West Pelzer Town Hall dedication Sept. 5

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    By Stan Welch
    The newly renovated municipal center for West Pelzer will be dedicated on Tuesday, September 5.at 6 p.m. The building, which will also house the Pelzer town hall, was a NAPA auto parts store before the town purchased the property, which is adjacent to the existing town hall. West Pelzer clerk of court Shane Black is currently also serving as interim town clerk for the town of Pelzer. (Pictured is an artist rendering of the building)
    The building has undergone extensive upgrades in its mechanical systems, and will also house the police department and the municipal court. Mayor Blake Sanders has led a group of volunteers in such tasks as painting, both inside and out, and in some minor demolition. The parking lot has been paved and lined, and provides parking for both the municipal center and the adjacent Chapman Park.

    The existing town hall will undergo some repair and maintenance and be converted into the Senator Billy O’Dell Community Center in the near future.
    In addition, during the dedication ceremony, the town will initiate its Expand Your Wings program as well. Expand Your Wings is an educational program that will highlight many of the town’s historic locations by the placement of a birdhouse at each location. The birdhouses will serve as signposts along a historic walking tour of the town. Fifty birdhouses were built by students at the Career and Tech Center in Williamston. Students at Palmetto Elementary School painted them.
    Among the historic points along the way will be the site of the old elementary school, built in 1898. The school burned three different times before it was finally relocated to its current site in Pelzer. The old railroad depot will also be acknowledged, along with the site of the late state representative Dolly Cooper’s furniture store.
    The program was funded by a five thousand dollar grant from the Hughes Foundation, through the Ten at the Top regional advocacy group for the various municipalities in  the Upstate’s ten counties.
    The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremonies.