres of really prime real estate right on the river that is underutilized. It would be great to see more use of that property. Bob also mentioned the trails out at North Central. Number five there is Watery River Veterans Park, the new pier and the boat ramp. That's something that we just mentioned as a project that is going to get more people outdoors. Number six, the Black River Road project. Most of y'all are probably aware of this, but that's on schedule.

» That's going to include a 10-foot wide multi-use trail for about two, I believe it's about two and a half miles along Black River Road. Of course, you all know about Woodward Park expansion, that'll include some additional trails and another connector over to Scott Park. Bolton Branch Trail. Now, this is just a concept, but Bolton Branch goes from Aaron Cloud all the way out to the Camden Environmental Park there along Bramblewood. So there's an opportunity to connect from Aaron Cloud all the way to the river. There's a few challenges there. There's some private property where they're putting in condos, townhouses or whatever, and then there's some county property and city property and one or two private properties.

» But it's not a lot, and that has a lot of potential to give increased access to the river for citizens. The Veterans Park number 10, we're just asking the continued attention to the nature trail. You know, there's getting to be less and less trees out there, and that nature trail takes a beating. 25-mile creek, erosion and things like that. And so it's just tough to keep up, and so we're asking for the resources to keep that trail in use. If you all haven't noticed, Goodall State Park, first day hike, we had over 200 people out there at Goodall. And the ranger showed us a whole new trail system that they've added, about a mile and a half or so of trails, 2.4 miles of trails that they've added. So getting people out to the parks generates, you know, the ability to then fund new things.

» So it's a very good positive spiral there. A couple more. I'll just mention the Camden Battlefield. There's trails under development out there, continued signage, continued opportunities for people to go out there and walk and learn as well. I'll just mention at the top, number 15 and 16, these two I've been hearing about from the first day I ever came to Camden. Kind of just dreams, but one is the Camden Rail Trail. We've got a railroad that goes, you know, from the other side of I-20 all the way north of 521 that potentially could be an amazing resource. And then the other is the Watery River Trail, which is on the other side of the river, going from Veterans Park all the way up to the dam. There's a real possibility that that could be done.

» So these are dreams and ideas, but something to just continue to bring up and keep you guys thinking about. Number 20 is an interesting one, Buck Creek. This is just, I'm throwing this out there, but Buck Creek in Lugoff. There's a YMCA property down there. I don't know if any of y'all have been to Sumter, but they've got that, I think it's called the Shotgun Pouch or something, trail. And it goes right by their YMCA, you know, and it's just a little creek. But there's some green space over there that I don't know what the plans are, but there's potential there, I think, to use some of those green spaces for more trails, to connect people. And that's about all I got. Well, I'll just mention number 23, walking trails at some of the parks.

» There are still a few places, I think Mount Pisgah's one of them, that there's interest in having a park out there, or some kind of walking trails in some of these other places. And then last, number 25, is the 2013 Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Plan. If you haven't seen it, if you haven't read it, there's plenty of copies around. I can try to help you get some. I know you can get them from Sean Putnam at the city. But, you know, there were some great ideas laid out in that document and some real good ways to potentially connect, you know, making it safe to drive, to ride a bike, you know, from one side of Camden to the other, those kind of things. So there's a lot of possibilities, a lot of ideas out there.

» We just ask you all to continue to consider that plan and look for opportunities to implement more trails throughout the county. Thank you very much for the presentation and comments, Mr. Slacker, Mr. Gianjorgi. Council members, any comments or questions? Just very quickly. Bob and Tom, thank you so much for all you do. You put a lot into it, your hearts into it, and I really appreciate it. You know, the first couple of folks that really started pushing trails since I've been on campus for almost 20 years was Gene Wise, a dear friend, my dear friend, former chairman Gene Wise, and Vic Carpenter. They were very big on it, and that's when I first started hearing about it. And, of course, it takes me a little while for things to sink in as to how good certain things can be.

» But I appreciate the work you all do. I think this is a great, great thing for Kershaw County, and I just want to say thank you, both of you. Thank you, Mr. Jones. Any other comments or questions? Council members. Well, I'll tell you, I've been here. It's my fifth year, and Mr. Bob has been here promoting trails, I think, every year. How long have you been doing this now? It was, what, six years, five, six years? Yeah, so we've been here, I think, at least three times. Oh, well, is that all? You've done a great job. You just see him at every other community event. Right, right.

» No, really, what you're doing in promoting what we have is one thing, because I know a lot of people were walking through between Sky Park and Woodward, and now Woodward's under construction, and a lot of people say, hey, gosh, we, you know. With all that going on, can we still get in our trails? So having all these options available is fantastic, and I think you've got a lot of good ideas in here to add to it. So thanks for what you're doing, and, Tom, thanks for what you guys are doing together. We appreciate you all. Well, we appreciate it, too. And, Russell, to your point, I've heard from a lot of people the last few weeks about the shutdowns at Scott Park and then at Woodward.

» But at the same time, you know, while it's a problem, it does bring home the importance of the trails and how much people depend on them. And there's no question that, you know, the more we do of this, the healthier the community is going to be. No question. We've got many friends that enjoy the trails and talk to Casey and I about it frequently. So definitely part of the community and part of what's needed. So we appreciate you guys. Okay, and anything more we can do just in terms of ideas or planning, just don't hesitate. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Brousel. Hold on, let me see if there are any other comments or questions from Councilmembers. Any other comments or questions? Everybody good? Everybody good? Thank you so much, gentlemen. Have a great evening.

» All right, gentlemen, that takes us to item number 8A, approval of minutes. Do we have a motion? I'd like a motion we approve the minutes. Mr. Cato, is there a second? Second. Mr. Tomlinson, any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor? Show by your raise of hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous by those who are in person. The minutes are approved. That takes us to item number 9A on the agenda, first reading and title only. Can we get some explanation either from Mr. DuBose or Mr. Templer? Yeah, this ordinance was initiated by Fire Chief Bullard. Again, title only, but it seeks to require installation of fire hydrants for minor subdivision developments where there is sufficient water flow.

» The particular legislative findings are not in the shell ordinance that's in the package, but the substance of the requested text amendment and the reports to Planning Commission on the matter are in there for informational purposes. Full ordinance with legislative findings would be presented at second reading. Okay. With that explanation, do we have a motion? I'll move that we adopt the ordinance. Mr. Shoemake has a motion. There's a second for Mr. Tomlinson. Is there any discussion? Mr. Shoemake has a floor. Sorry. Go ahead. Okay. Thank you. Thanks for keeping us straight, sir. Go ahead. I know you said it's not complete, so a minor subdivision could be, it could be two lots or it could be nine or ten lots.

» Is ten lots considered minors that the most you can have, is that right? Correct. Okay. So, um, is it, is it a footage? What are we, how are we going to define the quantity of fire hydrants that are needed? So I believe the code right now, uh, requires them every 500 feet on frontage. So if you had a thousand feet of frontage, you might be required to put in two fire hydrants. Um, again, if you were developing a thousand feet of frontage, um, importantly though, uh, this would apply to the non-exempt minor subdivisions and non-exempt subdivisions. So, um, for what it is worth, there are carve-outs for, um, conveyances to family by gift. Um, already in the ZLDR, which, uh, states that those are not subdivisions for the definition of subdivision.

» So if somebody were, were dividing a parcel, say, into thirds and by minimums, what, a hundred feet on the road frontage, is that right? I believe so. I mean, say everybody got a hundred and fifty foot, just kind of ballparking. So that'd be 450 foot, so they would be required to put one in if one was not within a certain area? Yeah, I believe that would be the intent. And they would have to work with Kershaw County or Lugolf-Eljum Water or the city of Camden or Cassett Water? Or how would that work? So, depending on who the water provider is, they would, um, of course, have to make sure that there's sufficient pressure and fire flow in those locations.

» Um, again, this probably will not have impact on many areas of the county, um, given the fact that there might not be power, fire flow in those areas. It will capture, um, importantly, some of the development products that, uh, development services and fire department have seen crop up, which is more of these six and seven unit subdivisions by developers that, um, as the ZLDRs are written right now, are escaping any requirement to put in these critical life, life safety. So more like an apartment complex that was divided in a, in a minor subdivision definition? Well, apartment. Or townhomes? You could, you could, yes. Theoretically, you could create seven or eight lots, put townhomes on them and you'd still be a minor subdivision. Right.

» So if, if someone in Cassett were to split those, those three parcels off of one and there was just residential water line available, they'd still be able to split them because this wouldn't be, um, something that would prevent them from dividing their property. Well, again, I, we're speaking in hypotheticals, but, um, if sufficient flow doesn't exist for fire flow and pressures, um, that development would not require it. And again, depending on the nature of, of the subdivision, um, there's state law, uh, exemptions from the definition of subdivision and, as well as some Kershaw County particular, uh, exemptions.

» So exemptions may apply in some cases, they might not apply in others, but, um, if it is a arm's length transaction, someone's splitting a parcel into two, three separate parcels, selling them at arm's length. It's no kind of familial gift. Um, yes, that would, in theory, trigger this again, there's a bunch of caveats, but yes, in theory it would trigger that. So in the hypothetical situation that you and I just talked about, it would, or it would not prevent them from developing and splitting the property. I don't know that it would, uh, necessarily prevent anyone from splitting the property. It would just require that if a minor subdivision has fire flow, it's, you know, not an exempt subdivision, that if that fire flow exists, a, at least a fire hydrant would be required. Okay.

» And if Cassette Water or whomever says that there's not enough pressure on the line, that would not be a trigger that stopped the division. No, this does not contemplate, uh, I think I see where you're going. This does not contemplate a scenario where a developer wants to split off, say three, four or five lots and there's not flow. And the response from county development review and the, um, fire chief is, well, you've got to upside that line and get water to your site. This, that, that is not what this is addressing. It's where the infrastructure already exists and has sufficient pressure and flow. That they would be required at that point. Correct. So the, under the scenario that we described, I'd like to see it in writing.

» I'll support it at first reading, but I would like to see the specifics and the details because I don't want it just to be another reason to stop someone from doing what they would like to with a small parcel of property. Um, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a big fan of mom and pops and small business, and there are a lot of builders who, who'd like to buy 10 acres or 15 acres and split it into two or three acre lots and build nice homes for people in the community. Um, that's not akin to major subdivisions that cause tragic impact. Um, when they build four or 500 homes in 18 months, those are two separate things.

» And so I just want to make sure that we're able to support our small businesses and, and our builders that, that do like to do those small developments and, uh, feed their families because that's exactly what they're doing. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Brazel. Mr. Shoemaker, you yielded? I'm good. I support it. Um, I think I've seen a lot of these minor subdivisions popping up throughout the county. There's one I'm thinking of specifically in blue golf. It's like four little townhomes crammed together and an ordinance like this, assuming flow is there, would require a fire hydrant. And obviously, you know, that deal with insurance premiums, um, I'm very supportive of it, but that's all I have. Uh, Mr. Thomason, you had the second? Yeah, I, the questions I had, um, Mr.

» Brazel kind of already taken care of. And I also support this. I think it's a wonderful thing. Um, public safety is very, very important. So, uh, Mr. Jones, Mr. Cato, any comments or questions? Just quickly. I'd like to thank Mr. Brazel for clarification because, you know, public safety is one thing. Bureaucracy is another thing. Just got to make sure that there's a balance and, uh, you know, like I say, we, if we're going to pass something, the questions that Mr. Brazel asked should be answered. We should have an answer to them. So I appreciate you bringing that up. Thank you, Mr. Jones. And we'll get more clarification, I guess, as we go through second reading. I will support on first reading. Thank you, Mr. Jones. I'll also support this on first reading.

» Um, I'm in favor of it in part because I remember back early on when we started the fire study and digging into ISO ratings. Um, first we've got professional staff saying this is something we need, but I remember going through the data at that time and some of the main knocks against Kershaw County as we were moving to a full-time professional fire service was access to water flow. Uh, number of hydrants and we still had some, and we still had some, and I guess we still do in remote areas of the county, um, where perhaps there's now water flow as utilities are expanding water lines in various areas.

» We still had pond agreements with, uh, folks where, you know, you're working on, I guess it's like a sump pump where you have a pond agreement and you can drain someone's pond to try to fill back up and then rush over to fight a fire somewhere. And so either, uh, the county, all of us will end up subsidizing fire hydrants going into particular areas to, to improve, uh, coverage and access to fire safety. Or to me, it really makes sense that if you've got a new fire protection need in a particular area, and I think the cost was relatively minimal. It was quoted to me at one point, um, but I forget for one fire hydrant being built into the front of a subdivision.

» Um, but I, I think it makes sense and I look forward to getting more information data and looking, uh, at the actual language and second reading. Any further comments or discussion? Seeing none, uh, we'll move it to a vote. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous for those who are in person voting. All right. Item 9B, can we get some explanation to either Mr. Templer or Mr. DuBose before we, uh, seek a motion? Yeah, this, um, this proposed ordinance deals with the conveyance of a water main that goes down Black River Road, um, to Mount Vernon. On all that, it, uh, services the Governor's Hill Industrial Park, uh, there was a, um, um, in 2015 county got RIA grants, EDA, to build this line. Of course, the county is not in the water business.

» Uh, county entered a bulk water purchase agreement with the city of Camden to get the water to what was in Cassett Water now, Kershaw and Lee Regional Water Authority. Um, then Cassett would get it into the actual park, um, at this point with, uh, Cassett's conversion to the special purpose district, they are able to serve the park with their water, um, use this line additionally. I believe the cost to the county was $43,000, again, many years back, the total cost was $780,000, so the county does not have a whole lot in this infrastructure, um, no direct use for it, uh, city of Camden, because there was a bulk water purchase agreement, was, uh, consulted, made aware of the intent.

» Um, they, they claim no right title or interest in the lines or use for them, the lines are wholly within, um, Cassett's territory, um, RIA and EPA confirmed that the county can transfer it to, uh, Kershaw and Lee Regional Water, um, and there were no customers on this until Prestige Food, uh, entered the industrial park in 2021. All right, well, with that explanation, let's go ahead and seek a motion and second, and we'll discuss further. Is there a motion? I'll make a motion to adopt. Mr. Shoemake makes a motion. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Thomason has a second. All right, it's on the floor. Any further comments or discussion? I'm good. I understand. Uh, the, the one, I have two questions. Currently, this line doesn't generate any revenue for the county? No.

» And essentially, we would be relieving ourselves of any maintenance responsibility for the line if someone else takes it over? Correct. And that was, oh, go ahead. I believe there's been a recurring, very minimal kind of, um, infrastructure service cost from the city of Camden each year. I just understand historically it's popped up every now and then with finance, and they're like, what is this fee? What's this fee for a line that isn't really being used, um, could be used by CASA, um, and again, the city has no need for it. So to your point, there's, it's a de minimis fee, but in fact, the county is paying a, or was paying a very small fee to the city of Camden just to have the right to get their water.

» And this was originally contemplated in the, in the original grants that helped fund the project? Yeah, more, yes, more or less. The lease agreement with, um, Cassette Water at the time provided for a lease of the line, but also contemplated an ultimate conveyance of the line to them. Um, if and when that was, uh, a reality. And then final question is this, um, would ultimately allow Cassette Water to better serve, you mentioned Prestige is the primary customer with the flow that they now consume, but allow them to better serve one of the folks that we have a relationship with anyway on a FELA basis in Cershaw County.

» Okay, this, this provides some, uh, ability to serve the park, but it would also, um, in theory, allow them to, uh, perhaps provide heightened services to other customers they have in that service area. Okay. Thank you. Those are all the questions I have. Any other discussion? Who initiated this? Uh, I think the administrator and staff placed it on. I'm not sure. Was it a request from Cassette or we recognize the contract maturing? Kershaw and Lee regional water, uh, reached out, um, roughly a year ago. I know that Jeff Burgess had been, um, contacted by them or there had been discussions back in even, uh, 2023, December of 2023 about. That's good. I just wanted to have some, some knowledge of maybe where it all started. Thank you. Okay.

» Any other questions or discussion? Seeing none, we'll move it to a vote. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it is unanimous. Thank you very much. That takes us to new business. We've got two items from, um, the administrator, Mr. Templer regarding parks. And so let's go with 10A. Mr. Administrator, you want any explanation before we make a motion? Uh, just that, uh, Mr. Chairman, members of council, this is the, uh, Casey West Park, uh, driveway and parking lot. That's been a much needed item. And so we finally have those bids in for y'all's consideration with the identified low bidder. Okay. Do we have a motion to approve? I will make a motion to approve. Mr. Shoemake. Is there a second? I'll second. Mr. Brazel seconds. Mr. Shoemake. Yeah. So excited to see this.

» This was obviously part of something we started a long time ago. It's nice to see what we're being worked on. We've got the parks in North Kershaw. So super, super happy to see this. And am I reading this right? Is our, uh, Kershaw Builders is the low bid? Yes, sir. So the low bid also happens to be a trusted local, uh, company. Correct? Correct. I like it. I'm supportive of it. Thank you, Mr. Shoemake. Mr. Brazel, you had the second. Uh, this was well within budget. Is that correct? Yes. Good. Um, what, what, how much did we have allocated? I'm sorry. It's been, it's been some time.

» What was the allocation amount? So this one has been, there were some carryover funds, I think, to the tune of 900,000 from previous budgets for a parking lot, but, uh, originally started with a concession stand parking lot, but those costs outpaced that funding. So this was an aggregate of, uh, some of the ARPA funds that we designated for, um, all of the rec, or projects rather. Well, I know we came in under bid on the, on the recreation project. We did. So, yes. Some of the. In Camden. Correct. Some of the bids were, we came in under and some came over just a little bit from the cost projections. And so we're just kind of equaling out as we go. Have we heard from the recreation commission, um, regarding concession sands and bathrooms at this same facility? Uh, no, not to my knowledge.

» I can, I can get an update for you, but we'll see where we're at. Okay. I know there was talk about finishing West Waterbury Councilman Jones. I think it talked about that and then Derek's championed it. Um, this is certainly the top item, but I think if I'm not mistaken, there were extra, there were some extra funds left, um, in the allocations that, that we have from ARPA and from the health resources district that might, would enable us to, um, have a small concessions with bathroom in this as well. And I think all of Lugoff and Elgin would like to see that, um, it would keep kids from crossing the roads back and forth in the parking lot. Just, it'd be a safer environment.

» So if we could also touch on that, if you could touch base with recreation commission, I'd love to hear about that as well. All right. Thank you, Mr. Brazel. Any other comments or discussion? Okay. If not, we'll move it to a vote. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it is unanimous for those who are voting in person. All right. That takes us to item 10B. Mr. Administrator. Once again, Mr. Chairman, members of council, you have another bid to, um, continue our recreation projects. This is for the, uh, rehab of the baseball facilities up at Boyd, Young, and Copeland parks. We were, had one, one bid there. So, and this is a bid that, or a contractor that has, uh, worked with us on other rec projects. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Templer. Is there a motion? I'll make a motion.

» We'll move forward with this recommendation. Mr. Cato has a motion. Is there a second? Mr. Thomason has a second. Mr. Cato. This is something that is dearly needed in both Westville and Bethune. These ball fields are, um, extremely old, have really need some, need some work to them. Um, this is something that we've been talking about ever since we started the projects all over the county. And I look forward, look forward to doing something to these two facilities that's desperately in need of it. So, uh, I ask my colleagues to support this tonight. Thank you very much. Comments, questions? Mr. Thomason. Mr. Chairman, I just kind of wanted to look at the numbers. Um, this fits within our budget, uh, that we have now, correct? That's not going to put any, any strain on any other projects.

» And just to be clear, the, um, you know, the allotted funds from the health services and, uh, MUSC, ARPA, um, these costs, because of these projects, have gone on for a while. Costs have escalated, as you would imagine. But we have identified funding within, um, and it's, it's a nominal amount, um, to get these projects across the finish line through our capital, uh, reserves in this coming budget. Obviously, the goal is to start immediately spending down the money that has a shelf life on it. Yep. That sounds wonderful. I have three little girls on my softball team, my 10-year softball team currently right now who live in the northern part of the county. And, uh, the other day their, their mother was, uh, talking to me about the access to fields and everything.

» I'm very happy to support this. And I'm proud of Danny Cato for all his hard work, um, making sure that the northern part of the county was taken care of. Thank you, Mr. Tomlinson. Any other comments or questions? Just, just briefly, um, is a kid pitch, by the way, your softball? Yes, kids pitch, it's, um, y'all to come out. We'll think we got a game, um, tomorrow. If y'all would like you to. It's, um, 545 at Casey West, actually. And I've, I've been out there and I, there's a concession stand and the bathrooms are decent on, on one side, but I agree the other side needs it. It's a long ways. Yeah, there's a lot going on and I appreciate my colleagues, uh, putting a lot of effort into recreation because children are very important to our community.

» I think this is a really good example, you know, we see sometimes, uh, you know, I, I did a town hall recently that Mr. Templar attended and I know, uh, Chairman Connell is going to be going to a different town hall coming up and you hear these questions about these, you know, services and parks and, you know, this is a really good example of just how long sometimes the government does take and why it's important that we have a vision and we commit to it. If I'm not mistaken, you know, the vision for a lot of this rec stuff really started before many of us came on, it started when, uh, Chairman Connell was on and I think one of your first years, Councilman Brazman, now, you know, here we are all these years later seeing this. Two and a half years probably. Yeah.

» So, you know, so it's, it's, this is a really good example of how with a committed vision and dedication, even with the slow wheels of government, you know, we now have major bids in on all of these projects and making headwind all these projects. That's, that's really good to see. Uh, I'm very happy in, in general. So it's just a great reminder that we can get stuff done. It just, uh, it takes time and dedication. I'd like to say one, one thing I, Mr. Brazel was, was on the phone at the last meeting. I caught Danny off guard with a compliment and this is what I'm talking about though. He, when, when we were negotiating, um, the situation with one another and with the health resources district and we, we were talking about matching monies and that sort of thing.

» He, he absolutely dug his heels in for his community and congratulations. Thank you. Yep. Any other discussion? Yes. Mr. Jones. Thank you. Um, actually the first master plan for recreation, Bobby Mickle spearheaded it back in two, 1998. I believe Shane, you may remember. Okay. Maybe I've been here too long, but he did, he did, he did. He pushed it a recreation commission was founded and of course everything's piggyback off that. And I, I know counselor, you knew him very well, fine man, but, uh, that was a, that was a big vision of his was recreation. He was from the blue golf area.

» Um, I guess what I was, would like to see, I see the 1 million, 162,000, whatever dollars, but is there, is there a plan or is there a, um, um, a picture or some kind of guidelines? You gotta have a conceptual from Alliance, wouldn't we? Yes. There are renderings and, and, um, essentially moves some of the fencing, replaces the fencing. So a lot of aesthetic, uh, upgrades. Um, but I think one of the, the nicer amenities is going to be the lighting, the LED lighting up there, um, will be replaced. So. And there is a list of what would we say rehabilitation cause it's quite a lump sum. There's a list of what that money's gonna be spent for. Yes. It's, it's identified. Um, there's, there's, um, a project outline. So I can certainly get that to you if you'd like to look it over.

» Well, yeah, I'd like to see it. I mean, I'm gonna, I'm gonna support this for Mr. Cato, but I would like to see what I'm voting on when you say rehabilitation. If I, if I, yeah, absolutely. If I remember correctly, it included some fencing and included the new lighting. It included, um, uh, turf and redoing of the infills on these cause some of these fields or some of this 1980s clay that was dug up out of a clay pit somewhere. And it's tough and hard. So it's completely remodifying the ball fields and fixing them up. Yeah. And I may have, and it may be my fault. I may have missed it, but I just haven't seen anything that shows me what we're doing. And I'd like to see, I'm gonna support it, but I'd like to see what are we doing, you know, um, instead of just rehabilitation.

» And, uh, and as I said, it may have been shown to us earlier, but I just don't remember it. So anyway, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Jones. I can certainly support this tonight. I think recreation is one of the more important, um, silos of spending in Kershaw County. I'll just share why real quick, uh, holistically, as I continue to represent the county. Whenever businesses are interested in coming to Kershaw County and looking at economic development, one of the questions I get from leaders of those companies is, okay, you say you believe in us.

» What is Kershaw County going to do to, to make me say, I need to move my people from a different state or different area and have them experience the quality of life for their family members individually, but also the kids in particular with recreation, access to trails, which we heard about tonight, access to water sports, access to sports themselves. Low taxes. Well, that that's the phylo arrangement. Yeah. So that's one of the things we definitely address. Yeah. Yeah. But, uh, in order to show quality of life, that's one of the things people are really interested in is where are my engineers or my C-suite people or my workers going to spend their time and enjoy this community. And, uh, youth recreation, I think is one of those, one of those great things.

» And now that I have a ninth grader, a sixth grader and a first grader, and they all practice and play at different locations, like every night, it seems. Um, God bless Kristen, uh, for, for toting them all around when I'm not able to. I get to see families together more and more in the community engaging this. And I think it's just an important part. And so this all ties together to me. Yes, this is recreation, but it's also part of economic development in Kershaw County, because it makes us more attractive. So I can heartily support this tonight. Any other discussion? Seeing none, let's move it to a vote. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous for those who are voting in person. All right. Council member briefings. Mr. Cato, would you start us off, please? I will.

» And I'll be short and sweet. Uh, first of all, I just want to, uh, remind everyone of April the 26th. Um, Mr. Robinson talked about the May Day in May. Well, Mount Pisgah Community Resource Center is having a family day car show and a ride event. Um, if you want any information numbers or anything to contact, they're looking for vendors to set up food trucks, whatever the case may be for this April the 26th. And you can go on their Facebook page, Mount Pisgah Community Resource Center Facebook page, and get all the information you need in reference to this event. Um, we also may have a, a special event that day, um, uh, possibly a ribbon cutting on a new playground. So I'll, I'll, I'll look forward to that. Also, uh, just remind everybody spring breaks next week and schools will be out.

» And if you're traveling or whatever you may be doing, just stay safe and be careful. Cause there'll be a lot of people on the road. So, uh, just have a happy spring break and a good Easter. And we'll see you, see you after that. Thank you, Mr. Cato. Mr. Tomlinson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I'd really like to thank everybody. Um, again, in the community for all the support that our family has received. I really appreciate all of my colleagues and their, their kind words for my family. Um, it's, it's truly a blessing to be loved. Um, and just see love all throughout our community. We, we live in a wonderful place. Um, thank you to staff for all their, their hard work. We put a lot on staff and they continue to, to exceed expectations. Uh, they work tirelessly. Thank you for all you do.

» Each, each one of you. It means the world to me. We're in a good place. Love Kershaw County. Thank you, Mr. Thomas. Mr. Jones. We love your family. I'm glad to be a part of that tonight. And, and having said that, I have no further comments. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Jones. Mr. Shoemake. I appreciate everything happening tonight. As you guys can probably tell on the tune, it's been under the weather. So, uh, I'll be much more proposed. That's why, that's why Councilman Brazl has been sliding away from me. Um, bathing and hand sanitizer. So, um, but I did move one seat over from Sammy just so I could be close to her. Uh, that's all I have. Thank you, Mr. Shoemake. Mr. Mr. Brazl. I do enjoy when I get the opportunity to sit next to Councilman Shoemake. Um, we, we have fun as do Sammy and I.

» Um, hearing Councilman Cato say April 26th reminded me that my middle child, um, Davis's birthday is next Wednesday. Um, we spent the day together today and don't get to do that often enough. And, um, you know, reflecting on, on, on the situation tonight with, with your family, Brant and, um, life is fleeting. Um, it seems like I was 24, 25 years old, just, just a few weeks ago. And here I am 46 with a 21 year old, a 18 year old next week. And my youngest child is 14 and I am slowly becoming an older man. Um, and, um, you know, continue to, it happens. Continue to, to praise God for, for every day and, and be thankful for those that we love. So, with that, that concludes my remarks. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Chairman. I have a few remarks.

» You know, there's a lot of bravado that occurs in these meetings sometimes. And in its simplest form, I think we're reduced down to just saying sometimes. And we don't say it enough. Brant, I just love you, man. I love your family. So grateful for them. And, uh, there's no filter applied to that. For any of these gentlemen up here, there's no filter applied to that. I try to love you all unconditionally. If you ever need anything, you let me know. Um, the Mullican family is amazing. I really do hope people will take that to heart as an example of how to deal with difficulty and mourning with grace and faith in Heavenly Father. I'm going to take that as an inspiration that I'll remember the rest of my life. Um, I want to congratulate the Lady Gamecocks.

» We have, uh, Joyce and so many other basketball influences from this area. But Joyce Edwards played the national championship game. They didn't get the result they wanted. But you better believe they're going to be working hard next year, I'm sure. And so I want to congratulate that team on reaching the national championship yet again. For the council members and, uh, administrator, I just wanted to let you know or remind you. Um, and I've already told staff this April 22nd is the deadline for submission for, uh, house-related funding requests for the state government. And so if there's a particular funding request, and please keep in mind our budget is extremely tight this year. Um, we would do well to direct it to the state delegation and state government.

» Um, because we get taxed and so many of our funds flow out of this area and go up there. And then they get repatriated to areas all over the state. We need to justify and show why funds should come back to this area. That's how the process works. And so if there's a particular issue, like I'm thinking of the Lake Watery algae issue. Um, or, uh, I've had a fire service reach out to me. Any other requests that you would want to put together, please get the information. And we can shape it into a format that will be easily understood by the Ways and Means Committee and the delegation so they can submit applications. But please put those together. Otherwise, I'm not going to feel too bad if I, if I hear we needed some funds for something.

» And after this meeting, you didn't tell me, hey, this is what we needed some dollars for. Um, all right. That concludes my remarks that. Yes, sir. Can I say one thing? Cause I was about to forget and I don't want to get in trouble. Yeah. What you got? I just want to, I needed to take the time to wish my mama a happy birthday. Oh. My beautiful Christian mother. She did. Yeah. Gave me life and. Happy birthday. Put up with all of my shenanigans. We want you to make it to the next meeting. I know she's watching, so happy birthday. Happy birthday. I think you should sing it. Happy birthday indeed. No, I think we will pass. No, no. I don't. Like I said, we want them to make it to the next meeting. All right. Thank you so much. Administrator's briefing. Anything, Mr. Templer? Yes, sir.

» Just one real quick thing. Um, the Kershaw County public safety, public safety agencies have asked me to share with that this year they will be putting on the Special Olympics out at the Camden Military Academy. It will be the Champions in Action. Uh, that will be on April 25th at the Camden Military Academy starting at 9:00 AM. Um, the spirit in that was to just kind of give Cletus Ray and his team a little bit of a break. So, um, they're going to help them through the process this year. So that will be Kershaw County Fire Service, Kershaw County EMS, Kershaw County Sheriff's Office, as well as Kershaw County Dispatch. So I just wanted to put... What was the location again? Uh, Camden Military. Camden Military, okay. April 25th at 9:00 AM. Thank you. Any other report? That's it, sir.

» Thank you. Um, Mr. Turney, Mr. Bose, anything other than executive session items? No, sir. All right. Gentlemen, that takes us to item number 14. I'll take this as a group motion. Um, we have A, B, and C. These are all matters that will be covered by, uh, SC Code 30-4-70. One of them is regarding a matter covered by attorney-client privilege. Item B is regarding contractual negotiations. And item C is also legal briefing and advice regarding potential claim covered by attorney-client privilege. Do I have a motion to enter executive session? I'll make a motion we enter executive session. Second. There's a second. There's a second. Any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor? Ms. Hennett's unanimous in favor. We are in executive session. I was going to ask if we anticipated a vote. Yeah.

» And I'll just, I'll state for the public. I think we do anticipate one vote on a contractually related matter after executive session. So, gentlemen, quiet. One moment, please. I was just going to state for the record. We do anticipate one vote, uh, for the public's benefit after executive session. That would be regarding a contractual matter. Do we have a motion to exit executive session? I'll make a motion. Second. We got a first and a second. Any discussion? Seeing none. All in favor of leaving executive session. It is unanimous, Ms. Hanna. We are out of executive session. We have one matter to vote on a contractual matter related to the jail post-executive session. It relates to item 14B on the agenda.

» I'll make a motion that we authorize the administrator to engage in emergency procurement pursuant to section 2-37 of the Kershaw County Code of Ordinances to retain the services of advanced correctional health or healthcare. Make sure I have the name of the company correct. ACH is how they're known and doing business as. I move that we authorize the administrator to retain their services to provide inmate healthcare services for the Kershaw County Detention Center until the county completes a procurement process for a longer term contract for inmate healthcare services in the next fiscal year. That's my motion. I'll second. Mr. Shoemake has a second. Any discussion? Would you give some numbers? Mr.

» Administrator, can you update us on any potential numbers related to retention of services for ACH? I don't have that document. Let me. Gerald's coming up. I'll get it for you. If I could, Mr. Administrator, can I make a point or two? Sure. To help you in this matter? Mr. Brazel. We were put in a circumstance that would have cost us dearly had we not moved quickly. Is that correct, sir? Yes. We made some quick moves over the last two to three weeks to retain someone else who could provide healthcare services for us. And that company is ACH. Is that correct, sir? Yes. And within 12 months, we will have a request for proposal for a longer term contract in which we'll be open bidding to everyone.

» But in this moment, we will have a emergency funding to keep the funding source as close as possible to where it was. And it would save us quite a large amount of money, over a million dollars. Is that correct, sir? It saves a significant amount, but it prevents us from having to go with a plan that we are not currently funded for. So it puts us back in line with what we had previously. But there are savings, significant savings. Swift, fast movement by our administrator. We're going to move forward and we're going to make a deal with these people moving forward. We're going to put it out for bid and maybe we can save even more money next year. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Brazel. Any other discussion, comments, questions? Do you have a response to Mr. Jones' question? Yes.

» So, Mr. Jones, we will start out with this service. This initial for the first 90 days, the price per month is $104,412.41. That's because they are coming in and deploying in a rapid manner to get their services stood up. From there on out, it goes up to $69,000 a month, which is $9,000 more than what we're spending now. Which is a tremendous amount less than what we were being faced with. Correct. Very good. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Templer. Thank you, Mr. Brazel. Yeah, Mr. Administrator. Is that good, Mr. Jones? I'm good. Mr. Administrator, I believe that is roughly a savings of $400,000 to $500,000, $450,000, somewhere in that range. We're looking at 1.2 plus to continue on the current path on a renewal that no one likes, essentially.

» Or we lock in with a company for a year plus and then go through procurement. Okay? And let the record show that we all agree this is not the way we should be doing business. But bottom line is, it's the best solution we got right now. And I fully support this. Makes sense. And I just wanted the numbers out there for the public record. Thank you. Sure. Thank you. Any other comments, discussion, questions? Seeing none, we'll move it to a vote. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous in favor on the vote following executive session for 14B. Thank you very much. Seek a motion to adjourn. So moved. Second. We got a second. No discussion. All in favor? It's unanimous, Ms. Hanna. We are adjourned. Thank you.