By Stan Welch
The West Pelzer Town Council took care of some business matters Monday night, but the main topic of discussion was last weekend’s town wide yard sale, and the rousing success that it was.
Lining Main Street/ Highway 8 for its entire length within the town limits, the sale drew more people than last year’s Christmas parade, according to several estimates. Also, according to most of the council members, the majority of vendors made money. But Mayor Sanders said the sale was principally intended to bring the town’s people together in a community building effort, and that the numbers who turned out was proof of the sale’s success at any rate. “The main idea was to get folks out and about and meeting their neighbors. As far as that goal goes, the sale was a tremendous success, and a good time.”
Sanders said that the sale will almost certainly become an annual event, though some council members thought that twice a year might be appropriate.
In other business municipal clerk Paula Payton reported on the various departments’ performances during the last month, as well as upcoming events in the town. She reported that property at 11 Stephanie Drive has finished going through the county condemnation process and final notification of the property’s status will be sent to the owners next month.
She also reported that the fall leaf and limb pickup will take place on Saturday, November 19, beginning at 7 a.m. Limbs must be cut to a length of four feet or less, and all leaves must be bagged.
She announced that the WPFD and the Shriners will share the intersection of Highways 8 and 20 for their annual fund raising collections for the remainder of the Clemson University home football schedule. She also stated that the body cameras for the WPPD have been received and will be deployed once the equipment is fully activated by a company technician. The cost of the cameras was funded entirely through grants. Also, police department uniforms have been fitted and will be ready by the end of the month. Uniforms for public works employees have also been ordered.
Phase 2 of the RDA sewer update project continues, with work scheduled for the Spring Street pump station. Paving work related to the update project is also scheduled, with milling and overlay of designated roads slated to begin.
She reported that both the bond closing and the real estate closing on 30 Main Street both took place on October 5. The Council later voted to award the contract for the paving of the parking lot adjacent to the old NAPA store at that location to the low bidder. That was Lesley Courts & Paving, Inc., of Anderson.
The low bid of $33.900 came in just under that of JDavis Construction, at $39,793.74. That bid included an additional five thousand dollars to construct a dumpster pad behind the building, Mayor Sanders and Councilman Jimmy Jeanes agreed that town employees should be able to construct that pad at a much lower cost.
County Councilwoman Cindy Wilson has already committed $28,000 in county funds for the project, leaving the town to provide the additional $5900. Sanders recommended using the capital improvement funds available in the town’s budget, a motion that was unanimously approved.
Sanders also recommended releasing the applications for the town’s facade improvement program, to allow existing businesses to begin to prepare any application they might choose to make. The funding will not be available until January of 2017,which will give applicants some time to prepare.
The Palmetto Business Association and the town will provide matching funds in the amount of $2500 each, to be distributed in increments of no more than a thousand dollars per applicant. The applicant, if successful, will have to match the amount obtained through the program.
For further details about the program,as well as about the approved uses of the funds, the applications and guidelines are available at the West Pelzer Town Hall.
