CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
December 6, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held December 6,
2011 at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons: Chapman, Cannon, Thomas, Cohen, Segars, and Hines.
Also present Mayor Watkins, City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Lee
Bass, Water Superintendent, Mr. Freddie Kinsaul, Chief, Danny Watson,
Mr. David Vaughan, Fireman, Robert Garland, Mr. Rodney Langley, Fire
Chief Jim Stone, Mrs. Anna Davis, Mrs. Thomas’ three daughters, her
brother, several other family members and friends of hers. Also present was
News Reporter, Ms. Lisa Rock and a room full of visitors.
PRAYER
Councilwoman Thomas gave the invocation which was followed by the
Pledge of Allegiance.
AGENDA CHANGE
Mayor Watkins asked Council’s permission to move topic for item #9 up on
the agenda to item #3-B and add – Presentation from members of staff
concerning City’s Website as the topic for item #9. Mrs. Hines made a
motion to accept the following changes, which was seconded by Mr.
Cannon. All approved the motion.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mrs. Cohen made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular
Council Meeting on November 1, 2011. The motion was seconded by
Mrs. Hines. All approved the motion.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION – MAYOR TONY WATKINS
Mayor Watkins welcomed all of the visitors to the Council meeting. He
gave special thanks to Mrs. Thomas for her years of service on the Council.
He presented Mrs. Thomas with a “Key to the City” of Darlington. Mrs.
Thomas introduced her mother, Mrs. Anna Davis, her three daughters, her
brother, her sisters and their husbands, her grandson, cousins, and friends
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that came to support her. Pictures were taken of Mrs. Thomas and the
Mayor and also a picture of her with her daughter.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan said the Beautification Committee has started back to work
and they have met with the Kalmia Garden Study Club who is interested in
continuing the landscaping project between the Council on Aging Building
and the City Admin Building. Mr. Langley spoke with the school district
and they gave some topsoil to the City to aid in their beautification project.
The Garden Club decorated the front of the City Admin Building today and
it’s really pretty. Mr. Vaughan said that they plan to continue their
landscaping project between the Council on Aging Building and the City
Admin Building. He said they are trying to make the garden flow into the
two properties. Mr. Vaughan gave Council a copy of a letter he and the
Mayor wrote to Miss Mary White. Mr. Vaughan said as a school project,
Ms. White needed to do a beautification project, and with permission from
our City Manager, Mr. Garland, she chose to beautify the entrance on
Highway 52 North as a college credit in one of her classes. Mr. Vaughan
said as a gesture of their appreciation they wrote a letter to Ms. White
expressing this and in the letter they stated that they would present the letter
to Council and have it recorded in the minutes. Mrs. Hines made a motion
for the City to recognize Ms. Mary White for her project of beautifying the
entrance on Highway 52 North. Mrs. Cohen seconded the motion. All
approved the motion. Mr. Vaughan said the DDRA had their final market
on November 19th. He said the market was so successful they extended it to
six months. Mr. Vaughan said they will start back in March and their goal
for 2012 is for eight months. Mr. Grady Culbertson has agreed to chair the
committee again. Mr. Vaughan recognized the Darlington Firemen’s Rescue
Squad for their outstanding work with the Christmas Parade. Also, thanks to
The Darlington Kiwanis Club and the Ministerial Association. Mr. Vaughan
said they have set the date of April 19, 2012 for “The Taste of Darlington”.
FIRST READING ON ORDINANCE #2011-23- INCREASE
SANITATION CHARGE TO $2.00 A MONTH
Mr. Garland suggested that they have a public hearing on this to get public
input. Mr. Garland said he would like to schedule the meeting for Monday,
December 19, 2011 at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. Mr. Garland said
The City has lost $55,000 due to the discontinuation of the yellow bags and
this is a way for us to replace this revenue. Upon motion of Mr. Segars,
seconded by Mrs. Hines, to accept the City Manager’s suggestion to
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have a public hearing on Monday, December 19, 2011. Mrs. Cohen said
she is not in favor of a public hearing unless there is some indication that
Council is in favor of this. Mrs. Cohen said she is not ready to take action
on this with the amount of information they have. She said she would like to
see the numbers on this and get a little bit more detail. Mr. Chapman asked
about the $2.00 fee. Mr. Garland said the City will add $2.00 more to
residential only. Mrs. Thomas said it raises her concerns that businesses are
paying the same as residential customers. Mrs. Thomas said we need to get
some figures together before we try to inform the public. Mayor Watkins
told Council they can adopt first reading now and have a work session prior
to the public hearing. Mr. Garland told Council if they don’t do something
we will be losing approximately $4,600 a month. Mr. Segars said over the
past couple of months they have discussed the possibility of us doing away
with the yellow bags and there would be a revenue hole there.
Mrs. Hines said her water bill went up $15.00 more this month unless she
has a leak. Mayor Watkins said a number of people have had their meters
replaced over the last six months and some people have seen an increase in
the water usage because the new meters are reading more accurately. Mrs.
Thomas said a public hearing is to hear from the public, but if Council
already has something set in their minds that they are going to do, they
might as well have first reading. Mrs. Hines said she suggested two months
that Council needs to meet with the citizens and have a pubic hearing
because there has been so much confusion over the years about the yellow
bags and where the money goes. Mr. Chapman said he agrees with Mrs.
Hines. Mrs. Cohen made a motion to amend the motion and table the
discussion until we get more information. The motion was seconded by
Mr. Chapman. All voted for the motion except Mr. Segars.
DARLINGTON RESCUE SQUAD FUNDING REQUEST
Mrs. Denise Cavanaugh and Mrs. Ann Arnold appeared before Council to
ask for money to support the Darlington Christmas Parade. Mrs. Cavanaugh
said they have received funds from the City’s accommodation tax fund in
the past, but for some reason they did not get it this year. Mayor Watkins
said $800 is in the City’s budget. Mr. Garland told Mrs. Cavanaugh to send
a letter requesting those funds that are budgeted and we will get them a
check.
RESOLUTION APPROVING CDBG PROCUREMENT GUIDELINES
Mr. Garland said the Commerce Department requires that the City pass a
resolution for The CDBG Procurement Policy. Mr. Chapman made a
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motion to approve the resolution, but to change the date to Tuesday,
December 6, 2011. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Cohen. All
approved the motion.
WEBSITE PRESENTATION – MR. RODNEY LANGLEY
Mr. Langley said he was asked to give Council an update on the City’s
website. He said about 90% finished with the structure of the website. Mr.
Langley had three I-pads so Council could see how the website looks at the
present. Mr. Langley suggested that a number of employees are trained in
how to move around and make corrections on the website. He said he would
like to have the minutes on the website, the agenda and also a place to post
concerns. Mr. Langley said they are also looking into how we can put our
code or ordinances and zoning ordinances on the website. Mr. Langley said
this website costs about $3,200, but to have all the bells and whistles on our
website will cost us $35,000 or more. Mr. Langley said we are going to try
and make it do the things we need for it to do for $3,200. Mr. Garland said
to host the website will probably cost us $400-$500 a year. Mr. Langley
said we need more than one staff person to be able to update the website. He
said probably the girls in the front office, Mr. Bass and himself. Mr.
Chapman said he read an article and it said that if you are not
communicating through facebook, twitter and some of the other social
media, all of your other means of communication is obsolete. Mrs. Cohen
wanted to know how this website differs from the one the City already has.
Mr. Langley said this one is a lot easier to add and change information. Mr.
Langley said we never received any training from the website we currently
have. He said we sent them a lot of the information that’s on the existing
website.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) Mr. Garland said the Auditors, Hill & Jordan began work on the 20102011 audit last week and the projected completion date is the first week of
February, 2012; 2) The Renaissance Planning document changes have not
been received from the Department of Commerce; 3) The Street
Department’s move to 586 W. Broad Street is complete; 4) W. Darlington
Sewer Project has begun and the project completion date is May 15, 2012; 5)
There has been no news on the EDA Sewer Grant ($2,000,000) which
includes wastewater improvements for the treatment plant, a new truck line
for Georgia Pacific and it also includes improvements for the lift station; 6)
Mr. Garland said he would like to move the responsibility for the Election
Commission from The City of Darlington to The County. Mr. Garland said
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they already handle our municipal election, but we would like for them to be
able to make decisions on any election issues we may have. Mr. Garland
said the members that are on the election commission have been on it for a
while and probably don’t want to serve on it any longer. Mr. Garland said
we won’t have an election for the next two years, so we have plenty of time
to train new people. Mrs. Thomas asked if there was a board for election
commission members. Mr. Segars said there is, but the same ones are
reappointed over and over. Mrs. Hines said we need to check and see if
anyone else is willing to serve on the commission. Mrs. Cohen made a
motion to put this item on the agenda for our next Council meeting. She
said this will give them a little more time to study the issue. Mrs. Hines
seconded the motion. All voted in favor of the motion except Mrs.
Thomas; 7) The Miss Darlington Pageant will be Saturday, December 10,
2011-6:00 PM at the SIMT Building Florence-Darlington Technical
College; 8) General Fund balance $16,650.09; Hospitality Tax Fund
$284,768.17; Fund Balance Acct. - $317,803.91; W&S General Fund
$524,668.88; W&S Fund Balance $329,795.99; Capital Fund 439,515.73.
REMINDERS:
Friday, December 9, 2011 – Fire Department Christmas Banquet, 7:00 PM
at Darlington Country Club; City Office Closed for Christmas Holiday on
December 23rd, 26th & 27th, 2011; City offices closed New Year’s HolidayMonday, January 2, 2012; Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 7:00 P.M. – Regular
City Council Meeting.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Hines, to go into
Executive Session at 8:40 PM to discuss a personnel issue. All approved
the motion.
After coming out of executive session Mr. Segars made a motion to
appoint Mr. Lee Bass as the Assistant City Manager and increase his
salary by $4,500. Mr. Chapman seconded the motion. Councilpersons
Cannon, Cohen, Thomas, Chapman, Segars and the Mayor voted in
favor of the motion. Mrs. Hines voted against the motion.
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mr. Segars, the meeting
adjourned at 9:11 PM.
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Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
6
CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
November 1, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held November 1,
2011 at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Cannon, Thomas, Cohen, Segars, and Hines. Also present
Mayor Watkins, City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Lee Bass, Water
Superintendent, Mr. Freddie Kinsaul, Chief, Danny Watson, Mr. David
Vaughan, Fireman, Robert Garland, Mr. BoBBy Ross and Ms. Capers.
News Reporter Ms. Lisa Rock and visitors.
PRAYER
Councilman Cannon gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge
of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Cannon made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular
Council Meeting on October 4, 2011. The motion was seconded by Mrs.
Hines. All approved the motion.
AGENDA CHANGE
Mayor Watkins asked Council’s permission to add Item #4A (Mrs. Capers -)
because she asked to be on the agenda, but she was left off in error. There
was no objection from Council.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan said the Beautification Committee received a report from the
Kalmia Garden Study Club that they plan to continue their landscaping
project between the Council on Aging Building and the City Admin
Building. He said they are trying to make the garden flow into the two
properties. Mr. Vaughan said they had some drainage problems there and
Mr. Garland asked Davis & Brown to look into the drainage there. He said
the estimate Davis & Brown presented to them was $7,000-$9,000 to put in
a drain basin. Mr. Vaughan said their committee didn’t feel like this would
be reason enough to put in a drain basin based on what little problem they
felt like was there. He said they will look at other ways to solve the
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problem. Mr. Vaughan said Senator Malloy’s office secured some trees
through a grant project that they applied for and they have offered The City
of Darlington 150 trees to be used with the Renaissance Project. The Final
Market on the Square will be on November 19, 2011. Mr. Vaughan said the
committee is working on plans to resume the market in April or May, 2012.
Mr. Vaughan said the DDRA sponsored a Halloween Contest and Carolina
Bank was chosen as “The Best Business Participation”. Mrs. Tammy
Rheuark was chosen as “Cutest Costume” and Joey Saleeby as “Most
Original Costume”. Mr. Vaughan said the tentative date for open house on
the Square will be Thursday, December 1, 2011. He said he is not getting a
lot of cooperation from businesses that have normally done it. The Carol
Lighting Ceremony will be December 4th at 5:00 PM. The Christmas Parade
sponsored by the Darlington Firemen’s Rescue Square will be on December
4th as well, at 3:00 PM. He said he and Ms. Haidee Stith met Mr. Mike Bell
and his assistant from Florence-Darlington Technical College with the small
business center there. Mr. Vaughan said they are going to help them with
some training they are required to do prior to the loan process. Mr. Vaughan
said one of the things they had to do was establish a steering committee
which they did and the following persons are on the committee: Mrs.
Deatrice Barrett Curtis, Ms. Judy Alexander, Mr. Billy Hill, Mr. Henry
Funderburk and Mr. Vaughan. The City of Darlington has agreed to have an
insert in S.C. Black Family Expo paper advertising the loan grant program.
Mr. Vaughan said with The City’s new website the DDRA will be able to
have a link to it, but after talking with Mr. Langley they will have to have a
web page in order to have a link. He said Ms. Heather Jordan has agreed to
help him with the web page. Mrs. Thomas wanted to know how much the
grant is for. Mr. Garland said the grant is for $100,000. Mrs. Thomas asked
if some of the money will be loaned to people to start small businesses. Mr.
Vaughan said the loan is not to necessarily start small businesses, but it’s a
small loan amount to either existing businesses or starting businesses. He
said one of the regulations of accepting this grant is they have to follow
UDSA guidelines which state that we have to offer training classes for
potential applicants. He said the grant is more about teaching people how to
manage funds in a business of their own and educating them how to sustain
a business over a period of time. Mr. Vaughan said the Steering Committee
sets the criteria for the loan and once the applications are received and they
have been through training, then the committee will determine how much
they will loan and to whom. Mr. Vaughan said one unique thing about the
program is that once the money has recycled through the program it comes
back to us and we can keep on loaning it out and can become a continuing
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program. Mrs. Hines asked Mr. Vaughan how much will be set aside for
salaries. Mr. Vaughan said the grant itself says $40,000 will be for the loan.
He said there’s breakdown of administrative fees and training fees.
MRS. MARY CAPERS – SHELTER FOR ABUSED AND BATTERED
WOMEN
Mrs. Capers said she is interested in establishing a shelter for abused and
battered women in the City of Darlington. She said the name of the shelter
is “The Passageway of Hope” and will be operated as a non-profit
organization with 501 (c) (3) status. She said their mission is to provide a
safe haven for three to five women and/or children depending upon the
amount of time required to get each women or family a permanent and/or in
a safe shelter. Mrs. Capers said “The Passageway of Hope” will be funded
with private donations from churches, civic organizations, service
organizations, local businesses, individuals and grants. The target date to
open the shelter is February 19, 2012. Mrs. Capers asked Council to have
“The Passageway of Hope” included in the City’s budget for next year. Mr.
Garland said staff has agreed that once “The Passageway of Hope” gets their
501(c) (3) status approval letter, The City of Darlington will give the
organization $1,500 from the contingency fund. Mrs. Cohen made a
motion to give “The Passageway of Hope” $1,500 once they receive their
501 (c) (3) approval from IRS. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hines.
All approved the motion. Mayor Watkins asked Mrs. Capers if her
organization will be affiliated with Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic
Violence. Mrs. Capers said they have spoken with Ms. Hammonds and for
some reason she wants her group to work for them instead of trying to
establish a place in Darlington. Mrs. Capers said she wants Darlington to
have their own shelter.
MR. BOBBY ROSS
Mr. Ross passed out copies of an “Itinerary of Events” to Council members
for the Man Stanley Legacy 97th Anniversary Celebration. Upon motion of
Mr. Cannon, seconded by Mrs. Hines to receive Mr. Ross’ presentation
and documentation as information, which unanimously carried.
MR. LEE BASS – APPROVAL OF BID FOR DILAPIDATED
HOUSING
Mr. Bass passed out to Council members a packet for demolition of houses
which included the winning bid from Scott’s Construction to do the
demolition. Mr. Bass said due to the number of complaints, these are the
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houses to be torn down. Mr. Bass said the owner of the property at 405
Second Street has contacted him and asked if he could work on the house
instead of it being demolished. Mr. Bass said he told him as long as it is
within the time frame between this approval and when Scott’s Construction
goes out on the 15th of this month. He said as long as the homeowner shows
effort by pulling the permit and is doing work on the house he will remove
the property from the list as continues to work on the property. Mr. Bass
said he will do this with any house that he has on his list as long as the
homeowner shows a good faith effort to bring the house up to code. Mr.
Bass said if the homeowner of the house on Second Street follows through
and begins works on his house, he would like to be able add another house
in its place if Mr. Scott will tear down another house at the cost of what this
house was without changing the numbers. Mr. Cannon made a motion to
allow Mr. Bass to expend $14,200 to tear down dilapidated houses on his
list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Segars. All approved the motion.
RENAISSANCE PLANNING GRANT UPDATE
Mr. Garland said he has not received comments back from the Department
of Commerce. He told Council he will have a planning study for them in
December.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) Mr. Garland said we had a fire on the Square (The Smith Building)
burned on October 9, 2011. Our firefighters were on the scene for almost
twenty-two hours with considerable assistance from The City of Florence,
West Florence Fire Department, Hartsville Fire Department, Darlington
County Fire District, Windy Hill Fire Department and Palmetto Fire
Department. He said four businesses burned in the fire. Mr. Garland said the
only injury he is aware of is Chief Stone who tripped over a fire hose and
broke a rib. Mr. Garland thanked the Police, Fire, Street and Water
Departments for their part in assisting. He thanked Franklin Dowdy and
Merrill Sheffield and their crews for working on Sunday to assist in the
clean-up after the fire. Also Assistant Chief, Robert Garland & Chief Stone
were on the scene Sunday as well to help with the clean-up. Mr. Garland
said it was outstanding work by our fire crews and those that came to assist
us to make sure the fire did not spread. He said this could have been very
serious especially with the apartments over the buildings; 2) The Street
Department’s move should be completed before Thanksgiving; 3) West
Darlington CDBG sewer project bid has been approved by the S.C.
Department of Commerce. We will have a preconstruction meeting
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Thursday or Friday and once that’s done Trussell Brothers Construction
should be able to start work. Mr. Kinsaul said the estimated time to
complete the project is 6 months. 4) Mr. Garland said Mr. Cannon asked
him to look into a possible ordinance enforcing the wearing of pants at a
certain level. Mr. Garland said he couldn’t find any other town that has
anything on their books concerning this, but they do enforce this through
indecent exposure. 5) Mr. Garland said Mr. Vaughan mentioned the
Palmetto Pride trees that we have for southeast Darlington. Mr. Garland
said this was because of Senator Gerald Malloy who called us about a month
ago and informed us that Palmetto Pride has some trees left over and he
expedited our application to make sure we got it in. 6) General Fund
balance $85,174.37; Hospitality Tax Fund $264,718.36; Fund Balance Acct.
- $667,790.21; W&S General Fund $457,347.98; W&S Fund Balance
$329,585.98; W&S Capital Fund 436,459.26.
REMINDERS:
Tuesday, November 8, 2011-7:00 AM-7:00 PM Municipal Elections for the
City of Darlington; Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 6:30 PM – City
Holiday Supper at Sanders Street Gym; Saturday, November 19, 2011 –
9:00 AM-1:00 PM, Marketplace on the Square; Thursday, December 1,
2011 at 5:00 PM – Christmas on the Square; Friday, December 2, 2011 at
4:00 PM – Arbor Day Ceremony on the Public Square; Sunday, December
4, 2011 from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting on
the Public Square; Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 7:00 PM, Regular City
Council Meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mr. Segars, the meeting
adjourned at 8:11 PM.
Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
11
CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
October 4, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held October 4, 2011
at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Cannon, Chapman, Cohen, Segars, and Hines. Also present
Mayor Watkins, City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Lee Bass, Water
Superintendent, Mr. Freddie Kinsaul, Chief, Danny Watson, Mr. David
Vaughan, Fire Chief Stone, Fireman, Robert Garland, Police Officers,
Michael Cooke, Jimmy Davis, Mrs. Rosena James, Ms. Jannie Lathan; News
Reporters Ms. Lisa Rock and Mr. Dwight Dana and a host of visitors.
PRAYER
Councilwoman Cohen gave the invocation which was followed by the
Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Cannon made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular
Council Meeting on September 6, 2011. The motion was seconded by
Mrs. Cohen. All approved the motion.
AGENDA CHANGE
Mayor Watkins asked for Council’s permission to move item #6 (Little
League State Champions) to item #3-A. There was no objection from
Council.
LITTLE LEAGUE STATE CHAMPIONS – MAYOR WATKINS
Mayor Watkins introduced the senior boys of the Little League State
Champions of South Carolina to everyone. Mayor Watkins told the boys
had proud he and the entire community is of them. He told the boys their
athleticism is a gift from God which will help them throughout life, but they
first must be a student because they can’t play ball if their grades are not up
to par. Mayor Watkins admonished them to learn as much as they possibly
can now and when they go to college because their education is the most
important thing. The coach for the team introduced each of the players.
Mayor Watkins presented each member of the Little League team with a gift
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certificate from Wendy’s. Also a group picture was taken for the
newspaper.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan said the “Residential Pride Award” recipient will be presented
to Mrs. Peggy & Mr. Eddie Sheffield at 108 Columbian Street and the
“Business Pride Award” recipient will be presented to Hardees’s Restaurant
at the corner of S. Main & West Broad Street on Thursday, October 13, 2011
at 11:00 AM. He said the Kalmia Garden Study Club has resumed their
meetings and said they would make a presentation to them for funds to assist
them in some of their beautification projects. Mr. Vaughan said the
Beautification Committee has voted to recommend to Council to ask Mrs.
Dot Stone to serve on the Beautification a three year term beginning October
1, 2011. Mrs. Cohen made a motion to appoint Mrs. Dot Stone to serve
a three year term on the Beautification Committee to begin October 1,
2011. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hines. All approved the
motion. Mr. Vaughan said the Design Review Board received a request for
signage at 1032 Pearl Street called Endless Sun, but they took no action
because in their investigation he found they did not have a city business
license. He said the request was sent to the Codes Enforcement Department.
Mr. Vaughan said the Design Review Board met in September and they
recommend unanimously that Mrs. Barbara White serve on the Design
Review Board. Mrs. Hines made a motion to appoint Mrs. Barbara
White to serve on the Design Review Board effective October 1, 2011.
Mr. Cannon seconded the motion. All approved the motion. Mr.
Vaughan said the fifth “Market on the Square” in September was held in
conjunction with the Williamson Park 5K run and both were a success.
Sweet Potato Festival will be Saturday, October 8, 2011. The last “Market
on the Square” for this year will be Saturday, November 19, 2011 and will
start again in March or April of 2012. He said he attended a Microenterprise Workshop in Richmond, Virginia for the USDA Micro-enterprise
Loan Grant program last month. A steering committee for the loan grant
will be formed and they have identified several people off the DDRA Board
as well as from the community. Mr. Vaughan said he has met with some of
the City officials concerning the empty buildings on the Square and they
have agreed that they will identify the properties that need the attention and
he will contact the owners of the properties and ask for permission to
promote the business if they want to sell and/or rent their property through
the City’s website and the local newspaper. Mr. Vaughan said the City is by
no means getting into the real estate business. He said he will have the
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contact information, the square footage of the building and we may include a
picture, with the owner’s permission on the website. He said the local paper
has agreed to provide the same information to a link on their website as well.
SALEEBY LOOP PAVING – MR. HOWARD GARLAND
Mr. Garland said Council instructed him to look in the budget and see if we
could find $19,000 which was the estimate of the cost of paving Saleeby
Loop. Mr. Garland said this is not something we can afford to do right now.
He gave Council two options: 1) Dip into our reserve to pave Saleeby Loop;
or 2) We put if off until the spring when we do our budget planning &
processing and we go through all of our city owned streets and prioritize
paving based on the list. Mrs. Cohen made a motion to prioritize the
city-owned streets as far as which one needed paving the most and that
we fund it through the regular budget process. She said to make this
systematic to make sure we address the city-owned streets that need to
be paved on an annual basis. Mrs. Cohen said to make funding the repaving a part of the budget process. Mr. Cannon wanted to know who
would be selecting the streets or finding the streets that need to be
paved. Mayor Watkins told him they could appoint a committee and the
City Manager can get with the Street Department and identify the city streets
and then look at the condition of them. Mrs. Hines seconded Mrs.
Cohen’s motion. Mr. Cannon amended the motion to include that a
committee of Council members will look at the streets to be paved.
Mr. Chapman seconded the motion. All approved the amended motion.
Mr. Garland suggested that Council wait until December or January,
sometime after the election. All agreed.
SECOND READING ON ORDINANCE BANNING
SALE/POSSESSION OF BATH SALTS #2011-22
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mr. Cannon, second reading
on ordinance banning sale/possession of bath salts, which unanimously
carried. Mr. Garland said to note that we’ve added a penalty for this which
is 8170-Possesing Bath Salts in the City of Darlington or Synthetic
Marijuana and if a person is found guilty the fine is $630.00 or 30 days in
jail. Mr. Garland said this is on the recommendation of our Police Chief.
All approved the motion.
OATH OF OFFICE FOR NEW POLICE CHIEF AND OFFICER
STAFF
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Mayor Watkins administered the Oath of Office for Police Chief to Danny
Watson. Once sworn in, Chief Watson administered the Oath of Office to
his Staff (Jimmy Davis, Michael August, Maureen Valazak, Kim Nelson and
Michael Cooke).
HOSPITALITY TAX – MR. PUNK BONNOITT
Mr. Bonnoitt said he wanted more understanding on why the hospitality tax
is still in place since it was being collected to do certain projects and they
have been done and why it is only the restaurants that pay this tax. Mayor
Watkins said monies collected from the hospitality tax has to be used for
recreation or tourism. Mayor Watkins said the reason we don’t impose a
hospitality tax on everyone is because we have certain limitations. Mr.
Bonnoitt said this is unconstitutional. Mayor Watkins told him the State
allows municipalities to do this. Mr. Bonnoitt said he can’t understand why
out of over 2,000 people, the City picked out 500 to carry the whole load.
Mrs. Cohen said the customers pay the extra 2%. Mr. Bonnoitt said he
understands the customer pays the tax, but that still doesn’t make it right.
Mayor Watkins said we are all taxed and nobody likes to pay taxes. Mr.
Bonnoitt feels he is taxed heavier than others. He said why not put a 1% or
2% tax on everybody. Mr. Bonnoitt said he doesn’t mind paying taxes to
help the City or County, but he doesn’t think he should be penalized because
they are operating a restaurant. Mr. Cannon asked Mr. Bonnoitt how he
would raise funds for recreation and tourism. Mr. Bonnoitt said we would
need to determine if we would make better what we have or do we really
need something else. Mr. Cannon ask Mr. Bonnoitt does he see a need for
recreation in the City of Darlington. Mr. Bonnoitt said there is a need, but
his analogy is- a new school is not going to make better students or a new
ball field is not going to make better athletes. Mr. Bonnoitt said he is for the
community and for recreation, but he’s back to why he has to pay the
hospitality tax. Mr. Chapman said not only do the people in the City eat at
restaurants, but County residents eat as well and this is a fair way to spread
the tax to everybody.
COUNCILMAN CANNON
Mr. Cannon said there should be a law against the young boys walking
around town with their pants below their rear end. He said this is sending a
negative signal to the younger kids that are in school and we need to do
something about this. Mayor Watkins asked Mr. Cannon if he feels the
same way if there is no skin showing. Mr. Cannon said he doesn’t want to
see their underwear. Mayor Watkins said he is not condoning it and when
15
he sees it it is offensive, but he feels it is in expression of something. Mr.
Garland said he will research this and get back with Council. Mr. Cannon
made a motion for the City Manager to check with other towns to see if
they have an ordinance or a similar ordinance for this. Mrs. Hines
seconded the motion. All approved the motion.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) Free flu shots will be offered to city employees and Council members free
of charge at HMES on the Square - October 12, 2011 from 8:30 AM-5:00
PM; 2) The City-County Supper scheduled for October 31, 2011 has been
cancelled. 3) Mr. Garland said a number of years ago SCANA put a gas line
in our sewer pipe on Wells & Orange Streets and it has caused the line over
the years to crumble. In February of 2010 we had a major cave-in at Orange
and Wells Street because the gas line ruptured which SCANA came and
repaired. Mr. Garland said we got with them a few months ago and asked
them to come in and take the line out of the pipe, which they did today. Mr.
Garland asked Mr. Kinsaul if they replaced the old pipe that was in the line
and he said they repaired it. Mr. Garland said the reason we have been
having those cave-ins around the fire department is because SCANA put the
gas line in incorrectly a number of years ago and put the gas line in the pipe.
Mr. Garland said he hopes removing the gas line will fix this short term. 4)
Mr. Garland said the trash bag issue has come up again with the County and
it looks as if they are going to do away with the yellow bags. Mr. Garland
said the City will need to decide what to do. Mr. Garland recommended that
they form a committee of council and staff to look into this. Mr. Garland
said since Mr. Langley was our former manager and was involved twenty
years ago when a committee was put together to discuss the yellow bags, he
would suggest putting him on the committee from a staff stand point. Mrs.
Hines, Mrs. Cohen and Mayor Watkins will serve on the committee to
decide what the City will do concerning the yellow bag issue. 5) Mr.
Garland said the W. Darlington Sewer Project will start next month. 6) EDA
Sewer Project engineering should be completed by the middle of November
and we will bid out the project early next year. 7) The Street Department
move to W. Broad Street has encountered a lot of problems, but it is nearing
completion. They are looking to move in sometime in November 2011. 8)
The Renaissance Planning Grant draft is going to be sent to the State
Department of Commerce probably in the middle of November. This
determines if the City can apply for Renaissance funding of $500,000 in
2012 and $500,000 in 2013. Mr. Garland said if the grant does not cover B
Avenue, we will include it in our budget. 9) General Fund balance
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$113,176.18; Hospitality Tax Fund $246,680.35; Fund Balance Acct. $867,772.27; W&S General Fund $541,619.93; W&S Fund Balance
$329,382.88; W&S Capital Fund 419,507.29.
REMINDERS:
Saturday, October 8, 2011 S.C. Sweet Potato Festival on the Public Square
9:00 AM-4:00 PM; Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 7:00 PM- The Regular
City Council Meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion of Mr. Cannon, seconded by Mrs. Hines, the meeting
adjourned at 8:11 PM.
Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
17
CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
September 6, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held September 6,
2011 at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Chapman, Cohen, Segars, Hines, and Thomas. Also present
Mayor Watkins, City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Rodney Langley,
Mr. Lee Bass, Water Superintendent, Mr. Freddie Kinsaul, Interim Chief,
Danny Watson, Mr. David Vaughan, Fire Chief Stone, News Reporters Ms.
Lisa Rock and Mr. Dwight Dana.
PRAYER
Mayor Watkins gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mrs. Cohen made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular
Council Meeting on August 2, 2011. The motion was seconded by Mrs.
Hines. All approved the motion.
AGENDA CHANGE
Mayor Watkins asked for Council’s permission to move item #6 (Dixie
Youth Machine Pitch State Champions) to item #3-B. There was no
objection from Council.
DIXIE YOUTH MACHINE PITCH STATE CHAMPIONS – MAYOR
WATKINS
Mayor Watkins asked the coaches and the Dixie Youth Machine Pitch State
Champion team members to come forward and he presented each team
member with a gift certificate from Hardees. Also a group picture was taken
for the newspaper.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan said the Beautification Board will be selecting next quarter’s
“Residential Pride Award” & Business Pride Award recipients at their next
meeting for the fourth quarter. Mr. Vaughan said the fourth “Market on the
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Square” was the best one so far. He said the market for September will be in
connection with the Williamson Park 5K Run. He said we will not have the
market in October because of the Sweet Potato Festival and the last market
for this year will be November 19th. They will not have the market during
the winter months, but will make plans to start back in either March or April
of 2012. Mr. Vaughan said he will be in Richmond, VA next Thursday and
Friday for a Microenterprise Workshop which is hosted by the Federal
Reserve. He said this is in preparation to the grant that the City has
received. Mrs. Thomas said she gave Mr. Vaughan an official letter in the
month of May asking that a certain person serve on the Design Review
Committee, but the person called her last week and said she has not received
a letter or anything saying that she was being considered. Mr. Vaughan told
Mrs. Thomas the board has not had a meeting since he received her letter so
he has not taken any action on it. Mrs. Thomas told Mr. Vaughan he could
have acknowledged that she submitted the letter. He said he was waiting for
a meeting to present the person’s name to the committee. Mr. Vaughan said
he would be happy to notify the person.
AGENDA CHANGE
Mayor Watkins’s asked Council’s permission to amend the agenda by
adding item #11-B (Emergency Ordinance on Bath Salts). There was no
objection from Council.
MR. BOBBY ROSS
Mr. BoBBy Ross appeared before Council to thank them for their support of
the event for Arthur “Man” Stanley.
MR. WILLIE MULDROW
Mr. Willie Muldrow said on behalf of the NAACP, they have a couple of
concerns about the selection for the new Police Chief. He said they would
like to see the work experience of the three applicants before they make their
final decision, their arrest record with a breakdown of race and nature of the
crime, any diversity training that took place throughout his/her career and if
any complaints were raised against the applicant during the time they were
in law enforcement. Mayor Watkins asked Mr. Muldrow to give a list of
their concerns so they could be given to the committee.
PROCLAMATION ON ALCOHOL & SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Mayor Watkins read and signed a proclamation on alcohol and substance
abuse and presented to Ms. Robin Miles with Rubicon in Hartsville, SC.
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MISS DARLINGTON PAGEANT – WILL ISGETT
Mr. Will Isgett read a letter from Darlington Scholarship Pageant
Organization, requesting funds for the 2012 Miss Darlington/Miss
Darlington Teen Scholarship Pageant. Mr. Isgett said they will crown two
representatives on December 10, 2011 at Florence-Darlington Technical
College in the Pee Dee Electric Auditorium. He said any assistance from the
City will be greatly appreciated. Mrs. Hines made a motion to give
$500.00 for the Miss Darlington/Miss Darlington Teen Pageant. Mrs.
Cohen seconded the motion. All approved the motion. Mayor Watkins
asked Mr. Isgett if there was anything preventing him from having the event
in Darlington. Mr. Isgett said we have a wonderful auditorium, but it is in
bad shape and there are no bathrooms. He said the windows in the
auditorium are broken out, the stage has holes in it, and there is no sound or
lighting system. Mr. Isgett said he wishes that he could have the pageant
here in the City because he feels he could draw more people from within the
city and surrounding areas but there is no place in Darlington to have it. He
said if the auditorium could be fixed up to the right standards, then we would
be able to bring events and money into our city.
APPROVAL HOUSING DEMOLITION – LEE BASS
Mr. Bass passed out a list of approved demolitions with one proposed
addition. Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Cohen to
proceed with Mr. Bass’ demolition list of homes. All approved the
motion.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION – THE LATE CHIEF COX’S FAMILY
Mayor Watkins presented Mrs. Angela Cox and her sons with a plaque that
the Florence Optimist Club had given her in honor of the late Chief Cox.
Mayor Watkins presented Mrs. Cox and her sons with a “Key to the City”.
There was a moment of silence for the late Chief Cox.
SALEEBY LOOP PAVING REQUEST – MRS. GLORIA HINES
Mrs. Hines said she was approached by several people a while ago about the
condition of Saleeby Loop. She said Saleeby Loop is owned by the City and
the Street Department has patched the street numerous times. Mrs. Hines
said she has also received complaints from the family members of those that
have had to go to the dialysis center in the ambulance. She asked City to try
and find the funds so the City can pave this street. Mr. Garland gave an
estimate of $19,000 to pave this street. Mr. Garland said this isn’t anything
we had budgeted, but we can take the money from the reserve fund. Mayor
20
Watkins asked if it would be sufficient to make this priority number one so
that when funds become available we can do this project. Mrs. Hines said
we have used these funds before and this is much needed. Mrs. Hines
made a motion to take $19,000 out of reserve fund to pave Saleeby Loop
for the dialysis center. Mrs. Thomas seconded the motion. Mr.
Chapman wanted to know how we came up with the price of $19,000. Mr.
Garland said we received a quote from Industrial Paving. Mrs. Cohen said
we would be setting a precedent of using the reserve fund which is money
we are borrowing from when there is a shortfall in our general fund. Mrs.
Cohen said it’s appropriate to prioritize the streets that we need to do and to
plan on doing them the way we had been doing it. Mrs. Hines said she
understands this but if it wasn’t for the sick people going to the dialysis
center she would say wait until next year. Mr. Garland said when the money
comes in from Burger King, we can use that money. Mrs. Cohen asked
since the street has been like this for years, we can’t wait a few months to
take it out of our budget? Mrs. Hines said nobody has ever raised the
question because most people don’t know the street is owned by the City.
Mrs. Thomas asked if we will use money from the reserve fund or the
suggestion made by Mr. Garland to use the money coming from Burger
King? City Attorney, Mr. Bill Howle said the hospitality tax money coming
from Burger King would not qualify to fix the street at Saleeby Loop. Mr.
Segars asked if we have the time to allow our city Manager to look through
our budget between now and the next Council meeting and see if there is
another line item he can take the funds from. Mrs. Thomas made a motion
to pave Saleeby Loop, but we allow the City Manager to find the funds.
The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hines. All approved the motion.
USDA GRANT APPLICATION FOR POLICE DEPARTMENT
INTERIM CHIEF DANNY WATSON
Interim Chief Danny Watson said several months ago the late Chief Cox
asked him to write another USDA Grant for the purpose of funding
equipment for an animal control officer. The grant would also be to replace
an aging unmarked vehicle. Mr. Watson said he has proposed to ask USDA
for a $60,000 grant of which the City would be responsible for $27,000
match. Mr. Watkins said we would be able to purchase an unmarked SUV, a
truck and funds for nets, snares, tranquilizer gun and protective gear for the
officer. Mrs. Thomas wanted to know what the new SUV will be used for.
Mr. Watson said to replace one of the aging unmarked SUVs. She asked if
the new Police Chief will take over the vehicle that the past Chief Cox’s
SUV. Mr. Watson told Mrs. Thomas he can’t tell her exactly how this is
21
going to transpire at this moment because he doesn’t’ know. Mrs. Thomas
asked again who will the unmark SUV that is named in the grant be for. Mr.
Watson said the SUV we intend to purchase will replace an aging SUV.
Mr. Chapman made a motion to approve the USDA grant. The motion
was seconded by Mrs. Cohen. All approved the motion.
BATH SALTS ORDINANCE – INTERIM CHIEF WATSON
Mr. Watson passed out copies of info on bath salts to Council. He said this
is a designer drug that many of the stores are selling and we need to pass an
ordinance to ban the sale of it. Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by
Mr. Chapman, to ban distribution and the sale of bath salts. Mrs.
Cohen amended the motion to approve emergency ordinance to that
effect. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hines. All approved the
motion.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) Mr. Garland reminded Council of the MASC regional meeting next week
in Florence, SC at the Florence County Library; 2) Mr. Garland said he
received a complaint from Mrs. Ruby McRavin – 307 D Avenue about rusty
water. Mr. Garland said Mrs. McRavin brought him a sample of her water
and it was consumed with rust. Mr. Garland said the block of D Avenue
where Mrs. McRavin lives was not included in the CDBG grant in 2003
because it did not meet the income requirements. Mr. Garland said he would
like to include this as a part of our Renaissance Village Grant and it if’s not
approved to be a part of the grant, we will put it in next year’s budget to take
this block and update the waterlines. Mrs. Thomas said she has a couple of
bottles of rusty water at home too. She said it doesn’t appear it is just
confined to D Avenue. Mr. Kinsaul said that is why we have a pattern of
flushing around the City. Mrs. Thomas wanted to know if she appeared
before Council and complain about her rusty water will they replace her
water pipes too. Mr. Kinsaul said he hasn’t proposed replacing waterlines
anywhere; Mr. Garland said this might be something to look at. Mr. Kinsaul
brought a sample of water from the meter and it was very clear. Mr. Kinsaul
said in his opinion, the McRavin’s have an internal plumbing problem. Mr.
Kinsaul said he has not seen where the McRavin’s water sample came from
and they won’t explain where it came from. He said his guess would be
from the hot water heater. Mrs. Hines asked Mr. Kinsaul if he told Mrs.
McRavin about flushing her hot water heater and she said she would. Mr.
Garland said Mrs. McRavin requested the City to pay for their bottled water
her family has to consume each week even though he would not recommend
22
it. 3) Renaissance Grant Community meeting will be Tuesday, September
13, 2011 at Cain Elementary School at 5:30 PM; 4) The Planning Grant was
contracted out to Pee Dee COG. The engineering is being handled by
Goldie & Associates and the storm water portion is being handled by Ms.
Jannie Lathan. 4) Ms. Holly Schofield will be coming this Thursday to take
a look at our general ledger system and help us get ready for the auditors.
5) General Fund balance $105,735.64; Hospitality Tax Fund $226,122.87;
Fund Balance Acct. - $1,167,732.60; W&S General Fund $529,918.03;
W&S Fund Balance $329,173.14; W&S Capital Fund 409,874.00; 6)
Deadline for Mayor & Council filing will be Friday, September 9, 2011 at
5:00 PM. 7) Mr. Garland said he has received twenty-three applications
from five states for the Police Chief’s position. He said the selection
committee will rank the top ten applicants. Mr. Garland said he will then
choose six out of the ten and then he’ll do phone interviews with the six. He
will then choose the final three out of the six and have them do face-to-face
interviews with council and the public. Mr. Garland reminded Council that
under our form of government the final selection for the job is up to the City
Manager.
Mayor Watkins said Council needs to go into executive session to discuss a
legal issue.
REMINDERS:
Williamson Park 5K Walk/Run, Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 9:00 AM
on the Square; On Saturday, September 17, 2011 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PMMarketplace on the Square; Elks convention and Parade, Saturday, October
1, 2011-Public Square; Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 7:00 PM- The Regular
City Council Meeting.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, to go into
executive session at 8:59 PM to receive legal advice from our City
Attorney Mr. Bill Howle.
Upon motion of Mrs. Cohen, seconded by Mrs. Hines, the executive
session ended at 9:48 PM.
23
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Hines, the meeting
adjourned at 9:48 PM.
Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
24
CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
August 2, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held August 2, 2011 at
7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Chapman, Cohen, Segars, Hines, and Cannon. Also present
Mayor Watkins, City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Rodney Langley,
Mr. Lee Bass, Water Superintendent, Mr. Freddie Kinsaul, Chief Jay Cox,
Mr. David Vaughan, Mr. Robert Garland, Fire Chief Stone, Police Officer
Kim Nelson, Mr. Sidney Boyd and News Reporter Ms. Lisa Rock and Mr.
Dwight Dana.
PRAYER
Mrs. Hines gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Segars made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular
Council Meeting on July 5, 2011. The motion was seconded by Mrs.
Hines. All approved the motion.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan said the Beautification Board presented the “Residential Pride
Award” to Mrs. Martha Damon – 801 S. Dargan Street and the “Business
Pride Award” was presented to Council on Aging at 402 Pearl Street. He
said the DDRA continues to work with “The Darlington Market on the
Square” which was held on July 16, 2011 and it was successful. Their initial
plans were to start the market in May and go through August, but the
Williamson Park Committee has asked that they partner with them, so they
will have the “Market on the Square” on Saturday, September 17, 2011. Mr.
Vaughan said he and Mr. Grady Culbertson appeared on Channel 15
Carolina Live hosted by Mr. Cecil Chandler and as a result of this Mr.
Chandler has asked that they email him each month and he will promote the
“Market on Darlington Square” on his television program. Mr. Vaughan
said they have asked Mr. Lee Bass to serve on their DDRA Board as an ex
officio member representing the “Market on the Square”. Upcoming events:
25
August 20, 2011-9:00 AM-1:00 PM will be the next “Market on the
Square”.
AGENDA CHANGE
Mayor Watkins asked for Council’s permission to add a brief executive
session at the end of the meeting to discuss an economic development issue.
This will be item #11.
MATTHEW SUBER – COMPLAINT AGAINST POLICE DEPT.
Mr. Suber said on July 22, 2011 there was a courtesy summons to be
delivered to him, but he didn’t know anything about it. Mr. Suber said he
was at Ms. Angela Fordham’s residence on Coker Street (she was at the
meeting with him) at the time and Officer Danny Watson and two females
came to the home and inquired if he was there. Ms. Fordham told officers
that Mr. Suber was there and when she went to get him, Officer Watson
came into her house uninvited about this summons. Mr. Suber said Officer
Watson told him he was under arrest and he asked him, “Under arrest for
what”? Officer Watson told him because he had a warrant for him. Mr.
Suber said he asked a simple question, “May I see the warrant”? He said
Officer Watson said, “I don’t have a warrant, you need to get up and move
before I throw you out the house”. Mr. Suber said he got up and started
walking at which time Officer Watson grabbed him. He said Ms. Fordham
has damage in her house as a result of Officer Watson grabbing him. (Mr.
Suber took a picture on his camera phone, but he said it was not very clear).
Mr. Suber said he was pushed upside the wall and his hands was behind his
back and when they handcuffed him, he raised his arm a little to relive the
pain and Officer Watson jumped on his neck, grabbed him by the neck and
threw him on the floor. Another officer came running in the door (Officer
Martin) and they have him on the floor and he gave the order for them to
taser him. He said the first taser hit him in the leg. Mr. Suber said the
witnesses at the house told the officers he didn’t do anything, but they were
told to keep their mouths shut; get back or they would be under arrest. Mr.
Suber showed Council the taser mark on his stomach and his back. Mr.
Suber said there was no resistance from him he just asked a simple question.
He said he thought he had a right to ask this question. He said he thought
the Judge issued the warrant and the police officers serve them. Mr. Suber
said if Officer Watson does this to him, they will do it to somebody else.
Mr. Suber said on top of that, he is given two more tickets for disorderly
conduct and resisting arrest. He said he is then put in the police car and
taken to the police station where he sat in the hot car for approximately
26
thirty minutes while they look for the warrant. Mr. Suber said it’s not fair
and he wants Officer Watson to be reprimanded for this. He said he is not
looking to sue the City or anything, but he wants it noted in his record that
the officer was wrong. Mrs. Hines asked Ms. Fordham if she witnessed the
same thing that Mr. Suber described and she said, “Yes”. Mrs. Hines asked
Ms. Fordham if Mr. Suber resisted arrest and she said. “No”, Officer Watson
walked into her bedroom and actually pulled Mr. Suber out of her bedroom.
Mayor Watkins asked Mr. Suber if he had a written statement of the incident
and Mr. Suber said since he had his witness he didn’t think he would need to
write a statement. Mayor Watkins asked Mr. Suber and Ms. Fordham to
write a statement so that he could present it to the Chief of Police or the City
Manager so that we can look into this matter.
PASTOR MAXINE RICHARDSON – OUTREACH HOUSING
Pastor Richardson requested $100,000 in funds which will allow The
Darlington Outreach Initiative to fix fifteen houses. Mayor Watkins told
Pastor Richardson that the City has an application on file for the
Renaissance Village Grant which should cover the renovation of houses in
this area. Mayor Watkins told Pastor Richardson that her request would be
considered and could possibly be involved with the Renaissance Village
area. Mayor Watkins told Pastor Richardson that we can’t say how much
we could appropriate, but it is contingent upon our acceptance of the grant.
Mrs. Hines said Council told Pastor Richardson at a previous meeting that if
our application was accepted we would consider the houses in the
Renaissance area.
BID APPROVAL WEST DARLINGTON SEWER GRANT
Mr. Garland received a letter from our engineers, Davis & Brown,
recommending that we award the sewer grant to Trussel Brothers
Construction Company in Irmo, SC with a bid of $444,070. The next lowest
bid was from RWF Construction Company in the amount of $445,000; The
highest bid was from Greenwall Construction Company in the amount of
$683,000. Mr. Garland said the grant amount is for $419,000, so we would
have to cover the difference. Mr. Kinsaul recommended taking $25,070 out
of the W&S Capital Fund. Mrs. Cohen made a motion to accept the low
bid in the amount of $444,070 from Trussell Brothers Construction
Company. Mrs. Hines seconded the motion. All approved the motion.
USDA SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GRANT APPROVAL
27
Mr. Garland said Ms. Haidee Stith and Mr. Davis Skipper (intern) worked
on a USDA grant in the amount of $98,500 for small businesses. Ms. Stith
wrote two grants previous to this one where we partnered with other entities.
This time our partner is Darlington Downtown Revitalization Association
and most of the money will go will go to them. The City will be a passthrough. The check will be made out to The City of Darlington, but the
money will be passed on to DDRA. The City of Darlington is responsible
for a local match of $12,000 which is for in-kind services, i.e. Davis’ office,
use of conference room, phone, and copy service so it’s really no cost to us
in actual money. Mr. Garland said he needs Council’s approval to proceed.
He said the DDRA Board met July 13th and approved it unanimously. He
said this grant is meant for low-to-moderate income minority business
owners. Mr. Vaughan said the total amount of the grant that can be loaned is
$40,000 because it is a repayment plan. Upon motion of Mr. Segars,
seconded by Mr. Cannon, to proceed with USDA small business grant,
which unanimously carried.
DILAPIDATED HOUSING – MRS. GLORIA HINES
Mrs. Hines said dilapidated houses are a city-wide problem, not just one area
in the City. Mrs. Hines said the previous Building Inspectors concentrated
on one area of the City and now Mr. Bass is doing the same. She said she
rode through several areas of the City and she has several houses in much
need of repair. Mrs. Hines wanted to know why only one area is targeted
and there are other dilapidated houses that are eyesores in other parts of the
city. Mrs. Hines said her list of houses include streets such as Broad Street,
Warley, Spain, S. Ervin, Reservoir, Cotton, etc. Mrs. Hines said the
warehouse on E. Broad and Columbian is probably on the historic register
and what would happen in a case like that. Mayor Watkins asked Mr. Bass
if he concentrated on a single area. Mr. Lee Bass said that statement was not
completely accurate because he has a list of forty houses that range from
every part of the city. Mrs. Hines told Mr. Bass he just got that list since she
brought this up last month. Mr. Bass said he has had this list since he’s been
with the City and if she wanted to take a look at it she could have asked.
Mrs. Hines asked Mr. Bass why he only gave her a list with a few houses on
it if he had a list with forty houses on it. She told him if he wanted to be
honest about the situation he should have given her the list a long time ago.
Mr. Bass said he had this list about four months after he came to work for
the City and he adds to it constantly and as the houses are torn down they are
deleted from the list. He said if at any time if anyone asked him for a
“master list” of the houses, he would have given them one. Mrs. Hines told
28
Mr. Bass this is inaccurate because she has been in his office and has asked
him several times for a list of houses to be demolished. Mrs. Hines said he
asked him for “the list” and even if she didn’t say “master list” he should
have given her a list with all the houses. Mr. Bass told Mrs. Hines she asked
for a list of the houses he was preparing to take down and that’s what he
gave her. Mayor Watkins asked Mr. Bass how is the determination made as
to what houses are taken down first, is it based on observation or complaints.
Mr. Bass said the majority of determinations are complaint driven. Mayor
Watkins said we are not trying to avoid going into any particular
neighborhood if there’s a problem, but we are trying to focus on the worse
homes first. Mr. Bass said every time he’s presented a list of houses to be
torn down, he’s never received any opposition from Council. Mrs. Hines
said she disagrees with that because since she has been on Council there are
two houses that were just torn down and she’s been complaining about those
for eight years and they were worse than some of the other houses that were
on the list. Mr. Bass said he can only speak for what happened since he’s
been here and the two houses Mrs. Hines is speaking of has been taken
down. Mr. Bass said as Mayor Watkins pointed out, He prioritize the houses
based on the number of complaints they receive. Mr. Garland said Mr. Bass
would do more, but he is limited because of the budget. Mr. Bass said he’s
had thirteen houses taken down since he’s been with the City. Mrs. Hines
asked where the houses were located and Mr. Bass said Third Street, Shuler
Street, Tallulah Street, Gandy Street, Railroad Avenue, W. Hampton Street,
First & Second Streets, Guest Street & Whipple Street. Mrs. Hines said
these are all in the same area and this is her point. Mayor Watkins said what
he has seen in the last few months is Mr. Bass bringing pictures of homes to
Council and getting feedback from them. Should it be Council’s policy that
they start at the top of the list regardless of where they are? Mrs. Hines said,
“Yes” because some houses that she’s seen were not the worse ones and they
were taken down. Mayor Watkins said, so it’s not a disagreement about the
policy, but they have a disagreement about the judgment. Mrs. Hines said
what made her take a second look at this is because she looked at her list of
homes to be torn down from the previous inspector and all of the houses
were from the same area. Mrs. Hines asked Mr. Bass for a copy of his
“master list” of houses to be torn down. In answer to the question about the
warehouse, Mr. Bass said the warehouse is in the historic district, but they
will have to do all repairs according to the Historic Landmarks Commission.
Mrs. Hines asked how long do they have? Mr. Bass said thirty days, but it
takes a longer process to remove a historic building or house. Mrs. Hines
checked Mr. Bass’ list by her list and his list did not have the same houses
29
that she had on her list. Mayor Watkins suggested that Mrs. Hines & Mr.
Bass get together and discuss the houses on the list.
YELLOW BAG PROGRAM – MRS. GLORIA HINES
Mrs. Hines said quite a few people have asked her about the yellow bags.
She said Hartsville opted out of the yellow bag system with certain
restrictions. Mrs. Hines suggested that we have a public hearing about the
yellow bags so we can see what the citizens want. Mayor Watkins
suggested that on August 15, 2011 County Council will have second reading
on this ordinance, so we should wait and see what County Council does.
Mr. Kinsaul said if the City doesn’t go with the yellow bags our garbage
trucks will have to go to Bishopville, SC which will incur additional costs
for fuel. Mr. Cannon said we need to wait and see what Darlington County
does first.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) Mr. Garland said the first day to file for Mayor and Council positions will
be Friday, August 26, 2011 and will end on Friday, September 9, 2011 at
5:00 PM; 2) The City will be applying for a USDA Housing Rehab Grant
which Ms. Haidee Stith has found for us. Mr. Garland said he believes a
match of 10% required. He would to partner this with our Renaissance
Grant application because he feels if we apply for USDA it will help
strengthen our Renaissance Grant application. 3) MASC scheduled their
regional meeting for Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 11:00 AM at the
Florence County Library. 4) General Fund balance $176,926.96; Hospitality
Tax Fund $246,421.85; Fund Balance Acct. - $1,167,692.93; W&S
General Fund $384,529.80; W&S Fund Balance $328,963.53; W&S Capital
Fund 398,495.50; 5) City Attorney, Mr. Newton Howle said he has been in
consultation with the lawyer for Burger King and they want to send the City
a check for $42,000. Mr. Garland said when Burger King opened their new
store on Lamar Highway in July, 2010 they started charging the 2%
hospitality tax even though their business is not in the City limits. Within
the last month or so someone noticed Burger King was charging an extra 2%
and they are not in the City limits. Mr. Garland said enough people started
complaining and the news media started checking into, so Burger King
calculated how much money has been collected. Mr. Garland said he sent
Mr. Bass and Mr. Langley to Burger King to see if they wanted to annex into
the City, but they did not. Mr. Garland said the check will have to be held in
escrow for six months and if anyone comes in with their receipts and
requests a refund for hospitality tax that has been paid to Burger King, we
30
will reimburse them. Any money that is left over after claims are made will
go into the hospitality tax fund.
REMINDERS:
Saturday, August 20, 2011 at 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM –Marketplace on the
Square; Saturday, August 20, 2011 at 10:00 AM – Dedication of Arthur W.
Stanley W. Gymnasium; Saturday, September 3, 2011 Mayo Alumni
Association all day at Wells Stadium; Monday, September 5, 2011 – Labor
Day –All City Offices will be closed. Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 7:00
PM- The Regular City Council Meeting.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Upon motion of Mr. Cannon, seconded by Mr. Segars, to go into
executive session at 8:06 PM to discuss an economic development issue.
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, to end executive
session at 8:36 PM.
Mayor Watkins said (without naming the individual) to empower the City
Manager to use the resources of the City and develop a plan and approach
two separate individuals or entities and interest them in a cooperative
venture with the City of Darlington to improve the economic vitality of the
City of Darlington. Mr. Segars made a motion to empower the City
Manager to develop a plan to speak to certain parties to explore the
possibilities to bring this vision to fruition. Mrs. Cohen seconded the
motion. Mrs. Cohen, Mr. Chapman, Mr. Segars, Mr. Cannon and Mayor
Watkins voted in favor of the motion. Mrs. Hines voted against the motion.
(Mrs. Hines said she voted “no” because this is a touchy situation and she
thinks something should have been said before now. She said this should
have been considered a long time ago, it shouldn’t have taken a letter for us
to consider this).
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion of Mrs. Cohen, seconded by Mr. Segars, the meeting
adjourned at 8:45 PM.
31
Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
32
CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
July 5, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held July 5, 2011 at
7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Cohen, Segars, Hines, and Thomas. Also present Mayor
Watkins, City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Lee Bass, Water
Superintendent, Mr. Freddie Kinsaul, Chief Jay Cox, Mr. David Vaughan,
Mr. Robert Garland, Fire Chief Stone, Mr. Stewart Hucks with USDA and
News Reporter Ms. Lisa Rock.
PRAYER
Mr. Segars gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Segars made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular
Council Meeting on June 7, 2011 and a Special Meeting on June 28,
2011. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hines. Mrs. Cohen made a
motion to strike the word “budget” on the work session minutes and add the
words “storm water” to read “storm water work session. Mrs. Hines
seconded Mrs. Cohen’s motion to amend the minutes. All approved the
motion with the noted change.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan said the Beautification Committee met in June and they
nominated two additional members to recommend to Mr. Garland for
approval, but due to vacations these individuals have not been contacted yet.
Mr. Vaughan said the committee voted not to meet in July, but will meet
again in August, 2011. Mr. Vaughan said the Pride Awards will be
presented in July. He said the Design Review Board approved signage for
502 Pearl Street to change name from Maxway to Roses Express and also
signage at 301 Pearl Street for Drs. Thomas Phillips, Steven Coker and
Emily McDaniel Stonerock of Carolina Medical Alliance, Inc. The second
Market on the Square was held on June 18, 2011 and was successful with 31
vendors. After Market on the Square in August, 2011, the committee will
decide if they will continue with the market after August. Mr. Vaughan said
33
they have a prospect for the hardware store on the Square and possibly the
barber shop next door. Mr. Vaughan showed Council a copy of the letter he
wrote to Mr. Garland requesting permission for Darlington High School to
put falcon flags around the Square.
MR. STEWART HUCKS – USDA
Mr. Hucks passed out copies of “letter of conditions” to Council for the
purchase of two new police cars and two golf carts. The letter of conditions
establishes conditions which must be understood and agreed to by Council
before further consideration is given to out application. The letter is not to
be considered as grant approval or as a representation as to the availability of
funds. Mr. Hucks read several important points that he said Council needed
to go over. He said the City will be contributing $38,700 and the USDA
Grant of $47,300 gives a total project cost of $86,000. Mr. Hucks said he
brought the forms with him and if Council accepts the letter of conditions,
the forms must be signed by Council and also stamped with the City’s seal.
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, to proceed with
the grant application and to accept “letter of conditions” from USDA.
Mrs. Hines asked Chief Cox if this is something different from when he
appeared before Council asking for five new police cars. Chief Cox said this
is different. Mrs. Hines then asked Mr. Garland where the $38,700 would
come from. Mr. Garland said his understanding was this grant would be for
police cars that we have already purchased in April. He said this is more or
less a reimbursement for the money we have already spent. Mrs. Thomas
asked if the $38,700 is a previous grant for the cars. Mr. Garland told Mrs.
Thomas that Council approved this in April, but the budget included the first
payment which was approved in June, 2011. Mrs. Hines said she is
confused because we already have the police cars and this is saying we are
getting additional cars. Mayor Watkins and Mr. Garland said this will
displace two of the cars that normally would have been purchased by the
police department. He said those cars will now be used for the grant match.
Mr. Garland said we only need to spend $9,500-$10,000 for the two golf
carts because that was part of the original application. Mr. Garland said one
of the carts will be used on the Square by Lt. Buffkin and Chief Cox said the
second would be used by the bike officer on days where they couldn’t ride
and also where it would expand their function where they could cover more
ground for the day. All approved the motion.
AGENDA CHANGE
34
Mrs. Hines made a motion to strike item #7 (First reading on Water
Revenue Bond). The motion was seconded by Mr. Segars. All approved
the motion.
POLICE MUNICIPAL MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT
Chief Cox said the City has always had mutual aid agreements with other
departments. He said there are fifteen or sixteen judicial circuits in the State
and each one has an LEN (Law Enforcement Network) and each month they
come together in their prospective circuits and have traffic check points.
Chief Cox said somewhere in the State an officer was injured, but the
governing body that the officer was from said they were not aware of this
and they were not going to cover it. So now, when these agreements come
about they are to present them to the governing body (Council) to sign off on
them saying they approve this. Chief Cox said the agreement basically says
if a person works for us we cover them and we agree to help each other in a
time of need. Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, to
enter into a police municipal mutual aid agreement with other
governments and we will be responsible for our people and they will be
responsible for theirs, which unanimously carried.
ENGINEERING AGREEMENT RENAISSANCE PLANNING
GRANT
Mr. Garland recommended that we accept Goldie & Associates to handle the
engineering on the Renaissance Planning Grant. Upon motion of Mrs.
Cohen, seconded by Mr. Segars, to accept recommendation of Mr.
Garland and have Goldie & Associates to handle the engineering on the
Renaissance Planning Grant, which unanimously carried.
APPROVAL OF DEMOLITON LIST OF DILAPIDATED HOUSES
Building Inspector, Mr. Lee Bass said Mr. Roosevelt Scott has completed
the demolition of the four houses that were approved last month. Mr. Bass
gave Council a list of six houses to be demolished. Mr. Garland asked Mr.
Bass if proper notice has been sent to the homeowners. Mr. Bass said he
was waiting for Council’s approval before he sent any notifications to the
homeowners. Mrs. Hines asked about the house at 114 Avenue H. Mr. Bass
said the State came and removed the homeowner from the house because it
was not livable and the man’s sister would not make the repairs to the house.
Mrs. Hines asked if funds from the Renaissance Grant be used to fix this
house. Mr. Garland said it’s a possibility, and if the grant is approved, it
would a year or so from now before anything is done. Upon motion of Mr.
35
Segars, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, to allow Mr. Bass to proceed with the
list of homes and notifying the homeowners. Mrs. Cohen said she has
concerns about the house at 114 Avenue H. Mrs. Cohen said if it’s possible
to fix this house we may want to approve the rest of the houses on the list
and see what can be done for this one. Mr. Bass told Council if they want
him to add another house in the place of 114 Avenue H, he will. Mayor
Watkins said he’s seen the house and doesn’t see why we would pass over it.
Mrs. Hines said she not saying to take the house off the list, but she would
like for houses that could be salvaged to be given consideration. Mrs.
Thomas asked if all of the houses on the list have been cleared by probate
court. Mr. Bass said he went to probate to find out who the heirs are before
he sends letters to them. Mr. Bass said this is just the preliminary process.
All approved the motion except Mrs. Thomas who voted against the
motion because of the wording. The motion passes.
STORMWATER REPORT – JANNIE LATHAN
Ms. Lathan thanked Council for the opportunity to work for the City. She
said the work session was one of the best she’s had throughout her entire
career. Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, to accept
storm water report from Ms. Jannie Lathan as information. All
approved the motion. City Manager, Mr. Garland recommended that Ms.
Lathan work with grant writing for CDBG or EDA funding for storm water
grant applications. He said since Ms. Lathan possesses the talents necessary
to write these grants, we would want her to do this for us. Mayor Watkins
said the motion would be to allow City Manager to work with Ms. Lathan in
the role of consultant and grant writing for storm water in conjunction with
the W&S Director, Mr. Freddie Kinsaul. Mrs. Hines made a motion to
accept Mr. Garland’s recommendation concerning Ms. Lathan. Mrs.
Cohen seconded the motion. Mrs. Thomas told Mayor Watkins that Mr.
Garland said that Ms. Lathan would work under the City Manager, but then
he asked for a motion adding Mr. Kinsaul. Mayor Watkins said Mr. Garland
mentioned Mr. Kinsaul. Mrs. Thomas wanted to know who Ms. Lathan
would be working under. Mayor Watkins said the City Manager. Mr.
Garland said Ms. Lathan will be reporting to him if it concerns the grants,
but if it’s related to other issues, it will more than likely be Mr. Kinsaul
because his background is not in cleaning out catch basins. Mr. Garland said
storm water would be under Mr. Kinsaul, but cleaning of the drains and
basins would be in the street department under Mr. Sheffield. Mrs. Hines
said Ms. Lathan knows her job and is quite capable to do what the City
needs that is why we are trying to get her on board. Mrs. Thomas wanted
36
the record to show that she was not saying anything to degrade Ms. Lathan’s
qualifications she was just trying to find out who she would be under the
direction of. All approved the motion.
DARLINGTON COUNTY CULTURAL REALISM COMPLEX –
WILHELMINA JOHNSON
Mrs. Johnson was not present at the onset of this discussion, but Mrs. Cohen
said they could proceed because she had done a little homework on it. Mr.
Garland told Council Mrs. Johnson’s request was included in their
information. Mrs. Cohen said she visited the summer camp today and she is
doing a very good job. She said this is a summer program and Mrs. Johnson
said there are 20-25 kids in the program ages 4-16. Mrs. Cohen made a
motion that we approve $1,200 of funding that would be specifically for
the CRC Survival Fest for Children summer program. The motion was
seconded by Mrs. Hines. Mayor Watkins said the funds will come from
Community Promotions line item. Mrs. Thomas said even though Mrs.
Johnson asked for funding from community promotions, but yet she was
already listed under accommodations. Mrs. Thomas said Mrs. Cohen
previously said she doesn’t think the City should give the same organization
funding from both line items. Mrs. Cohen said we should do one or the
other. Mrs. Cohen said she did say something different, but they were
having a discussion at the time. Mrs. Cohen said this motion is specifically
for the summer camp. Mrs. Thomas asked Mrs. Cohen if she found out at
the time she was visiting the complex if the kids were paying a fee. Mrs.
Thomas asked about the expenditures for volunteer/professional help. She
also asked Mrs. Cohen if they provided the kids lunch. Mrs. Cohen said if
they provide lunch maybe it’s through the nutrition program. (Mrs. Johnson
came in at this time) Mrs. Thomas wanted to know if the $2,000
expenditure is for volunteer staff or professional staff. She also wanted to
know if they charge the children a fee. Mrs. Johnson said when it comes to
the CRC Center for 39 years she doesn’t have to tell them anything. She
said they have operated voluntarily for all those years for nothing and she’s
not looking for them to question what’s going on there because they should
know. Mrs. Johnson said, “Yes” they charge the children $40.00 for the
enrichment program. All approved the motion.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) The pump at by-pass well was taken offline to be cleaned. 2) Two or
three weeks ago he consulted with managers from other municipalities about
what they are doing concerning their employees in the summer months while
37
it’s hot. Most of them said they have their employees come in at 7:00 AM –
3:30 PM, so he consulted with Ms. Carroll, Mr. Kinsaul, and Mr. Sheffield
about this and after talking with the employees they decided to move our
people from 7:00 AM-3:30 PM schedule. This schedule will stop at the end
of August, but if it’s still hot we will continue until temperatures cool down
a little. 3) Sixty-seven people attended the swimming lessons taught by Mr.
James Ward and sponsored by YMCA @ the Gandy Pool. Twenty people
completed the swimming lessons; 4) the portion of Third Street that had the
sewer problem was repaved last week. 5) Mr. Garland said he, and the City
Treasurer will meet with Ms. Jackie Breland and Mr. Rob Jordan next week.
6) General Fund balance $333,395.59; Hospitality Tax Fund $224,913.55;
Fund Balance Acct. - $1,167,657.50; W&S Capital Fund $395,368.18.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mr. Segars, to go into
executive session at 8:36 PM to discuss an economic development issue
and also a legal issue concerning the police department.
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, to end executive
session at 9:00 PM.
PARKING LOT
Mr. Segars, made a motion to make an offer to Trinity United
Methodist Church that the City will pay for half of the cost of repaving
the church parking lot so that the City can continue to use it. The
motion was seconded by Mrs. Thomas. All approved the motion.
REMINDERS:
Saturday, July 16, 2011 9:00 AM-1:00 PM – Marketplace on The Public
Square; Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 7:00 PM – Regular Council Meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mr. Segars, the meeting
adjourned at 9:05 PM.
38
Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
39
CITY OF DARLINGTON
PUBLIC HEARING &
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
June 7, 2011
A Public Hearing of Darlington City Council was held June 7, 2011 at 6:00
PM in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Cannon, Cohen, Segars, Hines, Thomas and Chapman. Also
present Mayor Watkins, City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Lee Bass,
Ms. Rosena James. Water Superintendent, Mr. Freddie Kinsaul, Chief Jay
Cox. News reporters Ms. Lisa Rock and Mr. Dwight Dana.
Mayor Watkins opened the meeting at 6:05 PM.
Mayor Watkins said the purpose of the meeting is to hold a public hearing
on the 2011-2012 budgets.
There was no public comment concerning the 2011-2012 budgets.
Mayor Watkins said one of the last items considered at the work session was
“community promotions” line item. Mrs. Cohen asked if a second letter was
sent for community promotions. Mr. Garland said we did not send out a
second letter, but phone calls were made asking for additional information
and some were not sure of their 501 ( c) (3) status, so they couldn’t answer
back. He said one said they were going to answer back and did not and
another said they were going to give us a letter and never did. Mrs. Cohen
asked Mr. Garland if he would be zeroing out anyone who hasn’t submitted
a letter and if they submit a letter later he will then reconsider their request
and bring before Council. Mr. Garland said, “Yes”. Ms. Hines asked Mr.
Garland if Ms. Capers told him she never received the first letter. He said,
“Yes”, she told him. At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Garland gave
Council members a copy of a letter from Mrs. Wilhelmenia Johnson
requesting $3,200 for the CRC Center from the “community promotions
account. He said Mrs. Johnson brought the request in Friday and he doesn’t
have a recommendation on it either way because he has not had time to
study it. Mr. Garland said CRC Center was not included in the community
promotions letters that were sent out because she gets money out of the
“Accommodation Tax” line item. Mr. Garland said letters were not sent to
40
organizations listed under “Accommodation Tax” only to those listed under
“community promotions” even though Mrs. Johnson specifically asked for
funding from “community promotions. Mrs. Cohen said she doesn’t think
we should give the same organization funding from both line items. She
said we should do one or the other. Mrs. Cohen asked about 914C-255
(storm water) line item which has $165,000 in it, but $50,000 of it is for
water tower maintenance. She suggested moving the $50,000 to the capital
line item. Mr. Kinsaul said this is not capital because he is not going to buy
anything. He said if he were to move the $50,000, he would move it to line
item 912-227 (Well & Pump Maintenance). Mayor Watkins said a motion
needs to be made at the regular meeting. He said the motion will be to move
$50,000 from 914C-255 to 912-227. Mrs. Thomas asked what Council
decided on the letter from CRC. Mayor Watkins said they can consider this
at any time because it did not meet the requirements that we asked for. Mrs.
Cohen said she and Mr. Garland talked about disaster recovery for the
computers. Mr. Garland said we researched this last summer, but did not
have the money to do this at the time. Mr. Garland said he talked with Mr.
Langley and line item 590-265 (Professional Services) has $13,500 budgeted
and it will cost approximately $1,800-$1,900 to archive all of our records
and have them stored off site and we can use this line item for that. Mrs.
Cohen wanted to know why the revenue we received from the Housing
Authority was cut in half. Mr. Garland said he was told the Housing
Authority didn’t get their certification was the reason why their funding was
cut. Mrs. Thomas wanted to know who the Chairperson is for the Housing
Authority. Mayor Watkins said Mrs. Dorothy Wearring. Mrs. Thomas
wanted to know what the chain of command is if a renter has a complaint
against the Housing Authority. Mayor Watkins explained that there are
board members that and they do have by-laws which abide by. Mrs. Thomas
said she can’t understand how the Housing Authority cannot have some way
to regulate how long a person stays on the board. Mayor Watkins said they
have by-laws and they are public record. Mrs. Thomas asked Mayor
Watkins to instruct Mr. Earl Johnson to give her a copy of the by-laws.
Mayor Watkins said he would. Mrs. Thomas said the Housing Authority is
treating the tenants badly and nobody knows who to go to. Mayor Watkins
said they should go to the Director and if they are not satisfied at that point,
and then goes to the board. Mrs. Thomas wanted to know where they would
go if they are not satisfied with the board. Mr. Garland said they will need
to go to the federal authorities after that. Mrs. Hines said a couple of her
clients have had problems with the Housing Authority fixing things in the
apartments. Mr. Garland said if a group of Council members get together
41
and go to a board meeting their concerns would be more effective than
anything else.
Mayor Watkins ended the Public Hearing at 6:53 PM.
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held June 7, 2011 at
7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Cannon, Cohen, Segars, Hines, Thomas and Chapman. Also
present Mayor Watkins, City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Lee Bass,
and Ms. Rosena James. Water Superintendent, Mr. Freddie Kinsaul, Chief
Jay Cox, Mr. David Vaughan, Mr. Robert Garland. News reporters Ms. Lisa
Rock and Mr. Dwight Dana.
PRAYER
Mr. Cannon gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Segars made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular
Council Meeting on May 3, 2011 and a Special Meeting on May 24,
2011. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Cohen. Mrs. Cohen said to
include in the minutes from the work session on May 24 th that preliminary
ordinance about animals were discussed and the committee will reconvene
because Council agrees that more work is needed. On page 7 of the minutes
from the regular meeting, delete the word “engineering” to read the CDBG
Sewer Project should be ready to bid out by end of May and also change
following to read EDA Sewer Engineering should be completed by August
1st. Mrs. Cohen made a motion to amend minutes by making the change
to work session minutes and the two changes to the regular minutes.
Mr. Segars seconded the motion. All approved the motion. Mrs.
Thomas made a motion to amend the minutes of regular meeting by
adding the names of the months mentioned on page 7. Mrs. Cohen
seconded the motion. Mrs. Thomas said on page 3 of the regular minutes
(paragraph under Gandy Swimming Pool) to insert the name of Mr. James
Ward on pages 3 and 4 where the words “he” and a “gentleman” were used.
42
Mrs. Thomas made a motion to amend the minutes to include the name
of James Ward as noted above. Mrs. Cohen seconded the motion.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan said the Beautification Committee and the Kalmia Garden
Study Club are continuing to work. The Design and Review Board has
received a recommendation for the replacement of Mrs. Emma Smoot, but
the board has not had an opportunity to meet and discuss the
recommendation. Mr. Vaughan said they were given a favorable report on
the first “Market on Darlington Square held on May 21, 2011. Mr. Vaughan
said he met with the market committee today and they discussed areas they
felt could be improved such as advertising, local produce availability and
food availability. Mr. Vaughan said the DDRA Board asked that a member
of the “Market on the Square” committee serve as an Ex Officio member of
the DDRA Board and they selected Mr. Lee Bass to serve in this capacity.
He said the DDRA Board approved a recommendation presented by Mr.
Tony DiLeo to solicit private funds to plant a tree and erect a marker on the
Square in memory of former Mayor Albert Coggeshall. Mrs. Thomas said
DDRA should write a letter to City Council asking them to act on this. She
said even a letter from Mr. Vaughan would suffice. Mr. Vaughan said he
would be happy to write a letter. Mayor Watkins asked for a motion on this,
but Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Cohen wanted to know if they could wait on the
letter. Mayor Watkins said he asked if it would be alright to follow up with
the letter. Mr. Chapman made a motion to permit the DDRA to proceed
with planting a tree and erecting a marker on the Square in memory of
Albert Coggeshall. Mrs. Cohen seconded the motion.
SECOND READING ON 2011-2012 BUDGET
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Thomas, second reading
on 2011-1012 Budgets. Mrs. Cohen made a motion to amend the budget by
making the following changes: move $50,000 from 914-255C (storm water)
line item to 912-227 (maintenance line item and to list in the detail that
$50,000 is for tank maintenance; 590-265 (professional services) add note
that says “Professional Service Providers put Disaster Recovery” under that;
Under “community promotions” zero out the lines where the organizations
did not provide a letter and put those funds in line item 550-06 and if these
organizations send a letter later, it would be brought before Council for
consideration of funding. Mrs. Hines seconded the motion. All approved
the motion with the amendments to the budget.
43
Mr. Dwight Dana wanted to know the amount of this year’s budget and how
it compares to last year’s budget. Mr. Garland gave Mr. Dana a copy of last
year’s ad that was run in the paper which shows last year’s revenues.
MISS DARLINGTON/MISS DARLINGTON TEEN PRESENTATION
Mayor Watkins presented “Keys to the City” to Miss Darlington Summer
Rayl and Miss Darlington Teen Ms. Hannah Maloney
BID APPROVAL – DEMOLITION OF HOMES
Mr. Lee Bass said he received two bid packets for demolition of houses one
from Roosevelt Scott Construction and the other from Stokes Construction.
Mr. Bass said the initial bid was for five houses, but one of the houses is
located on Spain Street is being demolished by the homeowner. He said the
homeowner contacted him after he had already received bids. Mr. Bass said
the two bids from Scotts Construction and Stokes Construction are inclusive
of the house on Spain Street, but he called them and told them what
happened and they changed their bid to reflect demolition of four houses.
Mr. Bass said the low bid of $11,500 was from Scott Construction (excludes
house on Spain Street). Mr. Garland recommended that we accept the low
bid from Roosevelt Scott Construction. Upon motion of Mrs. Cohen,
seconded by Mrs. Hines to accept the low bid of $11,500 from Roosevelt
Scott Construction, which unanimously carried. Mr. Bass said he will
present another list of homes for demolition in July, 2011.
SECOND READING ON ORDINANCE SETTING TAX LEVY -125
MILS.
Mr. Garland said first reading on the tax levy was done in January,
2011. Mrs. Hines made a motion for second reading on ordinance
setting tax levy of 125 mils. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Cohen.
All approved the motion.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) The lettering is up at Arthur W. Stanley Gym. The family wants to hold a
celebration on Saturday, August 20, 2011. Mr. Garland said BoBBy Ross
has asked for a budget for the ceremony. Mr. Garland said he doesn’t know
exactly what Mr. Ross wants the City to do, but he told him if they address
envelopes and stuff them the City would pay for the postage to mail
invitations, but anything else would be up to Council. Mayor Watkins said
the City could give $200.00 towards refreshments. Mr. Segars said the City
spent close to $1,300 for the sign to put on the gym and he doesn’t think we
44
need to spend a lot more money. Mrs. Hines made a motion for the City
to spend $200.00 towards the grand reopening of the gym. The motion
was seconded by Mrs. Thomas. All approved the motion. 2) Request for
qualifications for the Renaissance Planning Grant are due in by 11:00 AM
on Monday, June 20, 2011. The committee agreed to meet Monday, June
20, 2011 at 4:00 PM to go over the qualifications. 3) Mr. Garland told
Council he included a schedule of the Darlington Warriors Football Team
schedule in their packets. Mr. Garland said they have not worked out any
specifics with the team as far as security, concessions or tickets for their
games. Mr. Garland said he has called several times, but he hasn’t gotten an
answer. Mrs. Thomas wanted to know if we had an address to send mail or
correspondence to the football team. Mr. Garland said the only contact info
he has is a cell phone number. Mr. Garland said the team is practicing at
Virgil Wells Stadium. Mrs. Thomas said if the team has gotten the
insurance which Council required that they get, seems as if they would have
had to have an official address. Mr. Garland said the address may have been
on the insurance form, but he was only given a copy of the policy. 4)
General Fund balance $95,563.00; Hospitality Tax Fund $199,326.27; Fund
Balance Acct. - $1,067,603.09; 5) The Chamber Banquet at Darlington
Country Club is Thursday, June 23, 2011 @ 6:30 PM at Darlington Country
Club; 6) Wachovia Bank will host a “How to Rebuild My Credit” seminar
for employees and any Council member that would like to attend on June 15,
2011 at 11:30 AM. 7) Mr. Garland said 357 people have come to the Gandy
pool within the first week of opening.
REMINDERS:
Tuesday, June 14, 2011-Flag Day; June 16th-19th-MASC Annual Meeting
(Hilton Head, SC); Monday, July 4, 2011- Independence Day (City Offices
Closed); Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 7:00 PM- City Council Meeting.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Hines, to go into
executive session at 7:55 PM to discuss an economic development issue.
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Hines, executive session
ended at 8:35 PM.
Mayor Watkins said Council discussed a proposal in executive session, but
there was no vote. Mayor Watkins said there was hesitation by Council
45
makes a decision until we look into the issue a little more, so no action was
taken.
Additional Note: Mr. Garland said he forgot to mention in his update that
Ms. Jannie Lathan would have the storm water report ready and would like
to present it to Council on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 6:00 PM in the
conference room @ the Admin Building.
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion of Mrs. Thomas, seconded by Mrs. Hines, the meeting
adjourned at 8:37 PM.
Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
46
CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
May 3, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held May 3, 2011 at
7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Mayor Watkins, Mr. Wayne Chapman, Mrs. Dyan Cohen,
Mrs. Gloria Hines, Mrs. Annette Thomas and Mr. John Segars. Also
present: City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Kinsaul, Police Chief, Jay
Cox, Mr. David Vaughan, Mr. Rodney Langley, Mr. Lee Bass, Mr. Merrill
Sheffield, Mrs. April Bailey, Mr. Davis Skipper, Ms. Lisa Rock from the
News & Press, Chamber Director, Mr. Ron Page and other visitors.
PRAYER
Mrs. Thomas gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Segars made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular
Council Meeting on April 5, 2011 and a Budget Meeting on April 26,
2011. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Cohen.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan gave Council members a copy of his monthly report. He said
The Beautification Committee met on April 27, 2011 and the Kalmia Garden
and Study Club is continuing to plant flowers at the City Hall building and
the Council on Aging building. Pee Dee Electric Cooperative had a work
day which they called “Christmas in April” and about 20 employees from
Pee Dee Electric partnered with several Garden Club members and they
worked on Saturday painting and beautifying the Council on Aging property.
Mr. Vaughan said he had an opportunity to get a report from Mr. Bert
Guerry, Agriculture Director for the Darlington County Institute of
Technology. Mr. Vaughan said Mr. Guerry has expressed an interest
through his agricultural student program and the Future Farmers of America
to possibly provide some flowers and plants for the Garden Club and the
Beautification Committee for future projects in the City of Darlington. Mr.
Vaughan said the Design and Review Board met on April 14, 2011 and
47
approved three new awnings for Dr. Altman’s dental office at 208 Pearl
Street. Also, signage was approved for the Markette at 104 Cashua Ferry
Road. Mr. Vaughan said Mrs. Emma Smoot had to resign due to health
reasons and the Board is asking for Council’s consideration and
recommendation for a new Board member. He said “the Taste of
Darlington” and the Golf Tournament were very successful. The first
“Market of Darlington Square” is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, 2011,
from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM. On Thursday, May 5, 2011, The “Race Fest will
begin at 6:00 PM. The “Car Haulers” parade should reach downtown
Darlington around 8:00 PM and the event will end with a fireworks display.
On Friday, May, 6, 2011, Mr. Cecil Chandler with Carolina & Company
will broadcast live from the Courthouse grounds promoting downtown
Darlington. Mr. Vaughan said at the By-Pass at the entrance of town, there
are three new flags (A State, U.S. and City flags) flying.
AGENDA CHANGE
Mayor asked Council’s permission to move item #9 up to item #5-A. There
was no objection.
MR. RONALD R. PAGE- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR CHAMBER
Mr. Page said it is his goal not only to bring businesses into the City as a
whole, but in his first three weeks of his new position he has worked hard to
find ways for our City to save money and grow economically. He said he
spoke with a local gas station about an idea which can save the city money
on fuel by allowing the City would purchase gas at today’s prices without
paying any increases if the gas goes up in the summer. He said the City
would have two pumps available with lockable tanks (purchase either 6,000
gallons or 9,000 gallons of gas). A second idea Mr. Page said he has is a
floating parking space which would allow businesses to have access to a
space for a certain amount of time. Mr. Page said he met with a prospective
steel erection company which could possibly bring up to thirty new jobs.
Mr. Page said he has been working on a project with the Boy Scouts of
Society Hill for mountain bikers. He said he has had volunteers to clean up
sections of Black Creek starting with the golf course to make it more
accessible to kayakers. Mr. Page said their membership has grown and
additional funding would be helpful and if he receives $4,000 he knows he
can make further benefits to the area. Mayor Watkins asked Mr. Page if he
was making a request and he said “Yes”. Mayor Watkins told Mr. Page that
Council would be discussing the budget tonight and having first reading. He
said the budget is balanced at this point but they would take his request into
48
consideration. Mr. Page told Council that his goal was that if he could save
the City some money he would have earned his portion of what he’s asking
for.
MUNICIPAL JUDGE SELECTION PROCESS
Mr. Segars made a motion that we renew Dan Causey’s contract for two
more years as City Municipal Judge. The motion was seconded by Mr.
Chapman. Mrs. Hines asked why the judge’s position couldn’t be
advertised like it was before? Mayor Watkins said his thinking is that before
we advertise we should first determine if the judge has the majority of the
support of Council. All approved the motion except Mrs. Hines.
FIRST READING ON 2011-2012 BUDGET
Upon motion of Mrs. Cohen, seconded by Mr. Segars, First reading on
2011-1012 Budget, which unanimously carried.
GANDY SWIMMING POOL COMMITTEE- MR. LANGLEY
Mr. Langley said he was asked by the City Manager to study the operations
of the pool for the upcoming year (Committee Members: Lee Bass, Wallace
Bradley & Rodney Langley). Mr. Langley said the committee took a tour of
the pool and six cameras are in place, with three being heavily focused on
the deep end, one on the kiddy pool, one in the shower area. He said there is
one that is motion activated and it’s being recorded and someone in the
concession area will be watching it at all times. He said with all of the work
that has been done at the pool, the committee’s recommendation is that the
Police Department continue to operate the pool. Mr. Langley said the
committee was asked to consider two proposals: 1) The YMCA has offered
to teach a “learn to swim” lessons. Mr. Langley said there has been a person
that has taught swimming lessons for years at our pool and she is interested
in continuing to teach swimming lessons. He said another person was
contacted by Danny Watson about giving swimming lessons and taking this
into consideration, the committee feels that the “learn to swim” might be
better served at the YMCA since we have two people that are willing to give
swimming lessons. 2) It was proposed that Mr. James Ward from the
YMCA work with the City staff on safety operations and conditions at the
pool. Mr. Langley said they looked at the qualifications of Mr. Ward from
the “Y” and the qualifications of the person that we have and he has many of
the same qualifications as Mr. Ward. Mr. Langley said all of our life guards
will be trained on an annual basis and also given CPR classes. He said with
taking all of this into consideration, they did not see the need to have Mr.
49
Ward from the “Y” come in. Mr. Langley said the recommendation of the
committee is to the city manager. Mrs. Thomas, made a motion that we
reopen the pool for the summer of 2011. Mrs. Hines seconded the
motion. Mrs. Thomas amended her motion to include: that we reopen
the pool for regular operations. Mrs. Hines seconded the motion. All
approved the motion. Mr. Garland said the family of one of the deceased
boys (Timquan McAllister) requested to have a memorial at the pool if we
decided to reopen it. Mrs. Hines made a motion that we allow the
McAllister family to come in on the day the pool reopens to have a
memorial at whatever time Mr. Garland works out with them. The
motion was seconded by Mrs. Cohen. All approved the motion. Mr.
Garland said he endorses the recommendations of the committee. Mr.
Segars made a motion to accept Mr. Langley’s report from the
committee. The motion was seconded by Mr. Chapman. Mrs. Thomas
asked if we could set up a program where children can take swimming
lessons longer than one week. She also said we need community input in
some of the things we do. Mr. Langley said the committee is saying that
there will be swimming lessons taught at the pool by Ms. Lillian Brunson.
Mrs. Thomas said she feels the children should have longer than one week to
learn to swim. Hines asked Chief Cox if there was any way to tell if a child
can swim or cannot swim. Mrs. Hines said it would be good if there was
some way we could get someone to come in and teach the children how to
swim. Mr. Langley said if there’s any question whether a child can swim or
not they are asked to prove that they can and if they can’t they have a certain
wrist band that they wear and they are not allowed to go into the deep end of
the pool. Mr. Segars made a motion to allow the Police Department to
continue operations and staffing of the pool. The motion was seconded
by Mrs. Cohen. Mrs. Thomas made a motion that we accept offer from
gentleman at the YMCA to give “learn to swim” lessons one week prior
to the opening of the pool. Mr. Chapman seconded the motion. Mrs.
Cohen said this effort should be cooperative with the City. Mr. Langley
asked if the lifeguards be expected to be present when the gentleman gives
the lessons and are they expected to work with the stations. Chief Cox asked
Council when they wanted to open the pool. Chief Cox said they always
choose the Memorial Day weekend to open and if swimming lessons are to
be given one week prior to the pool opening, Council needs to consider that
school is still in session and his main lifeguards will still be in school also.
Chief Cox recommends that swimming lessons in the morning from 9:00
AM-10:30 AM. Chief Cox said he is looking to open the pool at 1:00 PM
on Saturday, May 28th. All approved the motion made by Mrs. Thomas.
50
Mr. Segars said as far as the swimming lessons are concerned it would be
better to give the lessons prior to the pool opening for that day. Chief Cox
said this is what Ms. Lillian Brunson has always brought her students in and
hour to an hour and a half earlier before the pool opens for the day. Mrs.
Cohen said if for some reason why the “Y” has trouble putting this all
together, maybe the City can offer some type of swimming lessons. Mr.
Langley said the committee was not opposed to the YMCA giving the
swimming lessons, but with Ms. Brunson and the other backup they felt like
they were covered. Mayor Watkins said we have a certified operator at the
pool. Chief Cox said we have a certified pool operator and every
recommendation that was suggested last year prior to their reopening of the
pool was followed “to a tee”. Mr. Langley said according to DHEC
requirements, the City has more than enough lifeguards at the City pool.
Mayor Watkins said if any member of Council feels that we need to bring in
a person from the YMCA to work with the City staff concerning safety
operations and conditions at the City pool, he would like to know their
feelings on this. Mrs. Hines said the Police Department workers have
already met the criteria for the pool and we use should what we’ve got.
Mrs. Hines made a motion that the City keep who we presently have
(Police Department) concerning safety operations and conditions at the
pool. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Thomas. Mrs. Hines made a
motion that the responsibility for safety at the pool lies with the Police
Department concerning the safety operations and conditions at the pool.
The motion was seconded by Mrs. Thomas. Mrs. Cohen said it will
probably be better if we had another set of eyes at the pool. Chief Cox said
if Mrs. Cohen wants to bring someone else if it would not hurt their feelings.
Mr. Garland said we need to leave things the way they are now. All
approved the motion.
BIDS FOR SIGN AT ARTHUR STANLEY MEMORIAL
GYMNASIUM
Mr. Garland said he received three bids for a sign at the Arthur W. Stanley
Memorial Gymnasium with a low bid of $2,750. Lettering will be put on
two sides of the gym. In order to save money Council discussed getting a
sign and putting it on one side of the gym and also leaving out the word
“Memorial”. Mrs. Thomas made a motion for City to purchase sign to
put on one side of the gym with the name “Arthur W. Stanley
Gymnasium”. Mrs. Hines seconded the motion. All approved the
motion except Mr. Segars.
51
APPROVAL OF DEMOLITION LIST OF DILAPIDATED HOUSES
Mr. Bass gave Council a list of proposed houses to be demolished along
with pictures of them. Mr. Bass said the homeowners were notified in
February by certified mail. He said with Council’s approval he will
advertise in the paper a request for bids. Mr. Chapman made a motion for
Mr. Bass to proceed with the process. The motion was seconded by
Mrs. Thomas. Mr. Bass said the City will start cutting the vacant lots, but
the vacant houses will be contracted out. He said a $100.00 administrative
fee will be added to what the charge is to cut the lot.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) Next budget work session is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24, 2011; 2)
General Fund balance $253,663.69; Hospitality Tax Fund $379,578.36;
W&S Fund $669,637.10; Water & Sewer Capital Fund $384,078.47; W&S
Fund Balance Acct.- $278,435.22; Fund Balance Acct. - $1,067,489.02; 3)
They have run into some problems with moving the Street Department to W.
Broad Street. He said they had difficulty finding the water hook-up. One of
the connections is almost under one of the heat pumps. Mr. Merrill
Sheffield said they didn’t realize this when they installed the heating
systems. Mr. Bass said every piece of copper that was associated with
plumbing has been removed from the building. So now we are looking at
having to redo the plumbing in the building. Mr. Langley said he has an
estimated price of $18,000 for the materials for lighting. 4) Mr. Garland
said Mr. Bradley was able to get the shoulder pads for the semi-pro team for
$1,750; 5) Website Update – The City signed a contract with Revize &
Associates to update our website with a new design and capabilities. The
cost is $3,200 ($2,000 to redesign and $1,200 for yearly upkeep and
hosting). 6) Mr. Garland said part of the work on Cashua Street storm water
line cleanup. Mr. Garland said the line is in such good condition that we feel
like a slip line is not needed. Mr. Garland said he would like the remainder
of the money to be used for cleaning out the line between North Ervin Street
and Spring Street. Mr. Langley said he has unintentionally misled Council
on costs for the storm waterline cleanup project. He said the first proposal
they received was for $23,500, but after realizing the pipe was terra cotta,
the company submitted a second bid for $41,356, but he did not realize this
did not include the cleaning of the line for $23,500. Mr. Langley said he
told the company there was no way we could do the slip line for this price.
Mr. Langley said a new catch basin has been installed at the corner of Spring
& Cashua Street at a cost of $7,500. The company cleaned approximately
170 feet, which was their contract. Mr. Langley said they went a lot further
52
than their contract specified. Mr. Langley showed Council pictures of
before cleaning the lines and pictures after the lines were cleaned. Mr.
Langley said Mr. Scott Eaddy called him and strongly recommends cleaning
the storm drain system to have it functioning property before any slip line is
done. Mr. Langley said Mr. Eaddy felt like $31,000 was too much to pay
but if the City could afford to, have them come back in and finish the job.
Mr. Langley said to come in and clean the sand out of line from Spring
Street to N. Ervin will cost approximately $9,090, but this does not include
cutting the roots. They will guarantee 80% of roots will be taken out for
$6,480. To patch the bad spot will cost an additional $350.00. Mr. Langley
said we have spent $31,000 and if we spend $9,090 to get the sand out and
$6,480 to get the roots out and $350.00 to patch the bad spot, we would have
spent roughly $46,920. We approved $42,000, and for an additional $4,000
we can clean out line to N. Ervin Street. Mr. Langley said a man from the
company said if they finished early one or two afternoons, they will go in
and clean the line at the corner of the Square at no extra charge. Mr.
Langley told Council to keep in mind we will get $20,000 from the County
Transportation Commission. Mr. Chapman made a motion that we spend
the extra $4,000 to finish cleaning the line. Mrs. Hines seconded the
motion. Mrs. Cohen asked if the flooding will be worse around Swift
Creek. Mr. Sheffield said there may be a blocked pipe and this is something
his department can take care of in house. Mr. Langley said they will look at
this and see if they can come up with a solution. All approved the motion.
7) a-Mr. Garland said the EDA Sewer Engineering Project should be
complete by August 1st; b-The CDBG Sewer project should be ready to bid
out by end of May; c-should be ready to advertise for Renaissance Planning
Grant will advertise for engineering request for qualifications this month.
REMINDERS:
Thursday, May 5, NASCAR Car Hauler Parade 6:00 PM-10:00 PM on the
Public Square; Friday, May 6, 2011-Darlington 200 NASCAR Race, 7:00
PM at Darlington Raceway; Saturday, May 7, 2011-Southern 500 Race at
8:00 PM, Darlington Raceway; Saturday, May 21, 2011 “Market on the
Square”; Monday, May 31, 2011-Memorial Day, City Offices will be closed;
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 7:00 PM – Regular City Council Meeting
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, the meeting
adjourned at 9:05 PM.
53
Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
54
CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
April 5, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held April 5,
2011 at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Mayor Watkins, Mr. Coleman Cannon, Mrs. Dyan Cohen,
Mrs. Gloria Hines, and Mr. John Segars. Also present: City Manager, Mr.
Howard Garland, Mr. Kinsaul, Police Chief, Jay Cox, Mr. David Vaughan,
Mrs. Anna Davis, Mr. Dwight Dana from the Hartsville Messenger, Ms.
Lisa Rock from the News & Press and other visitors.
PRAYER
Mr. Cannon gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mrs. Hines made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular
Council Meeting on March 1, 2011 and a Special Meeting followed by a
Budget Meeting on March 28, 2011. The motion was seconded by Mrs.
Cohen. All approved the minutes with the following change.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan gave a monthly report to Council members. He said The
DDRA Golf Tournament is scheduled for April 6, 2011, 1:00 PM at
Darlington Country Club. The “Taste of Darlington” is scheduled for
Thursday, April 14, 2011 from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM at the Darlington
Raceway Sprint Cup Garage Area. The Kalmia Garden Study Club has done
a great job with the beautification project at the City Hall building. The
Design Review Committee continues to meet and review any applications
that they receive on the facades of buildings and any signage they need to
review.
MR. ROB JORDAN 2009-2010 AUDIT REPORT
Mr. Rob Jordan said page three of the audit shows a clean opinion from the
auditing firm. He went over page 16-Balance Sheet of Governmental Fund;
page 17-Statement of Revenues & Expenditures; Page 19-Balance Sheet for
55
Water & Sewer Fund; Page 20-Income Statement for Water & Sewer Fund;
Page 21-Statement of Cash Flow for W&S Fund; Page 38-Comparison for
General Fund; Page 59-Report from auditors on Internal Control Over
Financial Reporting; Page 60-Compliance and Other Matters; Page 61Federal Grants; Pages 63 & 64-Schedule of Findings. Mr. Garland said the
audit Committee met twice with the auditors they are satisfied with the
report. Mr. Garland said Mr. Hiral that works with Hill & Jordan suggested
that we use an outside company to come in every few months and check our
general ledger accounts which would keep the auditing firm from having to
help balance our books which is not supposed to be done by them any more.
Mr. Garland recommended that the City hire an outside source, specifically
Jackie Breland who we have worked with previously to come in every three
months and check to make sure everything is balanced. Mr. Garland also
recommended that we use the company for forty hours a year and that we
pay the company no more than $4,500 a year. He said we will start with the
new budget July 1st. Mr. Segars made a motion that the City hire Jackie
Breland for forty hours a year and pay her no more than $4,500 a year
to help us balance the books. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Cohen.
All approved the motion.
MS. JANICE BAROODY/MR. DON STRICKLAND – PDRTA
Ms. Janice Baroody appeared before Council to present a video that she said
would be going out all over the State. (They tried several times but could
not get the video to play, so Ms. Baroody told Council she would send it to
them). Ms. Baroody said every year SCDOT presents awards at the
Transportation Association Conference and they base their awards on the
various types of public transportation that go on in the State. She said this
year the DART service here in Darlington was named the best rural
transportation system in the State. Ms. Baroody said they are most surprised
that people are using the system to get to work. Mr. Don Strickland,
Transportation Manager with PDRTA said when he checked the numbers
today they had approximately 700 passengers for the month of March. He
said when they started out; they average 200-300 passengers a month, so the
system is really growing. Mr. Strickland said they get a lot of calls from
people seeking information about where to board the bus and what time. He
said right now the bus runs from 7:00 AM-5:00 PM and there has been
interest for them to extend service until 6:00 PM-7:00 PM daily and also
weekend service. He said as long as the business continues to grow, they
will continue to expand their services. Ms. Baroody said they seen a lot of
young people use the service to get to Florence-Darlington Tech.
56
VIRGIL WELLS STADIUM PRIORITIES AND FUNDING
Mr. Garland said Council asked him to get quotes on lighting for the Virgil
Wells Stadium. He said he received two quotes with a low bid of $81,000
which includes estimated cost on labor. The Garland said he received an
estimated cost of $257,000 to fix the track. Mr. Garland said we will not be
able to afford to rubberize the track with our current budget. He said we can
go in with limited supervision and pack the dirt and make it as hard packed
as possible and line it off. Mr. Garland said lighting is a high priced object
and he would think if we were to do lighting it would be after we do the
other improvements. Mayor Watkins said there are a number of elderly
people that like to walk and if they walk in the daytime, we won’t need
lighting right now. Mrs. Cohen said people might not feel comfortable
walking in the stadium behind a solid wall where no one can see them. She
said she does not know if this would be the best place for walking, but the
most successful walking tracks are the ones that are wide open where there’s
traffic and people can feel more secure. Mrs. Cohen said if there are enough
people that don’t mind walking behind a solid wall, then she’s okay with it.
Chief Jay Cox told Council if they get the track ready, he will provide the
security. Chief Cox told Council to come up with a schedule and his
department will provide security so people will feel safe. Mrs. Cohen asked
about operational costs for the track. Mayor Watkins said if we start with
walkers at the stadium, there will be no additional costs. Chief Cox said
there will be no additional cost for his department because he will use the
officers on their regular shift. Chief Cox recommended that we use set
hours and if the stadium has gates, they will make sure they are locked.
Mrs. Hines suggested to Council that they take the first four items on the list,
which is approximately $75,000 and work with this. Mrs. Hines made a
motion to take the first four items on the list for approximately $75,000
and begin work on the Virgil Wells Stadium. The motion was seconded
by Mrs. Cohen. Mr. Segars said he feels we are a little premature on the
tower at the concession stand. He said we are presuming we may have some
football at the stadium. Mr. Garland said the stadium will be used for soccer
as well. There was discussion among Council members whether to have the
concession stand now and adding the tower later. Mr. Segars made a
motion to amend the motion by eliminating the tower for $25,000. The
motion failed for lack of a second. Mr. Cannon, Mrs. Hines, Mrs.
Cohen and Mayor Watkins approved the motion to take first four items
on list for approximately $75,000. Mr. Segars voted against the motion.
57
PROCLAMATION DECLARING APRIL, 2011 AS FAIR HOUSING
MONTH
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mr. Segars, proclamation
declaring April, 2011 as Fair Housing Month, which unanimously
carried.
OPINION LETTER FROM CITY ATTORNEY – MCLELLAN
PARKING LOT PAVING
Mayor Watkins read a letter of opinion from City Attorney, Mr. Newton
Howle. Mr. Garland said we have an estimate of $39,000 to pave the
parking lot behind the McClellan Building, but it does not include striping.
Mr. Garland said we have the capability to do the stripping in-house. Mrs.
Cohen made a motion that we seek funding to pave the parking lot with
hospitality tax funds. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hines. All
approved the motion. Mr. Garland said since Council has designated these
funds from the hospitality tax fund, 580-388 was the budget line item that
has $30,000 that was set aside to repave the McClellan Parking lot but there
is a need to fix the parking lot at the Council on Aging Building. He said
there is a large hole in the parking lot and it is a liability issue. Mr. Garland
recommends that we not exceed $15,000 and get Mr. Sheffield to go ahead
and pave the parking lot with money that has been set aside to pave the
McClellan Parking Lot. Mrs. Hines made a motion for us to use funds
out of line item 580-388, not to exceed $15,000, to pave the parking lot at
the Council on Aging Building. The motion was seconded by Mr.
Cannon. All approved the motion.
DISCUSSION OF STRAY DOG PROBLEM
Mr. Cannon said this is the fifth or sixth time he has brought up the subject
about stray dogs. Mr. Segars asked if the City has a leash law and if so,
maybe we need to enforce it. Mrs. Hines said she agrees with Mr. Cannon
about the stray dogs, but the people that walk dogs need to get the droppings
up if they mess up people’s yards. Mayor Watkins said our ordinance states
that the police officers could pick up stray dogs. Chief Cox said they do not
want to pick up dogs and put them in their patrol cars. Chief Cox said the
majority of the dogs that are roaming don’t have any type of identification at
all. He said as far as impounding them, they don’t have the tools. Chief
Cox said if Council wants to give his department the tools and the personnel
to do it, he will take this challenge on. He said as long as you are holding an
animal, you have to take care of them. If you take them to the County, they
will only hold them so long and they will end up euthanizing them. Mr.
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Cannon said he doesn’t think policemen should be chasing dogs, but we
should be enforcing the laws against the people who own the dogs. Mayor
Watkins said the City does have a “dangerous animal” ordinance that
protects the citizens. Mayor Watkins said Ruthie Amerson should work
under the auspices of the Police Department since she is the animal warden
and can issue citations. Mr. Garland also suggested that we limit the number
of dogs per household. He also suggested that we research this some more
before we come back with a recommendation. Chief Cox said another
avenue is to have pet owners get their animals spayed or neutered. A lady at
the meeting said “The Snip Clinic” on Palmetto Street in Florence, SC does
this for about one-half the price that a vet charges. Mrs. Cohen made a
motion to appoint a committee of three people; one member of
administrative staff (chosen by Mr. Garland); one member from the
Police Department, chosen by the Police Chief; and one member of
Council, chosen by the Mayor, to research our existing laws and look
for deficiencies; and to look for measures in place at other towns, so that
the committee can make recommendations to Council. The motion was
seconded by Mr. Cannon. All approved the motion. Mrs. Hines
amended the motion to require pet owners to use a “poop scoop” to bag
their animals’ waste. Mr. Garland said DHEC is going to require this soon
anyway.
YOUTH BASKETBALL FOR STANLEY GYMNASIUM
Mr. Garland said Mr. Wallace Bradley has acquired the services of Mr.
.Derrick McQueen to offer basketball instruction on Tuesdays and Thursday
nights from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM. Mr. McQueen played for St. John’s High
and later for Wake Forest. He cares for the children in the community and
wants to do this free of charge. Also, Mr. Bradley has arranged for a local
AAU (Amateur Athletic Team) to come in on Friday nights and Saturday
mornings to work with the youth in free play. Mrs. Hines said Council
needs to take Mr. Bradley’s recommendation first and work with that; then
we can add on if necessary. Mrs. Cohen asked if we can get in writing what
hours and what ages this will cover. Mr. Garland said he will get this
information.
TOWERS FOR NEW METERS – FREDDIE KINSAUL
Mr. Kinsaul said Sensus came back to the City with a counter proposal for
us not to go with the County. Mr. Kinsaul gave Council a “cost
comparison” sheet and he said we will only have to spend an additional cost
of $77,424, which is still within our budget. Mr. Kinsaul said if we go with
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the County, he is looking at spending $89,150 for the equipment he has to
have to use their towers. He said Sensus has offered us $166,544 to put our
system in completely, which is $77,424 more than we would pay to piggy
back with Darlington County Water & Sewer Authority. Mr. Kinsaul said
we will still be within the budgeted money that Council approved in the
bond. Mr. Kinsaul said the benefit to us is that we would own the system;
we wouldn’t have to make any type agreements with Darlington County
Water & Sewer Authority. Mrs. Hines asked if we would have to pay
Darlington County Water a monthly fee is we were to go with them. Mr.
Kinsaul said probably, because board members were talking about some
type of fee but they didn’t get that far with the agreement. Mr. Segars
made a motion that we accept Mr. Kinsaul’s recommendation and pay
an additional $77,424 to own our system. Mrs. Hines seconded the
motion. All approved the motion.
NEW POLICE CARS – CHIEF JAY COX
Chief Cox said we would like to purchase five new police cars @ $38,000 a
year (3.25% APR) a total of $143,000 over a four year period. He said he
will be taking three cars off line because of high miles (Car #26 & Car #27
will be taken completely offline, but Car #32 will be transferred to the Rec
Dept). Chief Cox told Council he would be saving an additional $4,500 of
the figure he gave them because Car #26 has a digital camera system that
they will be able to take out and transfer to one of the new cars. Chief Cox
said this will come out of next year’s budget but asked for Council’s
permission for him to order the cars this month. Chief Cox told Council he
would only be asking them for three vehicles because he was approved for
two vehicles and two golf carts through USDA, but he does not see this
happening before June 30th. Mr. Garland said we will hold off as long as we
can like we did with the fire truck. Mrs. Cohen asked Chief Cox why he
was coming to Council now and not in a few months once the budget is
approved. Chief Cox said the dealership is holding the cars for them and
Mr. Garland said the interest rates may increase because he was told the
Federal Reserve was going to raise their interest rates in June. Chief Cox
said the five cars will come out of next year’s budget even though he needs
to order them now to get this price, but the first payment won’t be due until
after the new budget year. He said these are 6-cylinder dodge chargers. He
said four vehicles will be marked cars and one will be unmarked. Chief Cox
said Car #32 will be transferred to the Recreation Department. Mr. Segars
made a motion to purchase five (5) new vehicles for the police
department at the cost listed above. The motion was seconded by Mrs.
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Hines. All voted in favor of the motion except Mrs. Cohen. Mrs. Cohen
said she is not against getting the cars, but they have not gotten the budgets
from each department yet and she would like to see where the money will be
coming from and find out what the plan is as far as the number of police
officers vs. cars.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) Mr. Garland said Mr. Calvin King and Mr. Charles Russell’s terms on
The Zoning Board of Appeals expires the end of this month and he is asking
Council to reappoint them. Upon motion of Mr. Cannon, seconded by
Mrs. Hines, to reappoint Mr. Calvin King and Mr. Charles Russell to
the Zoning Board of Appeals, which unanimously carried. 2) The
gentleman that started the football team has gotten their helmets. He said
they brought them by the office today and he and Mr. Langley inspected
them and they meet the standards. Mr. Garland said he instructed Mr.
Bradley today to go ahead and order shoulder pads at a cost not to exceed
$3,750. 3) Ethics Commission reports are due by April 15th; 4) Council
needs to make an official decision on the B.A. Gary Pool – (Can make at the
May meeting; 5) The Cashua Street drainage line project is scheduled to
begin on April 18, 2011; 6) Work will begin on the roof of the old Builders
Supply (new offices for Street Department) at a cost of approximately
$3,800. Once they finish the roof, he will have an electrician go in and
finish the electrical work and then Mr. Sheffield can go in and lay out where
his people will be. Mr. Garland said he’s hoping that within six weeks the
Street Department will be moved into the new facility. 7) Suggested dates
for next Council Budget Work Session- Monday, April 18th, Tuesday, April
19th, Monday, April 25th or Tuesday, April 26th. Council members agreed
that the next budget work session will be on Tuesday, April 26th at 6:00 PM.
8) Mr. Garland said estimates for bidding on the EDA Industrial Sewer
Project will be ready to bid out any where from four to eight months. He
said looks like the project will start in March or April of 2012 and will finish
in June of 2013. Mr. Garland said this could change depending on how
engineering work goes and how the works goes with corp. of engineers on
the wetlands issue. 9) The sub recipient agreement for The CDBG
Renaissance Planning Grant for South Darlington has been signed with Pee
Dee Council of Governments and they will put out a request for
qualifications from interested companies. Then the committee of council
will meet and look at resumes of interested companies. Mr. Garland said the
General Fund Balance-$303,215.10; Hospitality Tax Fund Balance$359,209.10; Fund Balance Account - $1,067,371.16. Mr. Garland told
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Council they need to set a date for the Stanley Gym dedication. Mr. Garland
recommended that we have it Friday, May 6th of Friday, May 13th. Friday,
May 6th is the race, so Friday, May 20th was added instead. Mr. Garland told
Mr. Cannon to check with the family see what date will suffice and he will
let them know at the May meeting.
REMINDERS:
Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 7:00 PM –Taste of Darlington at the Darlington
Raceway; Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 10:00 AM-2:00 PM Earth Day
Festival at Williamson Park; Friday, April 22, 2011-Good Friday, City
offices will be closed; Friday, April 29, 2011 from 12 noon -1:00 PM, a
cookout for City employees and Council members at Sanders Street Gym;
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 7:00 PM – Regular Council Meeting
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mr. Segars, the meeting
adjourned at 8:51 PM.
Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
62
CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
March 1, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held March 1,
2011 at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Mayor Watkins, Mr. Coleman Cannon, Mrs. Dyan Cohen,
Mrs. Annette Thomas, Mrs. Gloria Hines, Mr. Wayne Chapman and Mr.
John Segars. Also present: City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Robert
Garland, Mr. Kinsaul, Police Chief, Jay Cox, Mr. Rodney Langley, Mr.
David Vaughan, Mrs. Anna Davis, Dr. Alex Cohen, Mrs. Joyce Thomas, Mr.
Dwight Dana from the Hartsville Messenger, Ms. Lisa Rock from the News
& Press and other visitors.
PRAYER
Mrs. Cohen gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance.
AGENDA CHANGE
Mayor Watkins asked Council’s permission to suspend the rule and add Dr.
Alex Cohen to address Council concerning use of Stanley Gym as item #5
since his request came in after the agenda was issued. Mrs. Thomas made
a motion to suspend rules to add Dr. Alex Cohen as item #5 on the
agenda. The motion was seconded by Mr. Segars. All approved the
motion.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Segars made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular
Council Meeting on February 1, 2011. The motion was seconded by
Mrs. Cohen. Mayor Watkins said to make the following correction to the
minutes: “he was at home recuperating and not in the hospital”. All
approved the minutes with the following change.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan passed out copies of his monthly report to Council members.
He said the Beautification Committee met on February 16th and the Kalmia
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Garden Study Club has plans to begin work on the flower bed at the entrance
of City Hall. The Committee also approved the replacement of the
shrubbery across the front of City Hall and there are funds in the
beautification committee for this. The nominations for the pride awards for
the second quarter were accepted and the committee selected the home of
Kathy and Eddie Danner on Hoole Street for the Residential Pride Award
and the Merle Norman building on the Public Square for the Business Pride
Award. Presentations will be made the first week in April, 2011. The
Design Review Board met on February 18, 2011 and this was the first time
the full committee met in a long time. They discussed procedural guidelines
with respect to the approval and denial process of applications. Mr.
Vaughan said the board denied an application that was submitted by Mr.
Anthony Outlaw for painting the façade at 131 & 133 Pearl Street. The
board approved signage for Wachovia Bank because they are changing to
Wells Fargo Bank. Mr. Vaughan said a new application was submitted by
Mr. Outlaw for painting 131 & 133 Pearl Street which was approved. The
“Taste of Darlington” is scheduled for Thursday, April 14, 2011 from 7:00
PM - 9:00 PM at the Darlington Raceway Pit Area. Tickets are on sale for
$30.00 each. He said DDRA met with Mr. Grady Culbertson and he is
interested in starting a project called “The Darlington Market Place” which
is patterned after a similar event in Hartsville that occurs the first Saturday in
the month where local people come in with tents and provide various goods
to be sold. Mr. Vaughan said Mr. Culbertson presented the idea to the
DDRA Board and they were favorable with the concept and adopted the
concept for him to move forward. Mr. Vaughan included a copy of Mr.
Culbertson’s summary with his report. The DDRA Golf Tournament is
scheduled for April 6, 2011, 1:00 PM at Darlington Country Club. Mr.
Cannon wanted to know who would be responsible for the project Mr.
Culbertson wants to undertake. Mr. Vaughan said the DDRA board
discussed this and it would be a committee of volunteers that would be under
the umbrella of the DDRA. Mr. Vaughan said they are projecting at this
point to have the market the third Saturday of each month starting as a pilot
project in May and going through August. He said at that point there will be
a review of how well the market has been received in the community and
whether they will want to move forward. Mr. Vaughan said Mr. Culbertson
suggested three possible locations for the market: 1) the first priority of
being around the perimeter of the Square (on the sidewalk); 2) the parking
lot behind C Boan’s Steakhouse; and 3) the parking lot where the mural is.
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Mrs. Thomas asked about licensing for the vendors. Mayor Watkins said the
committee is asking for the City to waive any license fees, but other
requirements imposed by the State, etc. are not our jurisdiction.
DR. ALEX COHEN
Dr. Alex Cohen said he and people he plays basketball with have thoughts
about further utilization of the B.A. Gary Complex and Gymnasium. He
said looking at the youth in the town and the importance of them having a
place to play basketball. He said currently there is no outdoor facility in
Darlington where kids can play basketball. He said basketball is a very good
sport health wise as a good source of recreation; its helps give kids
something to do and it helps young kids develop team work skills. Dr.
Cohen said the Recreation Department had a basketball program for many
years, but it was only for a couple of months out of the year. He said at the
present time, the gym is only being used a few months out of the year. He
thinks we should utilize it more by having the gym open three or four
afternoons for a few hours a day with times differing for various age groups.
Dr. Cohen said there is also the possibility of utilization for three or four
hours on Saturday late morning and early afternoon or Sunday afternoon
from 2:00 PM-5:00 PM for kids or adults to play. Dr. Cohen asked Council
to consider adding more money to the recreation department budget to hire
extra help to keep the gym open longer. He said this is not recreation ball or
adult basketball this is an open time for the kids to play pick-up basketball.
He said a lot of kids want to play at the YMCA but if you are not a member
you have to pay $5.00 and you can only play twice in a year. Dr. Cohen said
the Billie Hardee Home for Boys likes to do work with their youth, but they
have no where to go. He said they have to go to Hartsville to play ball. Mrs.
Hines said she is confused because she thought this was our aim to have a
place for the children. Mrs. Hines said this is supposed to already be in the
making because Mr. Wallace Bradley was instructed to get programs for the
children and she didn’t know this was not being done. Mrs. Hines said this
was discussed and this was the main reason why they voted on it. Dr. Cohen
said he thinks they have other things they are committed to and part of this is
a staffing problem. Dr. Cohen said if they hire one more person for 25 or 30
hours a week they will be able to utilize the gym more. Mayor Watkins
asked Dr. Cohen to provide the suggested schedule and we will translate this
into personnel and dollars and see if we can incorporate this into our budget.
REQUEST TO ADD MEMBER TO WILLIAMSON PARK
COMMITTEE
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Mr. Garland said the Williamson Park Committee made recommendation to
add Mrs. Roseanne Brasington to the committee. Mr. Segars made a
motion that we add Mrs. Roseanne Brasington to the Williamson Park
Committee. The motion was seconded by Mr. Chapman. All approved
the motion.
WILLIAMSON PARK COMMITTEE – EARTH DAY
Mr. Brad Odom said “Earth Day” will be April 16, 2011-10:00 AM-2:00
PM. Will try to involve Mayo High School environmental club a little more.
Mr. Odom said they are trying to get people to reuse clothing, and do more
recycling. He said they are still trying to get people out in the park. He said
they will have different vendors that are “earth oriented” whether it’s
different type of energy or solar products. He said they are trying to get
people to come out and enjoy the park. Mrs. Cohen made a motion that
the Council endorses the Williamson Park Committee in their effort to
put on “Earth Day”. The motion was seconded by Mr. Segars. Mrs.
Thomas asked if this was an expansion of something that was already being
done before. Mrs. Thomas wanted to know how the community been
educated on what this is all about. Mr. Odom said they have very limited
funding and where they are really looking for involvement of the Council
and the City is through public service announcements so that they can
inform the public. Mr. Odom said to be able to take advantage of public
service announcements it has to a City function otherwise they would have
to pay for advertising which they don’t have the funding for. Mrs. Thomas
said, “So you’re asking the City to adopt this as a City program”. Mr. Odom
said not necessarily adopt it as a city program, but endorse it so that they can
go to the radio station. Mrs. Thomas said as opposed to using the word
“endorse” they should say “sponsored by”. Mayor Watkins said the sponsor
is Williamson Park Committee and they are doing all of the work. All
approved the motion.
CASHUA STREET DRAINAGE PROJECT – RODNEY LANGLEY
Mr. Langley said at the last meeting he was asked to look into some things
and he talked with the company that makes the material we are talking about
using is not only road rated, but also rail rated. Mr. Langley said he talked
with a gentleman from Roswell, Georgia about the company and he said he
could not speak more highly of the company. The man said this company
(the manufacturer) does excellent work. Mr. Langley said he checked with
someone from Gwynette County, Georgia and they said this is a very good
process. Mrs. Hines asked if the cost of the job was $41,000 and Mr.
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Langley said, “Yes”. Mr. Langley told Council to keep in mind that the
County Transportation Commission agreed to fund $20,000 of whatever
improvements are made for a slip line. Mr. Segars made a motion that we
install the slip line on Cashua Street. The motion was seconded by Mr.
Chapman. Mrs. Thomas said since this method is going to use a powerful
force of water, which will mean that the City will have to supply them with
water; how will the City measure the amount of water they will use. Mr.
Langley said the company will use water from one of the hydrants and usage
should be very little. All approved the motion.
VIRGIL WELLS STADIUM PRIORITIES AND FUNDING
Mr. Garland said Mr. Bradley gave him a listing for the first $100,000 of
improvements to be done at Virgil Wells Stadium. 1) The first item Mr.
Bradley recommended is that we do restrooms with the storage area for an
estimated cost of $15,000; 2) Small two-story building for concession stand
and equipment; 3) fencing around the football field inside the stadium at an
estimated cost of $12,000; 4) Bleachers for home & visitors for
approximately $20,000; 5) Scoreboard for approximately $13,000. Mr.
Bradley said there’s a possibility we can have the scoreboard donated by
either Pepsi or Coke. Mr. Garland said we will be looking into this. 6)
Benches for Players for approximately $2,000; 7) Painting of the fence for
approximately $10,000, but Mr. Bradley will ask Mayo High School Alumni
for help with this; 8) Miscellaneous Items for approximately $3,000. Mr.
Garland said two things Mr. Bradley did not include for this phase is
working on the track and lighting. Mr. Bradley did not have quotes for
either one of these yet, so he did not include it. Mr. Garland said the first
round of improvements that Mr. Bradley suggested costs around $100,000.
Mr. Garland told Council he is offering this as information at this time and
not necessarily for approval. He told Council if they want to study it they
can, but this is Mr. Bradley’s recommendation. Mr. Segars wanted to know
about planned activity for this facility once we invest all of this money. Mr.
Garland said Mr. Bradley told him that during school hours the field was
used by ROTC for outside drill practice and after school hours the field will
be used for soccer, football practice for the different youth teams, the field
can be used for overage for playoff games, gatherings in the community,
concert events, walking activities, etc. Mr. Garland said we may be able to
use some of our staff to do some of this work instead of having to bid all of
it out. Mrs. Cohen said it will be good to have these uses in a statement so
we can more closely understand not only how they are going to be used, but
how much they are going to be used. Mrs. Cohen said this will be helpful in
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terms of planning. Mrs. Cohen said we need are putting a lot of money into
this facility, but we need to make sure we are able to operate it. Mrs. Cohen
said don’t know how safe it will feel for people walking inside the stadium if
there is a solid wall and nobody can see what goes on. She said at one time
there was conversation about changing the configuration so it’s some solid
wall and some fence. Mrs. Thomas said there is a question whether the pool
is going to reopen and when. She asked if the pool will maintain its same
equity. Mrs. Thomas wanted to know since the pool is still on the loan as
collateral, will it still hold it’s value if we don’t reopen the pool. Mr.
Garland said the pool will still maintain its value, but he is going to
recommend at the May meeting that we take the Carnegie Building and the
Gandy Pool off of the mortgage and then we will base our payments on the
hospitality tax loan based on the revenue coming in. Mrs. Cohen made a
motion that we request that we get a written statement for the uses for
the Virgil Wells Stadium and go into more detail after further study.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Chapman. Mrs. Thomas said since
these items are prioritized will the City Manager look at each one
individually or will he look at all eight items. Mayor Watkins said this is
just an outline and it is subject to change. All approved the motion.
QUOTES FOR FOOTBALL HELMETS AND PADS
Mayor Watkins said the City was approached by a group of men who wished
to start a semi-pro football team and the City requested that they provide us
with proof of insurance. Mayor Watkins said the original estimate was
$3,750 to buy helmets and shoulder pads for thirty adults, but the price was a
lot higher. Mayor Watkins told Council they could stick with the amount
they considered or they can fund the entire amount. Mr. Garland gave
Council a copy of the bids that were received for the helmets and shoulder
pads with bids ranging from a high of $11,700 to a low bid of $7,050. Mr.
Garland said at the last meeting Council approved $3,750 for this and it’s
staff recommendation that we stick with that and the difference will be up to
the team to raise themselves. Mrs. Cohen made a motion that Council
funds the amount of $3,750 which was approved at the last meeting.
Mrs. Hines seconded the motion. Mr. Segars said he has concerns about
how this equipment will be accounted for out of season since Council is
funding half of it. Mr. Garland said the team has agreed to let the City store
and keep it. Mrs. Cohen rescinded her motion. Mrs. Hines made a
motion that the City does not give the team $3,750 until they come up
with their part of the money and if they cannot raise the funds for their
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part, the City will not have to give them the $3,750. The motion was
seconded by Mrs. Thomas. All approved the motion.
DISCUSSION OF MOVING COUNCIL MEETING DATE
Mayor Watkins said this particular item has come up from time to time
about changing the date that Council meets from the 1st Tuesday of each
month to the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Mayor Watkins asked the
members of the press about their feelings on the issue. Mr. Dwight Dana
said time and date is an issue for him. Ms. Lisa Rock from the News &
Press said it doesn’t matter what Tuesday, it is not good. Mayor Watkins
asked each Council member their feelings on changing the date and the
majority of Council members said the 1st Tuesday is fine with them.
DISCUSSION OF IMPROVEMENTS TO CITY OWNED PARKING
LOT BEHIND MCLELLAN’S
Chief Cox said they get a lot of complaints because the parking lot is in
pretty bad shape as far as parking lines and potholes. Chief Cox said paving
this without getting any quotes he estimates we can pave the parking lot
behind the McLellan’s Building for approximately $50,000. Chief Cox said
because they are getting complaints, he recommends brushing the parking
lot, and put some type of sealant or coating on it and then come in and out
down parking lines that work. Mr. Segars suggested we get quotes on
patching the parking lot and then reseal it. The City Manager was asked to
compare the cost of spraying the parking lot vs. paving it and check to see if
we can use hospitality tax funds to do the work. Mrs. Thomas asked Chief
Cox if he received any complaints about the parking lot behind Jin Jin
Restaurant and Chief Cox said, “No”.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) Gave Council the General Fund Balance-$491,169.92; Hospitality Tax
Fund Balance- $336,251.87; Fund Balance Account - $1,067,307.73; and the
W&S Fund - $902,350.27 2) Mr. Garland said Ms. Jannie Lathan has begun
work on the storm water study. Ms. Lathan said she is off to a great start
and is looking at work that has already been done by Davis & Brown to
make sure she is not duplicating any effort and taking advantage of the
resources the City has already expended. Ms. Lathan said Mr. Garland has
given her a time frame in which to work in and she is going to try and
exceed that. 3) Mr. Garland said on Friday, April 29th at 12:00 noon we will
have our 2nd Annual Cookout for employees and City Council at the
Recreation Dept. Building on Sanders Street. 4) Mr. Garland gave Council
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two dates to have a budget work session: Monday, March 28, 2011 or
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 6:00 PM in the City Admin Conference Room.
Mr. Garland told Council if they meet on Tuesday night he will have the
Council packets ready for them. All Council members agreed that Tuesday,
March 29, 2011 at 6:00 works better for them. 5) Mr. Garland said we are
waiting for a sub recipient agreement from the Department of Commerce in
Columbia, SC for The CDBG Renaissance Planning Grant. Mr. Garland
said the lady that was working on our grant passed away unexpectedly, so
they have to reassign all of her projects; 6) The EDA Project is continuing to
move forward and advertising for engineering services has gone out. The
bid line for request for qualifications is March 11, 2011; 7) Mr. Garland said
the Railroad has approved the permit for The CDBG West Darlington Sewer
Project. He said we now have a delay from the Army Corp of Engineers in
the wetlands opinion on the area around the old treatment plant. Once they
approve the wetlands permit we will bid the project out; 8) Darlington High
School will have a pep rally for the Darlington Boys Basketball Team-win
or lose, after the game Saturday night/Sunday morning at the DHS gym after
the team returns from Columbia, SC. 9) The Building Inspector compiled a
list of homes to be demolished. Mr. Garland said Mr. Bass sent notices out
and three property owners came in and got permits to begin taking the
property down themselves.
REMINDERS:
Saturday, March 5, 2011 – Darlington Falcons vs. Wade Hampton Generals
for 3-a Boys State Basketball Championship at 8:30 PM, Colonial Life
Arena in Columbia, SC; On Saturday, March 12, 2011 – Darlington
Raceway Truck Race at 5:00 PM; On Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 7:00 PM our
Regular City Council Meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Thomas, the meeting
adjourned at 8:44 PM.
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Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
71
CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
February 1, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held February 1,
2011 at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Mayor Pro-Tem Coleman Cannon, Mrs. Dyan Cohen, Mrs.
Annette Thomas, Mrs. Gloria Hines, and Mr. John Segars. Also present:
City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr. Robert Garland, Mr. Kinsaul,
Police Chief, Jay Cox, Mr. Rodney Langley, Mr. David Vaughan, Mrs.
Anna Davis, Mrs. Dorothy Coleman, Mr. Ted Stanley, Mr. Sylvester
Hudson, Ms. Lisa Rock from the News & Press and other visitors.
Mayor Watkins was absent from the meeting because he was in the hospital
at the time and Mr. Wayne Chapman was absent.
PRAYER
Mayor Pro-Tem Cannon gave the invocation which was followed by the
Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Upon motion of Mrs. Cohen, seconded by Mr. Segars, to approve
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting January 4, 2011, which
unanimously carried.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan passed out copies of his monthly report to Council members.
He said the Beautification Committee met on January 19th and presented a
proposal to them from Kalmia Garden Study Club requesting $300.00 to
continue their beautification work, which they approved. Mr. Vaughan said
it was recommended that the Garden Club include the entrance to the City
Hall Building as one of their projects and they accepted. The Pride Awards
for this quarter have been awarded and the committee has been asked to
nominate recipients for the second quarter at their February meeting. The
Design Committee and Review Committee met and found that Council
selected a committee in 2007 to serve in that capacity and they plan to go
back to using the full benefit of the committee. Mr. Vaughan said they have
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discussed with the committee a beneficial way of meeting the needs of the
applicants that come to them in a timely manner. The DDRA membership
has come in really well for the beginning of the year, but they plan to start
promotion and target people who have not joined. The DDRA Golf
Tournament is scheduled for April 6, 2011, 1:00 PM at Darlington Country
Club. The “Taste of Darlington” is scheduled for Thursday, April 14, 2011
from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM at the Darlington Raceway Pit Area.
MR. JOHN KENNEDY – SEMI PRO FOOTBALL TEAM
Mr. Kennedy said asked Council to grant them the opportunity to start a
semi-pro football team. Mr. Garland said at previous meetings this semi-pro
football team has asked that the City give them funding for shoulder pads
and helmets. Mr. Garland said the City asked them to provide the City of
Darlington with proof of insurance and as of 5:00 PM yesterday, they
received a quote but had not paid the premium yet. Mr. Garland told Mr.
Kennedy as soon as they pay the premium and provides the City with proof
of insurance, and then staff would recommend that we fund the helmets and
shoulder pads. Mr. Garland said if Council wanted to vote in the affirmative
to provide the helmets and shoulders pads upon the contingency that the
insurance is paid, then the City can provide once this is done. Mrs. Cohen
asked Mr. Garland if he checked with the school district. Mr. Garland said
he called Dr. Knight’s office, but she is out sick. Mr. Garland said the city
leases the Welch Stadium from the school district, but they own the
property. Mrs. Cohen said we were advised by the City Attorney to make
sure the school district was ok with this and maybe have them sign off on it.
Mr. Garland said the according to our City Attorney the quote for the
insurance is adequate and does meet the coverage for any type of incidents
that may happen during the football game. Mr. Segars wanted to know who
would be responsible for the football equipment so it can be used in
continued years. Mr. Garland said during off season, the City will keep the
equipment. Mrs. Hines asked Mr. Kennedy when he thought he would be
able to get the insurance. He said as soon as possible. Mr. Kennedy said he
was not aware they had to have the insurance upfront, only the quote. Mrs.
Hines made a motion that upon the group purchasing insurance, the
City will provide helmets and shoulder pads for the team. Mrs. Thomas
seconded the motion. Mrs. Cohen amended the motion that we make
sure the insurance is paid for the entire season and that the School
District okays the plan. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Thomas. All
approved the motion.
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SECOND READING ON ORDINANCE NO. 2011-03 – BUSINESS
LICENSE TAX
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, Second Reading
on ordinance no. 2011-03 for continuance of business license tax, which
unanimously carried.
SECOND READING ON ORDINANCE TO CHANGE NAME OF B.A.
GARY GYM TO ARTHUR W. STANLEY MEMORIAL
GYMNASIUM
Mrs. Thomas made a motion to change the name of B.A. Gary
Gymnasium to Arthur W. Stanley Memorial Gymnasium. The motion
was seconded by Mrs. Cohen. All approved the motion except Mr.
Segars.
REQUEST TO REWIRE SAFETY SWITCHED FOR OUTSIDE
HVAC AT B.A. GARY GYM
Mr. Garland said there are six (6) HVAC units at B.A. Gary Gym that needs
to be rewired. He said the power went off during the first snowstorm we had
in December causing a power outage, but when the power came back on the
compressors were messed up in the units because the wiring is not good
between the building the HVAC units. Mr. Garland said we replaced the
compressors, which was covered under warranty, but they want be covered
again if we don’t fix the wiring. Mr. Garland said he received a quote for
approximately $7,100 for the wiring. Mr. Segars asked if this is wiring for
the new units that were just installed. Mr. Garland said this is the wiring
from the units to the building. He said wiring was not included in the quote
that was done inside the building. Mrs. Cohen made a motion to approve
the request to rewire the safety switches. Mrs. Hines seconded the
motion. All approved the motion.
DISCUSSION OF PUBLIC SAFETY IN DOWNTOWN
DARLINGTON
Mr. Garland said someone was pan-handling in a downtown business within
the last week and it was requested by Council members to put this on the
agenda. Chief Cox said he was not aware there was a problem. Chief Cox
said Ms. Jordan, who owns a business on the Square, scheduled some
painting classes and a subject came in begging for money, but he was asked
to leave and he left once, but he came back in and was asked to leave again
and he did. Chief Cox said his department was notified the next day and the
subject was talked to and given a “no trespass” notice. Ms. Jordan asked for
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their advice, which they gave to her and as far as he knows now, everything
is fine now. Chief Cox said in 2007 when the codes were changed by the
City, “Pan-Handling” and “Begging” was eliminated from our codes, so
we have nothing to cover this other than a “trespassing” warning.
INFO: Chief Cox said this afternoon his office received a call to
McDonald’s of a gentleman having a possible heart attack and four or five of
his units responded. He said the gentleman was found in his vehicle outside.
He said the man was conscious when officers first got there but as the
officers were talking to him, he suddenly slumped and went unconscious.
The officers pulled the man him from his vehicle and the AUD was attached.
They performed four rounds of CPR and brought the man back (94 years
old). The last update they received, the man was doing fine at the hospital.
Chief Cox said Captain Watson was involved in this and this is the third
individual he has brought back. Going back to downtown safety discussion,
Chief Cox said they were not aware Ms. Jordan was going to be open at
night, but now they have her schedule and will keep a closer watch on her
and any other business that is open at night.
DISCUSSION OF CASHUA STREET DRAINAGE ISSUE
Mr. Garland said Mr. Langley went before The County Transportation
Commission in November and requested funding for a slip line on Cashua
Street to help with the drainage issue near the corner of Spring Street
between Columbian and Cashua Streets. Mr. Garland said they received a
decision last week that the County Transportation Commission agreed to
fund $20,000 of whatever improvements are made for a slip line. Mr.
Langley said he appeared before Council in October, 2010 and offered four
scenarios. Mr. Langley said the committee recommendation was to do the
slip line. He said getting the $20,000 from The County Transportation
Commission will help us quite a bit. Mr. Langley said he talked with
Eaddy’s Construction Company this afternoon and they are still willing to
come in and do it for pretty much the same price. Mr. Langley said this
company has done some work pretty similar in Seabrook Island and on
Kiawah Island. Mr. Langley said he will call Seabrook and Kiawah Islands
tomorrow to see if they were satisfied with the work. Mr. Segars asked if
there was a question as to whether terra cotta pipe is there. Mr. Langley said
there is terra cotta pipe there, but he talked with the contractor and he
assured him that they can get through. Mr. Langley said he talked with the
contractor about his concern with the street caving in while they were doing
the work. He said the contractor said if anything, right over the top of where
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they are working might fall in while they are sucking the dirt out using high
pressure water. Mr. Langley said the pipe might fall in, but that can be put
back. Mr. Langley said this company uses a very high pressure shower of
water which cuts the roots. Then they put a larger water pressured machine
in the line and it spins and cuts all the roots out. They will then send a
camera in to make sure it’s clean to their satisfaction. Mrs. Hines asked if
DOT was going to help us with this. Mr. Langley said DOT does slip line
procedure themselves, but they do a different type. He said they do a hard
line version. Mr. Langley said DOT puts a soft line in and once it’s in, it
will expand and then harden in place. Mrs. Cohen asked how long the
contractor will give us the price of $41,000. Mr. Langley said the contractor
is supposed to call him back tomorrow, but he is confident the price will be
very close to the same amount. Mrs. Cohen asked about the hard-line vs. the
soft-line procedure. Mrs. Cohen said it will be a good idea to talk a little bit
more with those who do have experience with this procedure. Mrs. Cohen
made a motion that we accept this as information pending additional
research. Mrs. Thomas seconded the motion. All approved the motion.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) Gave Council the General Fund Balance-$482,240.68; Hospitality Tax
Fund Balance- $316,527.69; The Reserve Fund Balance - $217,281.89 2)
Mr. Garland said the Renaissance Grant request for qualifications will be
advertised starting Sunday. He said they are looking for companies that
have experience in planning. Mr. Garland said staff recommendation would
be that we get the request for qualifications in and if Council wants to
appoint a committee to go over the applications, that will be fine with him.
Mr. Segars, Mrs. Hines and Mrs. Cohen will serve on the committee to
go over the applications. 3) Mr. Garland said he has scheduled a one-night
planning session with department heads on Monday, February 21, 2011 at
6:00 PM at C Boan’s Restaurant. 4) Mr. Garland gave Council members
copies of Ethics Commission instructions for filing their Statement of
Economic Interest form. 5) Mr. Garland said the majority of Council
members are planning to attend the MASC Legislative Day on February 16,
2011 in Columbia, SC at the Marriott Hotel. Mr. Garland said they are
planning to leave the day before and will be staying at the Clarion Hotel.
INFO: Mrs. Cohen said she was looking at the water department report and
it stated that they are still working on the railroad crossing permit and
wanted general information concerning this to refresh her memory. Mr.
Kinsaul said they have been working on the railroad permit for four months.
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Mr. Kinsaul said the railroad company does not work fast. He said
supposedly, the last three requirements came in Friday. Mr. Kinsaul said the
permit application has been signed, the railroad company will need a check
and they are asking the City to provide them with an insurance certificate for
an unreasonable amount of liability insurance. He said the Insurance
Reserve sent him a certificate today for our coverage and we are trying to
get the railroad company to accept this pending the contractor having to
have their own liability insurance. Mr. Kinsaul said if the Insurance
Reserve’s Risk Manager approves this insurance certificate they will issue
the permit.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. Garland said there was a need to go into executive session and he asked
that Ms. Jannie Lathan and Mr. Kinsaul stay for the meeting. Mr. Segars
made a motion to go into executive session at 7:46 PM, to discuss a
contract concerning the Water & Sewer Department. The motion was
seconded by Mrs. Hines.
Mrs. Hines made a motion to go out of executive session at 8:16 PM.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Segars.
APPROVAL FOR W&S STUDY
Mrs. Hines made a motion to allow Ms. Jannie Lathan to do a storm
water study for the Water Department, not to exceed $10,000. The
motion was seconded by Mrs. Thomas. Mrs. Hines, Mrs. Thomas, Mr.
Segars, and Mr. Cannon voted for the motion. Mrs. Cohen said she is
voting “no” because she has not heard anything in depth about this
before and also there hasn’t been enough time to get the information.
Mrs. Cohen also said she would like to know a little more about it.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mrs. Hines made a motion to go back into executive session at 8:20 PM
to give an update on a pending litigation. The motion was seconded by
Mrs. Cohen.
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, to end executive
session at 8:35 PM.
ADJOURNMENT
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Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Hines, the meeting
adjourned at 8:35 PM.
Mayor Pro Tem
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
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CITY OF DARLINGTON
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
January 4, 2011
The Regular Meeting of Darlington City Council was held January 4,
2011 at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Room of City Hall at 400 Pearl Street.
PRESENT AT MEETING:
Councilpersons Mrs. Dyan Cohen, Mrs. Annette Thomas, Mrs. Gloria
Hines, Mr. Coleman Cannon, Mr. Wayne Chapman and Mr. John Segars.
Also present: Mayor Watkins, City Manager, Mr. Howard Garland, Mr.
Robert Garland, Fire Chief Stone, Mr. Kinsaul, Police Chief, Jay Cox, Mr.
Danny Watson, Mrs. Anna Davis, Mrs. Rita Pegelow, Mrs. Dorothy
Coleman, Mr. Garland’s new intern, Mr. David Skipper, Ms. Lisa Rock from
the News & Press and other visitors.
PRAYER
Councilwoman Hines gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge
of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mr. Chapman, to approve
Minutes of Regular Council Meeting December 7, 2010. Mrs. Cohen
asked to amend the minutes at bottom of page 2 under “second reading on
ordinance for issuance of water/sewer refunding revenue bond” to add
“new” before the word loan and add the word “penalty” for sentence to read:
….BB&T was to render on the initial loan and on this “new” loan they have
waived the prepayment “penalty”. All approved the motion with the
change.
DDRA MANAGER – MR. DAVID VAUGHAN
Mr. Vaughan said the Business Pride Award will be awarded to C. Boan’s
Steakhouse and the Residential Pride Award will be awarded to Mr. Shaw &
Mrs. Linda Dargan. Mr. Vaughan said the sign that was requested to be
placed on Cashua Street at the exit of the parking lot behind Carolina Bank
Plaza has been ordered. He said there is a party interested in the old
Arthur’s Barber Shop Building. Faith Bible Church (located in the old BC
Moore’s Building) has put a new roof on their building, but they approached
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DDRA about getting the mural on the side of the building updated. Mr.
Vaughan said his understanding is that this is now under the County’s
Administration, so he referred them to the new County Administrator. Mr.
Vaughan said he is working on the transfer of his office from Mr. DiLeo’s
office to the City Admin Building. He said at the offer of Mr. Garland, he
will be using the City’s post office box. Mr. Vaughan said signage has been
approved for 141 Oak Street-Lathan Construction. Mr. Vaughan said he and
Mr. DiLeo discussed today about putting a fence up at the Admin Building,
but Mr. DiLeo is waiting for some prices to come in and once they do, he
said he will bring those back to Council. He said Wachovia Bank will be
having a training session for employees and they are asking that the City
assist them with a map showing them where the public parking areas are in
the downtown area and they wanted to know the restaurants that are within
walking distance. Mr. Vaughan said he has already provided them with this
info. Mrs. Cohen said maybe the City should stay apprised of what the
County says about keeping up the mural. Mr. Garland said the mural is
considered part of the parking lot and the County owns the parking lot. Mrs.
Hines said the City has always maintained the mural. Mr. Garland said a
new County Administrator that just started today, so we will talk with them
about it. Mr. Garland said the City checked on this two years ago and the
old County Administrator said, in so many words, “to mind our own
business”. Mrs. Cohen asked about the parking lots. Mr. Vaughan said he
found his information on the internet.
MR. JOHN KENNEDY – SEMI PRO FOOTBALL TEAM
There have been previous meetings about a group having a semi-pro football
team in Darlington. It was also stated that the team would need to get their
own insurance before ….Mr. Kennedy said he contacted Pearce & Pearce
Insurance Company after getting information from Mr. Bradley. He said the
company wanted to know when they wanted the insurance coverage to start
since the season doesn’t start until March and also how much coverage they
needed. Mr. Kennedy said the agent said it would be best to wait until
March to start the coverage since this is when the season starts. Mr.
Kennedy said the Pearce & Pearce agent told him to fill out what he could
on the application. Mayor Watkins said Mr. Bradley probably has more
information on this, so a meeting can be set up with Mr. Kennedy, Mr.
Bradley, and Mr. Garland. Mr. Garland told Mr. Kennedy to stop by his
office any time on Monday and he will call Mr. Bradley to come down.
Mayor Watkins asked Mr. Kennedy if he’s considered looking for sponsors
to share the costs. Mr. Kennedy said his group is looking at local sponsors
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to help with the costs. He said the money they raise, they plan to give some
back. Mr. Kennedy said if, and when, the City wants to see financial
statements, they will be supplied to Council. Mrs. Thomas asked Mr.
Kennedy if his team plans to be self sustaining if the City contributes funds
for thirty (30) helmets and shoulder pads. Mr. Kennedy said they will have
to go out and find sponsors. He said they will find a way from January –
March to get some sort of funds to help contribute to the team.
SECOND READING ON ORDINANCE TO TRANSFER 0.35 ACRES
OF PROPERTY TO DARLINGTON VENEER COMPANY
Mr. Garland said, for the record, our Attorney, Mr. Bill Howle, said an
easement has been added to the deed, so whenever the City has to go on the
property to do sewer repairs, we will be allowed. Mrs. Cohen made a
motion for Second Reading on Ordinance No. 2010-16 to transfer 0.35
acres of property to Darlington Veneer Company. Mr. Chapman
seconded the motion.
BACK TO ITEM #5
Mrs. Thomas wanted to know what Council’s status is on the semi-pro
football team issue. Mayor Watkins said we received information about
insurance for the team because this was a question that Council asked them.
Mrs. Thomas asked if they accept this as information or what. She said
Council should say something. Mayor Watkins said Council took no action.
APPROVAL OF MOTIONS
The motion was restated for second reading on ordinance to transfer
0.35 acres of property. All approved the motion.
Mr. Cannon made a motion to accept this as information at this time
until we get more details that they need concerning the semi-pro football
team. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Thomas.
Mayor Watkins went back to item #5 (Anyone wishing to appear before
Council) since some people came in after he initially asked for it.
ANYONE WISHING TO APPEAR MR. SYLVESTER HUDSON
Mr. Sylvester Hudson thanked Council for putting up the sign for Orlando
Hudson, but his concern is that it should have been larger. He said the
reason why he is questioning this is because he has seen other signs that are
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larger. Mayor Watkins said informational sign that are off the right-of-way
are not restricted by DOT. Mr. Hudson said with the revenue that Orlando
Hudson will be bringing into the City and County of Darlington; this is a
slap in the face. Mayor Watkins said his feeling was that Orlando Hudson
was very appreciative. Mr. Hudson said he’s sure Orlando is appreciative of
anything that we do, but he’s the one that’s looking at the sign. Mr. Hudson
said other people that he knows that has looked at the sign said the same
thing, that it’s a slap in the face. He said when you visit other towns that
have signs up for their athletes, they are a lot larger. Mrs. Hines said she
was the one that made the gesture to do this for Orlando. Mayor Watkins
said any time you put something on the right-of-way; you must get an
encroachment from DOT. Mayor Watkins told Mr. Hudson he has run out
of time, but if he wanted to bring this back before Council, he can. Mr.
Hudson said that he would. Mr. Garland said one thing we could do is put
Orlando’s name on the water tower. He said in Latta, SC they put Raymond
Felton’s name on the water tower and that’s the only thing he can think of
that we have direct control of that DOT does not have control of. Mr.
Hudson said anything is better than the sign they have now. Mr. Hudson
started off by thanking Council for how they voted for rehiring the judge.
He also wanted to thank Mrs. Thomas for letting her constituents know that
she was not going to vote in their interest at the council meeting when they
voted to rehire the judge because her vote was the deciding vote. Mrs.
Thomas said evidently this has been festering for several months and Mr.
Hudson has not come to her personally and expressed anything for them to
have any kind of discussion, but publically here tonight said that she is the
reason that Judge Causey was voted in again. Mrs. Thomas asked Mr.
Hudson why he didn’t come to her and talk to her about it. Mayor Watkins
told Mr. Hudson to take his seat and he said this is not the best time for a
debate about this issue.
SECOND READING ON ORDINANCE TO ANNEX PROPERTY
(#166-00-02-115 - 1524 S. MAIN STREET (BOJANGLES)
Upon motion of Mr. Chapman, seconded by Mrs. Hines, First Reading
on ordinance to annex property of 166-00-02-115 at 1524 S. Main Street
(Bojangles). All approved the motion.
FIRST READING ON ORDINANCE NO. 2011-01 TO CHANGE
NAME OF B.A. GARY GYM TO ARTHUR STANLEY GYMNASIUM
Mr. Cannon made a motion to name the gym that’s in the B.A. Gary
Complex be named after A.W. “Man” Stanley. Mrs. Thomas seconded
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the motion. Mrs. Cohen asked which name would be used because Arthur
Stanley is on the agenda and Mr. Cannon stated A.W. “Man” Stanley in his
motion. Mr. Cannon said he will check with Mr. Stanley’s son and see what
name should be used. Mr. Segars asked if we were going to start naming all
of the other buildings in the complex. Mayor Watkins said the City owns
the complex and it’s the Council’s pleasure what to do. Mrs. Thomas said
Mr. Arthur W. Stanley was on City Council and we should use the name that
he had when he served the City. Mr. Cannon said there four different names
of building within the complex already, so to name one more won’t hurt
anything. Mr. Cannon said he will check with the family as to what
name to use. All approved the motion except Mr. Segars.
FIRST READING ON ORDINANCE NO. 2011-02 FOR
CONTINUANCE OF TAX LEVY OF 125 MILS
Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mrs. Hines, First Reading on
Ordinance No. 2011-02 for Continuance of Tax levy of 125 mils, which
unanimously carried.
FIRST READING ON ORDINANCE NO. 2011-03 FOR
CONTINUATION OF BUSINESS LICENSE TAX
Upon motion of Mrs. Hines, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, First Reading on
Ordinance No. 2011-03 for Continuance of Business License Tax, which
unanimously carried.
CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
1) Mr. Garland said the MASC Legislative Action Day is Wednesday,
February 16, 2011; 2) Gave Council the Hospitality Tax balance and
General fund Balance; 3) Reported on Water & Sewer Balance; 4) Mr.
Kinsaul said they will meet with a Ferguson rep on Friday for final
negotiations to try and get cost down and hopefully they will be buying
meters before February. Mayor Watkins asked if Hartsville has made a
commitment yet. Mr. Kinsaul said not as of yet, but the County Water &
Sewer Authority is waiting on their money form the State. Mrs. Thomas
said she cannot understand what the actual agreement is that if our meters
are operating off of the county owned towers, what assurance the City has
that we won’t have to send a meter reader out next month. Mr. Kinsaul said
they are working on a written agreement between the City of Darlington and
Darlington County Water & Sewer Authority. Mr. Kinsaul said there will be
a written agreement between the two entities. 5) Mr. Garland said the City
has executed an agreement with the State Department of Commerce and the
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Renaissance Planning Grant for S. Darlington. Mr. Garland said the Pee
Dee COG will administer the planning grant. The planning grant is for
$25,000. Mr. Garland said if we are successful with the Planning Grant,
then we will apply for $1,000,000 which we would use for our neighborhood
improvements which will include housing removal, sidewalk improvements,
lighting improvements, storm water improvements and/or sewer
improvements. 6) The Police Department would like to freeze hiring on two
positions which are currently vacant in order to purchase some new
equipment. Chief Cox said they were approached several months ago by
TASER International and they have come up with a new camera system
which sees whatever the officer sees. Chief Cox said he has about $26,000
in grant funds that will be deposited into the general fund and by freezing
these two positions, over the next six months by saving this salary, it will
pay for itself. Chief Cox said the camera systems costs approximately
$22,000. He said we do not download or store anything here. He said
everything is sent by secure internet to Scottsdale, AZ which is the home of
TASER Int’l. He said they maintain and store the videos and if they need a
video for court or any other reason, they go on the secure website and we
download it and present it. Chief Cox said the City is never directly in
control of what is captured on the video other than the officer downloading it
and it cannot be tampered with. Chief Cox said this is a “win, win” situation
for safety. Chief Cox said this system has a CPU unit which will hold up to
six of these monitors. He said the system also has GPS capability for
tracking someone. Chief Cox asked Council’s permission to use the funds
that he has in his budget to purchase this system. He said altogether with the
unit that does the transmitting, storing and sending of the information, they
will get six cameras, cradles, headsets, and the maintenance contract for one
year is $22,000. Mr. Garland asked Chief Cox if they will keep the cameras
in the vehicles that they currently have. Chief Cox said, “Yes”, the cameras
they have in the cars now will still be used. He said anytime an officer gets
out of the car, this new system will record everything that the officer sees
and hears. Mayor Watkins asked Chief Cox if the officer will turn the
system on when they get out of the car and he said, “Yes”. Chief Cox said
the dash cam will come on if they have a traffic stop. He said the officers
will have both cameras, but this new system is not designed to replace the
car camera system. Mrs. Hines asked Chief Cox what was the radius of the
car cam. Chief Cox said approximately 30’-40’. Mr. Garland said he is in
favor of us purchasing this system as long as we stay within our current
budget. Chief Cox told Council they have been testing the system for about
two months and invited them to come by and check the system out. Mr.
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Chapman made a motion to allow the Police Department to purchase
six camera sets. Mr. Segars seconded the motion. All approved the
motion. 7) Mr. Garland said after consulting with staff it was
recommended that we approve change for use of funding for the Carnegie
Library in our budget this year. He said they have $50,000 for construction
plans, but staff recommends that Council approve up to $40,000 of the
$50,000 to do electrical, and heating & A/C in the library building. Mr.
Segars made a motion to approve the request to use up to $40,000 of the
$50,000 for electrical and heating & a/c upgrades in the library
building. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Thomas. Mrs. Cohen had
concerns about putting heating and air in the building right now. She said
she would like to get an objective opinion from an architect to make sure it’s
appropriate to do this before we start. She said we might want to do some
basic things like putting in the heating and air but not the duct work. Mr.
Garland said the building still needs to be wired. Mr. Garland said the
building will have to be handicap accessible and this will be the biggest cost.
He said we will get an architect at this point. Mrs. Cohen said she still
would like to get an opinion from an architect. Mr. Garland said he will ask
the architect that has been working with us if we will come and consult with
us on his own time free of charge. Mrs. Cohen asked if there was a reason
why they need to decide about this tonight since it was not on the agenda.
She asked council if they could wait another month. Mr. Garland said they
have already looked at this the last three or fours months. All approved the
motion. 8) Mr. Garland said he would like to have a planning meeting with
department heads and Council sometime in late February.
INFO
Mr. Cannon said we need a homeless shelter in Darlington. He said this can
be discussed at the planning meeting as well. Mr. Cannon said it was stated
previously that once we got the gym in the City’s name, we would put a
police substation there. He said they need to go ahead and do this as soon as
possible.
REMINDERS
Monday, January 17, 2011 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (City to be
Closed for Holiday); Black History Month begins Tuesday, February 1,
2011; Next Regular Council Meeting will be Tuesday, February 1, 2011,
7:00 PM in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
ADJOURNMENT
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Upon motion of Mr. Segars, seconded by Mr. Cannon, the meeting
adjourned at 8:53 PM.
Mayor
ATTEST:
Clerk & Treasurer
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