West Pelzer Town Council may have had their shortest meeting ever Tuesday evening. Council heard brief updates and information on a firearms safety program being offered through the West Pelzer Police Department.
Town Clerk Paula Payton reported that Billing Clerk Eulala Allison left to accept a full time position with another company. Applications have been accepted and are in the review process. “She was a huge asset to the town and will be greatly missed,” Mayor Blake Sanders said.
Payton said that filing closed Friday Aug. 16 for the Nov. 5 election. One candidate, incumbent Mayor Blake Sanders signed up to run for mayor, and two candidates signed up for the two council seats, incumbent James Riddle and Pat Alexander. Voting for the election will be at the West Pelzer Fire Department and persons planning to vote must be registered by Oct. 5.
Crime stats for August show 27 reports, 15 arrests, 118 tickets written and 64 warnings issued.
The Public Works Department completed 18 workorders. The town has requested a property status change with Anderson County for an abandoned home on Spring Street which the town plans to clear and have the fees added to the 2019 tax bill.
West Pelzer Police Chief Alexis Eliopoulos announced that the West Pelzer Police Department has partenered with Project Childsafe to provide free firearm safety kits to local residents. Project ChildSafe is a nationwide firearms safety education program. Chief Eliopoulos said the safety kits, which include a gun lock, will be available at the front office window of the West Pelzer Municipal Center Building, while supplie last.
Project ChildSafe, a nationwide firearms safety education program was developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). The program has distributed more than 37 million firearm safety kits throughout the country since 2003, Eliopoulos said. The program is supported by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the firearms industry. Chief Eliopoulos said the kits are being made available to local residents free of charge in hopes of preventing young children from getting access to a loaded firearm.
“We encourage residents to pick up a Project ChildSafe safety kit so that they can securely store their firearm,” said Chief Eliopoulos. “Each kit contains a safety curriculum and a cable-style gun lock. The locks fit on most types of handguns, rifles and shotguns. The goal is to prevent a child or any other unauthorized person from accessing a firearm in your home.”
Mayor Sanders reported that the town’s Planning Commission is in the process of going through the town’s ordinances to ready for codifying. A draft will be presented to Town Attorney Carey Murphy for review by October, the mayor said.
The town is also looking for a person to fill an open position on the three member election commission. Pat Alexander is resigning her position to run for a council seat, leaving one seat open. Currently Jerry Riddle and Pat Black serve on the election commission. Town Clerk Paula Payton said they hope to fill the seat by October. There is a short training video available for the person taking the position.
Upcoming events in West Pelzer include Farmfest from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on September 28 at Chapman Park and the Mile Long Yard Sale on October 5. Westy’s Vintage Market will be held on Oct. 19.
