Celebrate Anderson, Earmarks, Bicentennial Mark Busy County Season

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

As summer wanes, Anderson County is counting the numbers that matter and days until the holidays.

A million dollars from state directed funding that keeps road-matching costs from reaching a county’s general fund. Another $700,000 appropriation for a much-needed tanker truck for the Double Springs Fire Department, something the rural department has needed for years.

A $891,455 earmark for a large generator that allows up to 500 people dependent on oxygen, medical devices and other powered equipment to shelter safely when the electricity fails.

With the General Assembly’s latest round of directed spending, Anderson County has received $8 million for an array of projects including that an emergency generator at the Anderson Civic Center, repairs to the walking track and a bridge replacement at Chris Taylor Park, those matching money for roads, other fire apparatus and breathing equipment, municipal infrastructure, and other public needs.

Rusty Burns, Anderson County’s administrator said the funding is state tax money returning to a community prepared to use it.

“Well, that is money that the state has in hand and they’ve decided to give some of that money out,” Burns said. “Anderson County has always been the first county with their hand out to take any taxpayers’ money for this community.”

The county’s requests, Burns said, were not casual wishes. They were detailed project proposals with an explanation of the need, a precise cost, and a plan for documenting every dollar after the money arrives.

The work of securing the funding involved S.C. Sen. Richard Cash, S.C. Sen. Mike Gambrell, S.C. Rep. Blake Sanders and legislators from neighboring Oconee County, among others. Burns credited Anderson County Governmental Affairs and Special Projects Director Steve Newton with preparing the detailed requests that give legislators the complete information they need to argue for local projects in a crowded state budget.

“When we submit a request, it is in detail,” Burns said. “It will tell you exactly what it’s going to be used for. It’s exactly how much it’s going to cost.”

That level of preparation matters, he said, because grant money and directed appropriations tend to reward governments that spend the money quickly, use it for its designated purpose and keep reliable records.

“If you do exactly what you say you’re going to do with that money and you do it with speed and you have accurate records, people want to give you more money because you’re not a problem child,” Burns said.

The Civic Center generator is the most immediate example of what directed funding can mean in human terms.

For five years, Anderson County had been trying to finance a medical-emergency-power shelter at the Civic Center, exploring FEMA assistance and other grant opportunities, but could not find a source that would cover the project. The new funding will allow the Civic Center to become a major regional shelter for people who require electricity for medical care.

At present, the county’s emergency shelter arrangement with AnMed can accommodate only about 12 people, Burns said. With the generator, the Civic Center could provide services for as many as 500 people.

“That Civic Center is the emergency rescue plan for Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens, and as we found out, for counties to the south of us,” Burns said.

The generator is intended to serve people who depend on oxygen or other electrically powered medical devices. It would also strengthen the county’s capacity during snowstorms, hurricanes and other emergencies.

“With this generator, we can go from helping 12 people maximum who require electricity in those services in an emergency to up to 500,” Burns said. “That’s a great leap.”

Anderson County would also serve as a relocation point if an emergency occurred in Oconee County involving the nuclear plant. In that situation, the Civic Center’s ability to operate independently of the electrical grid would take on a regional importance.

“And thankfully our legislators, our local Anderson County and Oconee legislators and our good friends in Oconee County worked to help us out on that, and we are very grateful,” said Burns.

The Civic Center’s surrounding grounds will also benefit from directed funding. The bridge and walking track at Chris Taylor Park have shown their age with tree roots and wear creating areas that had become close to dangerous.

The project will improve the track system across the property, replace the bridge and make the route ADA accessible.

“It’s been showing its age,” Burns said. “We’re going to be doing the whole walking-track system in the whole property. But this is going to give us a big jump on the part that’s used more than any other part.”

The work is intended to make one of the county’s most heavily used recreational areas safer and more inviting. County crews have already been addressing portions of the trail system and removing trees whose roots were damaging the pavement.

The road funding carries a less visible but equally important purpose. Anderson County received $1 million in state money that can be used as matching funds for County Transportation Committee projects — the local road and bridge work often supported by South Carolina’s “C” funds.

In previous years, Burns said, the county had to draw matching money from its general fund. That approach works, but it moves the cost directly onto the local budget.

“Thanks to our legislative delegation — Cash, Gambrell, the others — they have given us $1 million that can be used to take care of that match so that money won’t come out of the general fund,” Burns said. “This is a great blessing for Anderson County taxpayers.”

Keeping up with road needs is not a static undertaking. The county conducts traffic counts, particularly in developing areas. New subdivisions require traffic studies, and officials continue to monitor the condition of roads throughout the county.

Anderson County commissioned a major road-condition study about two years ago, Burns said, but roads have continued to deteriorate, and traffic has continued to increase since then.

“We try to keep up with the status of the roads in Anderson County as best we can,” he said.

The county’s growth, he added, is not expected to slow.

“It is going to continue to increase,” Burns said.

The latest funding package also directs money to fire departments across the county, including the long-needed tanker truck for Double Springs and self-contained breathing apparatus for the Williamston Fire Department.

For rural and volunteer departments, a grant for a large piece of equipment does more than relieve a budget. It removes a burden that could otherwise require years of fundraisers, donations and deferred purchases.

“I don’t know if they would [have gotten the equipment],” Burns said. “Because, you know, most of those fire departments, and God bless them, are primarily volunteer. They do a lot of fundraising.”

The Double Springs tanker truck, expected to cost about $700,000, was so urgently needed that other departments had considered diverting their own funding to help secure it. A tanker is especially important in rural areas where hydrants may not be readily available, and firefighters must bring water with them.

“That’s a whole lot of bake sales to raise $700,000 for a tanker truck,” Burns said.

The system is a mixture of municipal departments and the Anderson County Fire Commission. The City of Anderson, Belton, Honea Path and Williamston operate their own departments. Most other departments fall under the commission, which has its own governing body and millage rate and distributes money for equipment and other needs.

The price of modern fire protection has risen sharply. Turnout gear, trucks, breathing equipment and training all require substantial investments. At the same time, volunteer firefighters must meet extensive training requirements while holding jobs and raising families.

“Anderson County is highly reliant on volunteers,” Burns said. “To be a volunteer firefighter these days is extremely hard because there’s a huge amount of training that is required.”

The supply of volunteers has been shrinking, a trend that may eventually force the county and its communities to confront the larger question of how to fund fire protection in an era when volunteerism alone may not be enough.

For now, Burns said, the volunteers remain indispensable.

“It’s a huge commitment to be a volunteer firefighter, and we cannot thank them enough for what they do to allow us to be safe,” he said.

Elsewhere, the county’s major projects are moving forward.

The new Anderson County detention center remains on schedule to open shortly after Thanksgiving and is still under budget, Burns said. He said the county is willing to arrange tours for groups interested in seeing the facility before it opens.

“It’s still on track. It’s still under budget,” Burns said.

What remains is “fine tuning.”

The Civic Center amphitheater renovations are also underway. Work crews are active at the amphitheater, in front of the Civic Center and throughout the complex. Burns said the work needs to be finished in roughly 10 months because the county has contractual obligations tied to the facility’s future use.

“It better be finished in about 10 months,” he said.

The promoter associated with the amphitheater project has signed an agreement to help fund the work, though no concerts had been announced at the time of the interview. The county is also working on filling the position left open by the retirement of the longtime Civic Center manager, though Burns said the replacement arrangement may not look exactly like the old one.

Meanwhile, the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to manage Lake Hartwell at lower levels for the foreseeable future because of concerns about seepage and cracks at the Clemson Saddle Dike. This is another uncertainty for the county to monitor. Burns said the immediate tourism impact is unclear, especially because the lake was already below the newly established operating level.

Some boat ramps may become harder to use if water levels remain low.

Green Pond Landing, however, was designed with a long dock extending deep into the lake and built adjacent to some of Hartwell Lake’s deepest water.

“It would have to be almost dry before you can’t put in at Green Pond,” Burns said.

He does not expect the restrictions to significantly affect fishing tournaments or other major events at the landing, which sits in some of the deeper water on the lake.

Burns also said Anderson County continues to see substantial economic-development activity, including interest from foreign companies. Recent and potential investments include companies from Hungary and Germany, he said, particularly in the “sweet spot” of operations with roughly 50 to 250 employees.

“They pay really good,” Burns said. “Benefit packages are good.”

The county’s reputation, he said, has become an advantage.

“Anderson County will treat foreign companies with respect and dignity, and we take care of them just like we do everybody else,” Burns said. “We have a great international reputation.”

One project expected to bring about 215 jobs will move into the former Belton Industries building. Belton Industries had been a longstanding presence in the community, and its closure was a loss. Burns said the prospect of quickly filling the building with another employer paying good wages and benefits changes the character of that loss.

“It was a sad thing, but it was a brief sad thing,” Burns said. “But now we’re going to fill that hole right back up.”

Along with Eastern Engineered Wood in Belton which officially opened recently, the investments represent the kind of dispersed economic development the county has long sought — jobs not concentrated in one community but spread across Anderson County.

Tax incentives remain part of the competition for those investments. Companies want to locate where they can maximize profits, Burns said, and counties compete against other counties and states for the same projects.

“It’s gunslinging in the pure sense of the word,” he said.

The historic motivation for recruiting industry, he said, came from an era when Anderson County had 18percent unemployment. Today the unemployment rate is closer to 3.5percent to 4percent, and workers who want a job can generally find one. Yet the county’s goal remains the same: secure good-paying employment that allows people to buy homes, cars and groceries, raise families and remain in Anderson County.

“If you want a job in Anderson County, you can go get a job,” Burns said. “You can go get a job today. Probably go get two.”

The Anderson County Farmers Market also continued to grow this summer, with more vendors and increasing demand for space. Burns said the market may eventually outgrow its current footprint. The large housing development planned across the street on the old Chem-Tex property could add another dimension to its future: residents living close enough to walk out their doors and into the market.

Meanwhile, PAWS remains overwhelmed by the recurring number of dogs and cats needing help. Burns said the county and the Anderson Humane Society continue to focus on spay-and-neuter work, foster networks, volunteers and fundraising, but “we just never, ever get ahead.”

The Anderson County Museum is continuing its bicentennial programming, exhibits and public events. A new history of Anderson County, assembled by several contributors is expected in September. The county’s Bicentennial Parade is planned for October, and Burns urged towns, school districts, groups and residents to participate.

“Please, if you have any idea, please come and be in that parade,” Burns said. “We want it to be good, and we need more floats.”

Trucks, cars and horses are welcome, he said. A garbage truck, if properly enthusiastic, might be welcome too.

And by late November, attention will begin to shift once more to the increasingly larger county Christmas tree on the square. Burns said planning for decorations is still in its early stages, but he has a clear preference.

“I like colored lights,” he said.

Before that, though, comes Labor Day weekend. The Hot Air Affair begins Thursday at the balloon launch field, followed by Celebrate Anderson events Friday through Monday. The schedule includes balloon rides, free music, three bands on Sunday night, fireworks, and Anderson County’s first drone show.

Since the amphitheater cannot be used during the renovation, the Civic Center will host an agricultural exhibition — another new feature of the weekend.

Celebrate Anderson is free, though attendees are asked to obtain free tickets so organizers can understand where visitors are coming from and advertise more effectively in the future.

The weekend, Burns said, is designed so that a family can enjoy it without spending anything at all.