By Stan Welch
The Pelzer Town Council moved one step closer to full capacity Tuesday night, with the swearing in of newly elected Mayor Will Ragland, and newcomer Councilman Skip Goldsmith. Those additions bring the council up to four members; they had been functioning with a bare quorum for several months. Ironically, Ragland’s election as mayor vacated his council seat, leaving the council at four members.
Following the swearing in ceremony Lee Cole, representing the Palmetto Soccer Club, updated the council on the clubs activities concerning their use of the town’s ballfields. The club uses the fields as part of an agreement that requires them to maintain the fields, and perform repairs to the concessions stand.
Cole reminded the council that the spring soccer season had been a casualty of the pandemic, but added that plans were in place to hopefully put on a fall season. He said that the fields were being maintained, but questions about the septic tank associated with he concessions building had delayed any work on that facility.
Town clerk Cheryl Boudreau reported that sixty seven work orders had been filled, and that ACSO deputies had conducted 108 traffic stops and made six arrests.
The council then began to work its way through an agenda that included seeking bids for several projects, including the purchase of playground equipment designed for disabled and handicapped children. Councilman Eddie Waits had done the leg work, and presented his choice of vendors; but Mayor Ragland stated that the town’s codes required bids to be sought. That was approved unanimously.
Council also approved seeking bids to remove a dead tree at Wardlaw Park; and new swings at both parks. Ragland sought approval for bids to provide additional grounds keeping services, but that motion turned into a decision to explore various means of providing those services, such as additional employees, or possibly contracting some of the work out.
Deadlines to receive bids on the Adger Street project and the concession stands repairs were extended to allow additional bids to come in. Ragland did inform the council that a new septic tank is a viable option for the concession stand.
A low bid of $450.00 was accepted for work on the chimney t the gym. Elite Chimney Caps was the low bidder. The work will be performed in October, after the migratory birds currently occupying the chimney have flown south.
The Council delayed first reading of an ordinance authorizing the sale of the land beneath the cell tower at the ball fields after Councilman Mike Matthews raised the issue of whether that property was collateral for the ReWa projects in recent years. Despite town attorney Richard Thompson’s assurances that both he and the bond attorney saw no such encumbrance in the documents, Ragland agreed with Matthews that getting tat reassurance in writing would be wise. Thompson was instructed to do so.
The 2400 square foot parcel will bring $700,000 to the town, which had been receiving a monthly amount from American Tower.
Work begins this week on the repairs on the ball field lights. On August 25, at 7:00 p.m. a public forum will be held to receive public input on the town’s proposed branding efforts.
