Legislative Delegation approves $161,870 in PARD funding for area projects

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The Anderson County Legislative Delegation approved the 2022-23 County Board of Education Budget, The Anderson County Alternative School Budget and PARD grant awards during their meeting Tuesday.
House District 10 Representative Westley Cox was presented the Order of the Palmetto.
The Legislative Delegation approved funding of $161,870 for recreation requests for Anderson County and municipalities located in the county. The SC Parks Recreation and Tourism Department (PARD) funding is eighty percent of the amounts requested for each entity.

Anderson County received $40,000 for improvements at Hurricane Springs Park to begin implementing items in the recently approved Master Plan for the area. The funding will be used for a pavilion/shelter area at the new pickleball courts. The funding is being combined with a $25,000 Duke Energy grant which was recently presented for fencing at Wren Youth Association football field at the park.

West Pelzer was allocated $20,000 for Chapman Park improvements. The improvements are part of a Master Plan for the entire town and include an expansion of the park. The expansion will include a picnic pavilion, playground structures and possibly a dog park.

The Town of Williamston was allocated $12,000 for basketball courts improvements at Brookdale Park. The project includes resurfacing, restriping and a new set of goals.

Honea Path was allocated $20,000 to replace AC & Heat units in the Honea Path Museum.

Pendleton received two grants, one for $10,000 for swing sets on the Village Square and $40,000 for safety improvements at Barretts Place.

Chairman West Cox said if the requests were fully funded, it would leave only $4000 in the fund balance. The PARD grants were eighty percent of the amounts requested except the second Pendleton request which included an additional $12,000. The PARD grant funding comes from bingo accounts from the state which amounts to $80,000 to $90,000 for Anderson County each year. The remaining fund balance is $57,870.

The Legislative Delegation also approved funding requests of $100,000 from the Water Recreation Resource Fund to install a water access ramp and related infrastructure at Piedmont Riverfront Park. County Administrator Rusty Burns also announced that the County received $500,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund award to develop Phase I of the Riverfront Park access and nature park which is located on the Saluda River Blue Trail.

The City of Belton was approved for $100,000 from the Water Recreation Fund for a water access and associated infrastructure at Belton Landing.

Discover Upcountry Carolina Association was awarded $25,000 from the Anderson County Game and Fish fund to advertise and market Lake Hartwell to potential anglers.

The delegation unanimously approved the County Board of Education Budget. Stephen J. Nimmer, Jr. presented highlights of the $1,151,814 budget. Nimmer said there is no additional millage for taxpayers. Most expenditure line items in the budeget remained the same. Travel was adjusted to reflect a rise in costs as a result of an increased IRS reimbursement rate.

There is a three percent increase in pay for all County Board employees and benefits increased due to an 18.1 percent increase in health insurance and retirement.
There are no changes in the number of positions. Office rent was increasted by three percent adjusted for inflation. The Board saw a decrease in workers compensation for the year.
The Delegation also approved a $2,171,486 budget for the Renaissance Academy (Anderson County Alternative School). The budget reflects a five percent increase over the current budget, primarily teachers, teacher assistants, and director’s salaries and benefits. Fringe benefits also showed an eighteen percent increase.