From May 3, 2015
I'm
sitting alone in a rented suite in Asheville on a Saturday night. I
will begin Yoga Teacher Training Monday, May 4. My goal is to deepen my
yoga practice, to deepen my experience of life, to deepen me - to live
in the present moment more fully. It's not about standing on my head or
contorting myself into some human pretzel. It's about standing firm in
my life with an open heart and becoming love and sharing that love.
It's about tapping into the stillness beneath the turbulence and haze
and inviting that Witness (Sakshi) within me to emerge. The Witness is
known by other names: observer, eyewitness, Supreme Being, Pure
Awareness. It is that part of us that sees all the commotion but is
unaffected. It's all knowing, non-judging and pure love.
And
here with this blog, I will bear witness. I will be the bare witness.
Raw and real. Testifying. Revealing. Offering hope for all of us.
I
used to say that I wish I could take 28 days out of life, like an
addict trying to recover, to reconnect with my innermost self so that I
could leave the "treatment center" with a more integrated me. Life has
a way of fragmenting and we rarely have time to defragment and become
an integrated whole. The inbox keeps getting full and there seems to
not be enough time to empty it or give each item it's due. Or it seems
the noise keeps us from feeling our wholeness, experiencing the Witness.
We go through the motions with an ache that something is missing.
I'm
taking that time now. I'm 52 and the stars lined up to make this all
possible. It was a matter of the old way of living leaving much to be
desired combined with an auto accident settlement that gave me enough
money to buy enough time to do this. I quit my job and took my
retirement and paid off my debt. When is the right time to go to yoga
teacher training? When you can. For me, that is now.
In
graduate school over 25 years ago, I wrote a paper suggesting that we
should all be in recovery like addicts. My point was we should all be
recovering our humanity. Many years have passed since that time and I
believe it to be true and more necessary now more than ever. I am in
recovery - recovering the real me. It's a journey that began a long
time ago and the many ways I have connected with the authentic me is by
running, cycling, writing, photography and now yoga.
I
have committed to live in such a way that I am always connected with my
higher self. I quit my job with the state, took my retirement money
and paid off $34,000 worth of debt. I now am worth more financially,
than I owe. Finally. How does one amass such debt? And let me tell
you, that's a lot of debt for someone whose yearly income has not
exceeded that level. Credit cards make it easy. Sometimes survival.
Sometimes distraction. So, in January of this year, I drew the line in
the sand. Screamed "No More" to the universe, mostly to myself. I
changed my life and quit a job that was going nowhere but leading to
more debt as I bought more distractions in order to remain on the misery
go round. I am now on a more honest and genuine path. If I can't
afford it, I won't get it - whatever it is. The old debts are paid.
Now
the journey is inward, to set right any karmic debts with my soul and
the universe. In keeping with the recovery analogy, I will make any
amends necessary and I will make and keep conscious contact with my
Higher Power.
So
on Monday, May 4, I will pick up my proverbial, albeit symbolic, white
chip of recovery - the universal symbol of surrender. I'm so grateful
for this journey. I will no doubt be out of my comfort zone from time
to time, but that is where the growth happens. I've never really liked
the comfort zone. I'm a newcomer with the faith of a beginner. I
surrender…
May 2015
Friday, December 30, 2016
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Gilbert Tweaks Incentives
New CompuCom deal avoids Fancy Pokket pitfalls
Sunday, December 25, 2016
The incentive package that helped land 1,500 CompuCom jobs is unlike any Lancaster County has offered before – molded by painful lessons from the Fancy Pokket deal and the experience of the county’s new chief business recruiter.
“I want our community to be the most aggressive county in the state for local incentives,” said Jamie Gilbert, who has been county economic development director since July. “At the same time, we expect performance and accountability.”
In the Lancaster County lexicon, “Fancy Pokket” has come to mean delays and frustration. Under the 2012 deal, the Canadian baker got free land in the county’s industrial park, and it promised to open a manufacturing plant by mid-2014 and employ at least 68 people there within five years.
Things didn’t work out as planned. The company built a gleaming $11 million facility, but it hasn’t produced anything. After multiple hiccups and a threat from county officials this year, the company announced in October that it would start hiring immediately and begin baking in January. But now there’s another months-long delay.
Gilbert says when he came on board, he suggested a different incentive structure. CompuCom is that new kind of deal, designed so “we won’t have any Fancy Pokket situations.”
The problem with the Fancy Pokket agreement, Gilbert says, is that it had only two benchmarks. The company had to get a certificate of occupancy for the manufacturing plant, and it had to create 68 jobs within five years of the plant’s opening. Failure to do either of those things would result in a single penalty: the company would have to pay $274,000, the value of the county’s free land.
But a cash payment that big is a hard thing to ask of a new employer who is investing $11 million here, Gilbert says. And getting a company to write you a big check is sometimes not easy.
Fancy Pokket missed the twice-extended deadline for its certificate of occupancy, responding only to the county’s ultimatum this year. Now that it has that document, it has five years to create the 68 jobs. Technically, Gilbert said, it could hire all 68 people on the last day of the fifth year and still be in compliance.
The CompuCom incentive package is much different. It contains small annual benchmarks for what the company agrees to accomplish each year. And the deal’s penalties are not cash payments from the company. They’re adjustments to CompuCom’s tax bill from the county.
“From this point forward, all our tax credits are done based on annual agreed-upon job-creation numbers that have to be hit yearly,” Gilbert said. “If they fall short, then their tax credit will be less.”
Every new agreement will have a mechanism for reporting to the county’s Economic Development Department and working with the county’s auditor to ensure that the jobs are there, Gilbert said.
If a new business creates 80 percent of the target number of jobs in a given time period, then they will receive 80 percent of the tax credit for that period.
“This is easier and fairer for the company,” Gilbert said, “and allows us to maintain the trust of the residents who pay us to create jobs.”
Not all has changed
Despite this key difference, some parts of the CompuCom deal are familiar.
Its incentive agreement gives the company a Fee-In-Lieu-of-Tax-Agreement (FILOT) and a Special Source Revenue Credit (SSRC), which is an additional reduction of the FILOT payments.
The 30-year FILOT arrangement reduces the assessment rate on the company’s personal property from 10.5 percent to 6 percent and provides a fixed millage rate throughout the period.
Personal property includes furnishings and business equipment and is normally taxed at 10.5 percent, whereas real property is taxed at 6 percent. The county offered the 6 percent rate to compete with neighboring states.
The FILOT for CompuCom is for both the personal and real property. Had CompuCom moved into an existing building, rather than constructing a new one, the FILOT would have involved only personal property.
Because Fancy Pokket was on county land, it owed no property taxes at all until after obtaining the certificate of occupancy. It missed deadlines for two years before finally getting the CO in late October.
“Without the CO,” Willis said, “the company doesn’t pay taxes, because the building doesn’t go on the tax rolls until after obtaining that.”
But in CompuCom’s case, the developer owns the land, so even if there are delays, taxes on the land will be paid.
In the case of Fancy Pokket, Gilbert said he would have structured the agreement with a timetable of smaller milestones. For example, the county could have allowed the company two years to get the CO. If it didn’t meet that deadline, the company could repay the land value in five yearly installments of $54,000.
During each of those five years, Fancy Pokket could have lowered the annual payment if it had created some of the promised jobs. For example, if the company produced 50 percent of the promised jobs in a given year, it would pay the county 50 percent of the $54,000 that year.
No cash incentives
The county does not lure businesses with cash as some states do with grants. Willis said the county learned that painful lesson in 2002 with FrontDoor Communications.
Willis said the county improperly advanced $636,569 to FrontDoor as part of an incentive package to start a media company at Catawba Ridge, in western Lancaster County along the Catawba River. The Catawba Ridge development failed to materialize.
“That was a complete failure,” Willis said. “The company paid the county back with a bad check.”
Eventually the company repaid the debt.
Rudy Carter, then council chair, had to sign bad-check warrants for the company.
Former County Administrator Chap Hurst disbursed the funds based on a letter offering incentives to the company, rather than on a contract signed by the county council.
The company was supposed to bring 1,600 jobs and a $150 million investment to the county. But FrontDoor opened only temporary offices in Lancaster County, hired just a handful of people and published a few issues of a Charlotte magazine before it folded.
The money advanced to FrontDoor was returned to the county in 2005 when its former CEO Robert M. Davis Jr. became involved in a new company called Focal Pointe, which bought land at Catawba Ridge.
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
The incentive package that helped land 1,500 CompuCom jobs is unlike any Lancaster County has offered before – molded by painful lessons from the Fancy Pokket deal and the experience of the county’s new chief business recruiter.
“I want our community to be the most aggressive county in the state for local incentives,” said Jamie Gilbert, who has been county economic development director since July. “At the same time, we expect performance and accountability.”
In the Lancaster County lexicon, “Fancy Pokket” has come to mean delays and frustration. Under the 2012 deal, the Canadian baker got free land in the county’s industrial park, and it promised to open a manufacturing plant by mid-2014 and employ at least 68 people there within five years.
Things didn’t work out as planned. The company built a gleaming $11 million facility, but it hasn’t produced anything. After multiple hiccups and a threat from county officials this year, the company announced in October that it would start hiring immediately and begin baking in January. But now there’s another months-long delay.
Gilbert says when he came on board, he suggested a different incentive structure. CompuCom is that new kind of deal, designed so “we won’t have any Fancy Pokket situations.”
The problem with the Fancy Pokket agreement, Gilbert says, is that it had only two benchmarks. The company had to get a certificate of occupancy for the manufacturing plant, and it had to create 68 jobs within five years of the plant’s opening. Failure to do either of those things would result in a single penalty: the company would have to pay $274,000, the value of the county’s free land.
But a cash payment that big is a hard thing to ask of a new employer who is investing $11 million here, Gilbert says. And getting a company to write you a big check is sometimes not easy.
Fancy Pokket missed the twice-extended deadline for its certificate of occupancy, responding only to the county’s ultimatum this year. Now that it has that document, it has five years to create the 68 jobs. Technically, Gilbert said, it could hire all 68 people on the last day of the fifth year and still be in compliance.
The CompuCom incentive package is much different. It contains small annual benchmarks for what the company agrees to accomplish each year. And the deal’s penalties are not cash payments from the company. They’re adjustments to CompuCom’s tax bill from the county.
“From this point forward, all our tax credits are done based on annual agreed-upon job-creation numbers that have to be hit yearly,” Gilbert said. “If they fall short, then their tax credit will be less.”
Every new agreement will have a mechanism for reporting to the county’s Economic Development Department and working with the county’s auditor to ensure that the jobs are there, Gilbert said.
If a new business creates 80 percent of the target number of jobs in a given time period, then they will receive 80 percent of the tax credit for that period.
“This is easier and fairer for the company,” Gilbert said, “and allows us to maintain the trust of the residents who pay us to create jobs.”
Not all has changed
Despite this key difference, some parts of the CompuCom deal are familiar.
Its incentive agreement gives the company a Fee-In-Lieu-of-Tax-Agreement (FILOT) and a Special Source Revenue Credit (SSRC), which is an additional reduction of the FILOT payments.
The 30-year FILOT arrangement reduces the assessment rate on the company’s personal property from 10.5 percent to 6 percent and provides a fixed millage rate throughout the period.
Personal property includes furnishings and business equipment and is normally taxed at 10.5 percent, whereas real property is taxed at 6 percent. The county offered the 6 percent rate to compete with neighboring states.
The FILOT for CompuCom is for both the personal and real property. Had CompuCom moved into an existing building, rather than constructing a new one, the FILOT would have involved only personal property.
Because Fancy Pokket was on county land, it owed no property taxes at all until after obtaining the certificate of occupancy. It missed deadlines for two years before finally getting the CO in late October.
“Without the CO,” Willis said, “the company doesn’t pay taxes, because the building doesn’t go on the tax rolls until after obtaining that.”
But in CompuCom’s case, the developer owns the land, so even if there are delays, taxes on the land will be paid.
In the case of Fancy Pokket, Gilbert said he would have structured the agreement with a timetable of smaller milestones. For example, the county could have allowed the company two years to get the CO. If it didn’t meet that deadline, the company could repay the land value in five yearly installments of $54,000.
During each of those five years, Fancy Pokket could have lowered the annual payment if it had created some of the promised jobs. For example, if the company produced 50 percent of the promised jobs in a given year, it would pay the county 50 percent of the $54,000 that year.
No cash incentives
The county does not lure businesses with cash as some states do with grants. Willis said the county learned that painful lesson in 2002 with FrontDoor Communications.
Willis said the county improperly advanced $636,569 to FrontDoor as part of an incentive package to start a media company at Catawba Ridge, in western Lancaster County along the Catawba River. The Catawba Ridge development failed to materialize.
“That was a complete failure,” Willis said. “The company paid the county back with a bad check.”
Eventually the company repaid the debt.
Rudy Carter, then council chair, had to sign bad-check warrants for the company.
Former County Administrator Chap Hurst disbursed the funds based on a letter offering incentives to the company, rather than on a contract signed by the county council.
The company was supposed to bring 1,600 jobs and a $150 million investment to the county. But FrontDoor opened only temporary offices in Lancaster County, hired just a handful of people and published a few issues of a Charlotte magazine before it folded.
The money advanced to FrontDoor was returned to the county in 2005 when its former CEO Robert M. Davis Jr. became involved in a new company called Focal Pointe, which bought land at Catawba Ridge.
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
Per-capita Incomes Skyrocket In The County
Up 66% in 5 years, led by Panhandle
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Per-capita income in Lancaster County has shot up in the past five years, propelled mostly by gains in the fast-growing Panhandle.
The county was last in the state on the 2011 income list, at $22,897 per person. This year’s figure is $38,043, up 66 percent in five years, according to a new report from the S.C. Department of Revenue and Towncharts.com.
Lancaster now ranks ninth-highest among the 46 S.C. counties and well above the state average of $32,505.
“This is fantastic and clearly shows that Lancaster County is growing and is a very desirable place for companies with high-paying jobs to locate,” said County Administrator Steve Willis. “I wish that it was spread more evenly over the county.”
The more prosperous Panhandle’s average was $48,880.
The city of Lancaster came in at $37,440, followed by Kershaw at $35,235 and Heath Springs at $34,112.
“Pockets within any community will have income disparity,” said Jamie Gilbert, the county’s economic development director. “That’s not unusual or alarming.”
Kershaw’s average was helped by Haile Gold Mine’s good-paying jobs, Willis said.
“The gold mine itself is spending a lot of money with local vendors and suppliers in the Kershaw area,” he said.
The top ten counties in the state are Charleston, Beaufort, Greenville, Lexington, Richland, Georgetown, York, Spartanburg, Lancaster and Oconee. Charleston is the only county over $50,000, at $50,838.
Chester County came in at 32nd with $30,441 and Chesterfield 34th at $29,962, both below the state average. Kershaw County was 13th with $37,322. The lowest-earning county was Marlboro at $25,161.
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Per-capita income in Lancaster County has shot up in the past five years, propelled mostly by gains in the fast-growing Panhandle.
The county was last in the state on the 2011 income list, at $22,897 per person. This year’s figure is $38,043, up 66 percent in five years, according to a new report from the S.C. Department of Revenue and Towncharts.com.
Lancaster now ranks ninth-highest among the 46 S.C. counties and well above the state average of $32,505.
“This is fantastic and clearly shows that Lancaster County is growing and is a very desirable place for companies with high-paying jobs to locate,” said County Administrator Steve Willis. “I wish that it was spread more evenly over the county.”
The more prosperous Panhandle’s average was $48,880.
The city of Lancaster came in at $37,440, followed by Kershaw at $35,235 and Heath Springs at $34,112.
“Pockets within any community will have income disparity,” said Jamie Gilbert, the county’s economic development director. “That’s not unusual or alarming.”
Kershaw’s average was helped by Haile Gold Mine’s good-paying jobs, Willis said.
“The gold mine itself is spending a lot of money with local vendors and suppliers in the Kershaw area,” he said.
The top ten counties in the state are Charleston, Beaufort, Greenville, Lexington, Richland, Georgetown, York, Spartanburg, Lancaster and Oconee. Charleston is the only county over $50,000, at $50,838.
Chester County came in at 32nd with $30,441 and Chesterfield 34th at $29,962, both below the state average. Kershaw County was 13th with $37,322. The lowest-earning county was Marlboro at $25,161.
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Three Siblings Needed A Rescue
By Mandy Catoe
December 25, 2016
It was Shawn and Heather Sendler and their two kids, Addison, 8, and Baylor, 6. Plus three foster children, tight-knit siblings ages 9, 8 and 2, who had been staying with them for a few months.
The home was overflowing with love and acceptance, but it wasn't a permanent arrangement.
Now it is.
"We joke that we rescue dogs and children," Heather Sendler said. "And Jesus rescued us."
Shawn, 38, a minister at Forest Hill Church's SouthPark location, and Heather, 36, a freelance graphic artist, both felt called by God in this mission of love.
Heather had a dream in 2013. In it she was walking all alone in a stark white landscape. She heard a child's voice from behind. "Mommy, mommy."
"I turned around and saw a little dark-skinned boy who ran to me and jumped into my arms and hugged me the way my son hugs me, with his legs wrapped around my waist and his arms around my neck.
"He looked at me and said, 'You're the mommy I never had.' Then I woke up."
The dream "scared the pants off me," Heather recalls.
"I firmly knew that it was from God and I knew we would do it and obey," she said, "but… adopting was not a lifelong dream of mine. I didn't even know if I would have kids when we married 15 years ago."
In early 2015, the Sendlers began opening their home and hearts to children in the DSS system. The first six months of that year, they had fostered three different children and by June decided to take a little break. But a DSS official called June 5, the first Friday of summer vacation, informing them of three siblings in immediate need of care – "probably just for the weekend."
They agreed to take them in and fell in love the moment they saw them.
The kids were Brie, 10, Micah, 9, and Mya, 3 1/2. Baylor and Addison were thrilled because they each were getting a sibling of the same sex.
"At first it was like Addison and Baylor had new best friends who were constantly spending the night," Heather said. "They just hit it off."
"Baylor always wanted a brother he could play rough-and-tumble sports with, and Addison and Brie are only five months apart and are like twins," Heather said.
"We call Mya our cherry on top," Heather said, pulling Mya close for a hug.
As Mya's smile grew, her dimples deepened."Today I sang and I was a shepherd at church, and lots of people saw me," Mya said.
Then she picked up a photo of herself dressed as an angel next to baby Jesus and held it up.
Sweet milestones Many foster homes
Before being adopted into the Sendler home, Brie, Micah and Mya had spent years in foster care. DSS had just removed them from a neglectful foster home with little supervision. The older two had been cooking their own food and taking care of Mya, who was still in diapers.
"They had burned themselves on the stove," Heather said.
Shawn and Heather assured the children they would love them and take care of them until they were able to return home to their biological parents.
"We did a lot of talking to reassure them we weren't trying to replace their biological parents, who still love them but had made some bad decisions, making living there unsafe now," Shawn said.
"We told them we want to take care of you to keep you from bouncing around foster homes."
Parental visitations dwindled to nothing by August and eventually parental rights were terminated in October. The kids, especially Brie, understood that would mean they would be adopted out – and most likely separated from each other.
By last December, Shawn and Heather told the children they wanted to adopt them, but it would be up to DSS and the judge. They assured the children that if it was God's will, then they would all be one family.
The final hearing for the adoption was Aug. 11. In a show of support, 35 friends, family and church members filled the York County family courtroom.
"We wanted to convey to the court that these children are not just gaining a family but also a community of people who loved them," Shawn said.
Adoption was granted. Heather says even the judge was teary-eyed.
Before being adopted into the Sendler home, Brie, Micah and Mya had spent years in foster care. DSS had just removed them from a neglectful foster home with little supervision. The older two had been cooking their own food and taking care of Mya, who was still in diapers.
"They had burned themselves on the stove," Heather said.
Shawn and Heather assured the children they would love them and take care of them until they were able to return home to their biological parents.
"We did a lot of talking to reassure them we weren't trying to replace their biological parents, who still love them but had made some bad decisions, making living there unsafe now," Shawn said.
"We told them we want to take care of you to keep you from bouncing around foster homes."
Parental visitations dwindled to nothing by August and eventually parental rights were terminated in October. The kids, especially Brie, understood that would mean they would be adopted out – and most likely separated from each other.
By last December, Shawn and Heather told the children they wanted to adopt them, but it would be up to DSS and the judge. They assured the children that if it was God's will, then they would all be one family.
The final hearing for the adoption was Aug. 11. In a show of support, 35 friends, family and church members filled the York County family courtroom.
"We wanted to convey to the court that these children are not just gaining a family but also a community of people who loved them," Shawn said.
Adoption was granted. Heather says even the judge was teary-eyed.
The children have been with the Sendlers for more than 18 months now. The journey has included counseling, tears, laughter and so much love.Shawn said one of the sweetest milestones was when the kids felt safe enough to roll their eyes and give a little sass to their new parents.
The three had been perfect for the first few months, as if auditioning for the part. Finally, they felt at home enough to be typical kids.
"When I hear one of them call us mom or dad, it is such a privilege, because you know they don't have to call us that," Heather said.
The Sendlers credit their ability to do this to that community that backed them in court.Heather is quick to say they aren't saints and don't pretend to be.
"We are just sinful people trying to be patient and show love and grace and mercy every day."
Heather recently spoke at a church event about putting your faith into action.
"We have to trust that God's plan is perfect and not ours," she said. "That makes it less scary, knowing we didn't dream this up on our own. There is peace knowing this is part of God's plan. It is his story, my life."
Shawn said he takes comfort in knowing that with five kids he can't expect to get it perfect and they are just doing the best they can.
Both say the busyness of the task has forced them to not obsess over the trivial things and to live more fully in each moment."I am busier now packing five lunches and trying to give everyone one-on-one mommy time," Heather said.
"It's a little more crazy and a little more loud. I'm a little more tired, but with more joy and more blessings."
The family celebrates the birth of Christ by serving others during the Christmas season.
The children spent the past week preparing gift bags and will deliver them to a nursing home in Florida where Heather's grandmother receives care.
The children took their places around the table. Baylor sat next to Micah, and Addison and Brie sat beside each other. Mya took a seat in her mom's lap. They began sharing their gratitude aloud.Baylor said the best part is Micah, and Micah said the best part is Baylor. Addison said she loves having a sister. Mya said she enjoyed "playing, reading, eating and tickling."
Then Brie spoke. Wiser than her years, she looked around the table at the six faces, pausing a few seconds on each one, then said, "Everyone."
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
Friday, December 23, 2016
Christmas cheer, blankets for White Oak residents
 | ||
| On Tuesday, members of Christ Episcopal Church and the Scrap Happy Quilters of Osceola United Methodist Church brought warm holiday wishes to the residents of White Oak Manor. Above, from left, Willa Thiele, Joan Crawford, Vickie Marshall and Pam Cook stand behind White Oak residents Margaret Altman and Betty Usher after giving out blankets in the facility’s social room. |
Two churches brought warmth and
gifts to White Oak Manor Tuesday afternoon. Outside, skies were overcast
with temperatures in the low 40s, but the mood inside was bright and
cheerful.Christ Episcopal Church brought personal-care items and the Scrap Happy Quilters of Osceola United Methodist Church brought warm, colorful fleece blankets.
“It means so much when people in the community visit, especially during Christmas,” said Jennifer Barton, the nursing home’s activity director.
“Many residents don’t have family and may not receive any gifts. So, this is really special to see them happy. That is why we are here.”
Many residents circled around the big Christmas tree in the social room as blankets were passed out.
It was hard to tell who had more fun – the ladies passing the blankets out or the residents picking just the right one.
Betty Usher picked a yellow blanket covered with images of tractors and farm animals.
“I liked tractors when I was younger,” Usher said. “We had cows, horses, hogs and tractors where I lived.”
Usher spread her blanket over her lap as the lady next to her chose a bright red Minnie Mouse blanket.
“They are all so pretty,” said Margaret Altman.
Steve Ghent remained in his room watching television and perked up when the ladies visited him. He chose an Avengers-themed blanket and smiled as Barton tucked him in.
The personal-care items included cuddly teddy bears, lotion, fuzzy gloves, calendars and bird food and feeders.
No one was left out. The blankets were delivered to the residents who did not join the group at the tree.
Barton and the ladies from the churches pushed a large cart covered with nearly 100 blankets down each hallway and visited each room.
The fabric was donated by Springs Creative Products Group in Rock Hill. CEO Derick S. Close and Kathy George donated the fabric, said Vickie Marshall, Scrap Happy quilter.
Marshall picked the fleece up last Monday.
“They filled my car full,” Marshall said. “I could barely see out my back window.”
Scrap Happy met last Thursday and set up an assembly line and cut, stitched and folded nearly 100 blankets in less than three hours.
“We had a lot of helping hands,” Marshall said.
Joan Crawford of Christ Episcopal Church initiated the effort in honor of her friend and neighbor Scott Allison, a former resident at White Oak who passed away two weeks ago.
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
Monday, December 19, 2016
"Mr. Hungerford, on behalf of a grateful nation..."
Huge ovation as WWII veteran gets Bronze Star
“Mr. Hungerford,” Mulvaney said, formally addressing the 91-year-old veteran at the base of the grand staircase. A crowd of more than 50 Rotarians and guests looked on.
“Yes, sir,” Hungerford said.
When Mulvaney called his name, Hungerford, who walks with a slight stoop, straightened to his full height. His wife, Deanna, stood at his side.
“On behalf of a grateful nation and on behalf of the president of the
United States, I present you with the Bronze Star,” Mulvaney said, and
the two shook hands.The Lancaster Rotary Club and its guests stood and applauded for at least a minute.
“I’m very grateful for having been able to serve our country. It’s meant a great deal to me,” Hungerford told the assembly, choking back emotion. “I thank all of y’all for being here.”
Mulvaney had respectfully offered to walk to Hungerford’s table to present the medal to him. But Hungerford, who uses a cane, insisted on walking up to stand next to the congressman.
“It is important,” Mulvaney said, “that we celebrate the contributions in our community from this Greatest Generation. Sadly, there aren’t many of them left.”
Mulvaney called such presentations his favorite part of being a U.S. representative.
“It’s important for kids to be able to read about this in the newspaper, to know who we are as a community,” he said.
Mulvaney told the audience that Hungerford had earned several awards and at least one, maybe two, purple hearts during his service.
“But the big one that was never awarded to him is the Bronze Star,” Mulvaney said prior to the presentation. “I will present that to him today.”
Hungerford’s wife, Deanna, had encouraged him to pursue the medal.
“He was supposed to have gotten it all those years ago and had never
gotten it or bothered with it, so I just told him it was important to
get it for family, so they could see him get due recognition,” she said.Hungerford was drafted into the army in 1944 at age 18. He served in the 63rd Infantry Division and was among the first troops to cross the Siegfried Line in Germany, where more than 140,000 Americans lost their lives in 1944-45.
Hungerford made it out alive, but barely. He sustained wounds on March 19, 1945, that left him disabled. He received treatment at a hospital in France and later in England, before being sent to Welch Convalescent Hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida. He received his discharge on VJ Day, Aug. 15, 1945. Japan’s surrender ended World War II.
The Hungerfords thanked Mulvaney for his help and quick response in getting the medal awarded.
Hungerford and his wife have children from previous marriages. His first wife passed away just before their 37th wedding anniversary. He has been married to Deanna for 26 years.
Hungerford spends his days enjoying time with his wife and spending quiet days knocking out seven or eight crossword puzzles. He also has a dry sense of humor, delivering punch lines with perfect timing. His quick wit has not slowed down.
He introduced himself as Buddy and then “S.R. Hungerford III, as in Sam Robert, but that ain’t what it is,” he said, smiling.
When pushed for more, he said: “Simeon Rice, but nobody knows what my real name is, thank goodness.”
Hungerford spent his post-military days working in his family’s lumberyards and furniture factory. He later traveled the country selling the furniture.
“I attribute my health and sharpness to having a martini every night,” he said, laughing. “I know that doesn’t go over too good with the Baptists.”
As the Lancaster Rotary Club continued its program with special Christmas music, the couple sat looking at the medal together.
“I’m so proud of him,” Deanna Hungerford said.
 |
| Deanna Hungerford, left, stands beside her husband, Buddy Hungerford, as he accepts his Bronze Star from Rep. Mick Mulvaney Thursday at the Springs House. Hungerford served during World War II. |
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Building the infrastructure to keep pace with IL boom
The relocation of CompuCom Systems’ Texas headquarters and 1,500 jobs
to Indian Land is yet another sign of the Panhandle’s remarkable
economic pull.
But for some residents, that growth comes with growing pains.
“The first thing that comes to mind is thank goodness for the jobs. We all need a job,” said Gary Holland, Indian Land community activist. “But I wonder why they all have to locate right in the same area, because with Movement Mortgage and Keer Textile Group, it’s almost impossible to get to and from work on Highway 160.”
Holland said the state’s zeal for economic development should be matched by the infrastructure improvements needed to handle it.
“I think the governor has done a great job in promoting South Carolina,” he said. “Jobs are good, but traffic is horrible. It looks like the state and the county should be ahead of the growth rather than playing catch-up.”
Schools are another part of the county’s infrastructure impacted by big job announcements.
Dr. Gene Moore, superintendent of the Lancaster County School District, said it’s too early to predict the CompuCom project’s impact on the district. Work is about ready to start on a new high school and elementary school in the Panhandle, paid for by this year’s $199 million bond issue.
“Any new business bringing that many high-tech, high-paying jobs will offer graduates of our schools great job opportunities in the future,” Moore said. “We’ll just have to wait to see how many of those employees choose to live in our county, and specifically in Indian Land, to predict how it will affect our district.”
Dean Faile, president of the Lancaster chamber, said the schools will be a key component of the continued growth of the county’s high-tech sector.
“This is a good fit for our area,” Faile said, adding that our high schools, USC Lancaster and York Tech have good programs to prepare workers for information technology jobs like CompuCom’s.
County Administrator Steve Willis said CompuCom’s impact on school crowding would be determined by the percentage of its workers who live in Lancaster County and use our schools. Many will live in York County and Mecklenburg and Union counties across the state line.
He also noted that many of Indian Land’s new companies are investing in our public schools, not just placing burdens on them.
“The companies that have located in the Panhandle have been good corporate partners,” he said. “Continental has done a lot for Indian Land High School, and Red Ventures has invested in the region’s schools. Hopefully this will be a very positive thing for the school district,” Willis said.
As for roads, Willis said there are projects in the works that should help handle the congestion.
“Construction is about to begin on Highway 160, which should help alleviate those concerns and we will work through it with the expansion of 160. I have no idea of the construction timetable, but 160 should be nearing completion by the time CompuServe opens,” he said.
More people working in the area is great news for Indian Land’s retailers and restaurants.
“The more people, the merrier,” said Trey Link, manager of Jim ‘n Nicks Barbecue Restaurant.
Link said he is excited for the coming growth and the restaurant will grow right along with it. Jim ‘n Nicks opened in October across the street from the Redstone, a 40-acre retail development at the intersection of U.S. 521 and S.C. 160.
Growth will be a big positive for many businesses, but also brings challenges to residents just trying to drive to and from work or to the grocery store.
Since March of this year, when Movement Mortgage opened its 600-employee headquarters at the corner of Calvin Hall Road, the traffic on S.C. 160 comes to a standstill and is bumper-to-bumper during rush hour.
Earlier this year, SCDOT announced it was ready to move forward on a long-awaited $14 million project to widen S.C. 160, with bids solicited in November for an early 2017 start. The project is expected to take three years to complete.
S.C. 160 is one of Indian Land’s busiest roads, with an average daily traffic volume of 15,900 vehicles. SCDOT estimates it will reach 25,800 a day by 2030.
Work on the $14 million project to widen 2.3 miles of the road, from Possum Hollow Road west to the York County line, was to have started in 2015 and wrap up in 2017.
In late June, SCDOT District 4 engineer Greg Shaw said the department has asked that a traffic light be installed at the intersection of S.C. 160 and Calvin Hall early in the project.
At issue, he said, is getting money for the turn lanes and other associated intersection upgrades so early in the project.
Willis said SCDOT has said the intersection remains a priority.
In September, Willis advised The Lancaster News that the department is aware of the current traffic issues at the intersection.
“They do intend to get the intersection worked on first,” he said. “The issue is, in order to have signals there and make it work right, you’ve got to have those turn lanes. Just putting a signal up with no turn lane is not going to help the situation at all, probably make it even worse.”
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
But for some residents, that growth comes with growing pains.
“The first thing that comes to mind is thank goodness for the jobs. We all need a job,” said Gary Holland, Indian Land community activist. “But I wonder why they all have to locate right in the same area, because with Movement Mortgage and Keer Textile Group, it’s almost impossible to get to and from work on Highway 160.”
Holland said the state’s zeal for economic development should be matched by the infrastructure improvements needed to handle it.
“I think the governor has done a great job in promoting South Carolina,” he said. “Jobs are good, but traffic is horrible. It looks like the state and the county should be ahead of the growth rather than playing catch-up.”
Schools are another part of the county’s infrastructure impacted by big job announcements.
Dr. Gene Moore, superintendent of the Lancaster County School District, said it’s too early to predict the CompuCom project’s impact on the district. Work is about ready to start on a new high school and elementary school in the Panhandle, paid for by this year’s $199 million bond issue.
“Any new business bringing that many high-tech, high-paying jobs will offer graduates of our schools great job opportunities in the future,” Moore said. “We’ll just have to wait to see how many of those employees choose to live in our county, and specifically in Indian Land, to predict how it will affect our district.”
Dean Faile, president of the Lancaster chamber, said the schools will be a key component of the continued growth of the county’s high-tech sector.
“This is a good fit for our area,” Faile said, adding that our high schools, USC Lancaster and York Tech have good programs to prepare workers for information technology jobs like CompuCom’s.
County Administrator Steve Willis said CompuCom’s impact on school crowding would be determined by the percentage of its workers who live in Lancaster County and use our schools. Many will live in York County and Mecklenburg and Union counties across the state line.
He also noted that many of Indian Land’s new companies are investing in our public schools, not just placing burdens on them.
“The companies that have located in the Panhandle have been good corporate partners,” he said. “Continental has done a lot for Indian Land High School, and Red Ventures has invested in the region’s schools. Hopefully this will be a very positive thing for the school district,” Willis said.
As for roads, Willis said there are projects in the works that should help handle the congestion.
“Construction is about to begin on Highway 160, which should help alleviate those concerns and we will work through it with the expansion of 160. I have no idea of the construction timetable, but 160 should be nearing completion by the time CompuServe opens,” he said.
More people working in the area is great news for Indian Land’s retailers and restaurants.
“The more people, the merrier,” said Trey Link, manager of Jim ‘n Nicks Barbecue Restaurant.
Link said he is excited for the coming growth and the restaurant will grow right along with it. Jim ‘n Nicks opened in October across the street from the Redstone, a 40-acre retail development at the intersection of U.S. 521 and S.C. 160.
Growth will be a big positive for many businesses, but also brings challenges to residents just trying to drive to and from work or to the grocery store.
Since March of this year, when Movement Mortgage opened its 600-employee headquarters at the corner of Calvin Hall Road, the traffic on S.C. 160 comes to a standstill and is bumper-to-bumper during rush hour.
Earlier this year, SCDOT announced it was ready to move forward on a long-awaited $14 million project to widen S.C. 160, with bids solicited in November for an early 2017 start. The project is expected to take three years to complete.
S.C. 160 is one of Indian Land’s busiest roads, with an average daily traffic volume of 15,900 vehicles. SCDOT estimates it will reach 25,800 a day by 2030.
Work on the $14 million project to widen 2.3 miles of the road, from Possum Hollow Road west to the York County line, was to have started in 2015 and wrap up in 2017.
In late June, SCDOT District 4 engineer Greg Shaw said the department has asked that a traffic light be installed at the intersection of S.C. 160 and Calvin Hall early in the project.
At issue, he said, is getting money for the turn lanes and other associated intersection upgrades so early in the project.
Willis said SCDOT has said the intersection remains a priority.
In September, Willis advised The Lancaster News that the department is aware of the current traffic issues at the intersection.
“They do intend to get the intersection worked on first,” he said. “The issue is, in order to have signals there and make it work right, you’ve got to have those turn lanes. Just putting a signal up with no turn lane is not going to help the situation at all, probably make it even worse.”
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
Pulte, county strike deal on Sun City roads
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
The dispute between Lancaster County and the Sun City Carolina Lakes’ developer over who is responsible for the community’s roads has been resolved with both sides compromising.
The county council passed a unanimous resolution Monday night, its final meeting of 2016, to settle the years-long dispute.
Atlanta-based Pulte Group agreed to repair a handful of roads with storm-water drainage problems, and it provided a $2 million guarantee to cover any repair costs related to storm-water problems for another three years. With those stipulations, the county, which had asked for $3 million and a five-year guarantee, agreed to accept the rest of Sun City’s roads into the county system.
Pulte also agreed to repair and repave the major access route to the development, Del Webb Boulevard, even though the county had not requested that.
Under the 2005 development agreement, Pulte was required to construct the roads to meet county standards, after which the county was required to adopt them into its system. But the county had long contended that some of the roads’ storm-water infrastructure had not been built up to standards.
An emphatic motion to approve the resolution was made by outgoing Councilman Larry McCullough, whose district includes the much-debated roads. Another Panhandle councilman, Brian Carnes, quickly seconded the motion.
County Attorney John Weaver said he and Councilman Larry Honeycutt have been negotiating with the developer the last few weeks and reached an agreement just hours before Monday night’s council meeting.
“John and I met with Pulte, and a good understanding came out of that meeting,” Honeycutt said. “We have a good deal for the county and a good deal for Pulte.”
The county has agreed to accept the roads and underlying storm-water infrastructure throughout the public roadways in Sun City Carolina Lakes. The responsibility for fixing any damaged roads not caused by failures in storm-water infrastructure will remain with the county. Pulte has extended the warranties on both the roads and storm-water infrastructure and has provided two $1 million letters of credit to make needed repairs and to provide a warranty expiring Dec. 31, 2019.
The debate over the roads started not long after construction began in 2005. As the 3,200-home development nears completion, county officials and Sun City residents want assurance that they won’t be left with unsatisfactory roads without funds to repair them.
Pulte sent an e-mail Monday to Weaver stating that it would repair the following areas, which have dips near the drains indicating poor storm-water infrastructure: 10564 Bethpage Drive, 3021 Azalea Drive, intersection of Riverbend Road and Yosemite, 2152 Hartwell Lane, 26456 Sandpiper Court, 55396 Derringer, and 52104 Longspur.
“Pulte has voluntarily agreed to do a rather substantial job at the Highway 521 entry into Sun City just beyond the guardhouse on Del Webb Boulevard,” Weaver said. “This was a concession on their part and not a requirement.”
Pulte will repair and repave the inbound lanes of Del Webb Boulevard, the entry into Sun City from Highway 521.
In a moment of levity following the decade-long debate over the roads, McCullough said, “Mr. Graham who will be taking over that district on Jan. 1, is particularly happy.”
Councilman-elect Terry Graham, seated in the audience, raised both arms high in victory and shouted “Thank you.”
McCullough echoed with “hallelujah.”
Bundy, McCullough get happy sendoff
The council cleared all pending business for the year and bid goodbye to outgoing council members Bob Bundy and McCullough.
Bundy served as chair for the council during his single term of service. McCullough served two terms. Neither sought reelection.
McCullough thanked the council, the audience and his wife, who he said has tolerated the many interruptions that allowed him to serve the county.
Vicechair Brian Carnes presented a plaque of appreciation to both men.
"Serving on a council such as this in a community such as ours is truly special," Bundy said.
"You hear stories about councils that don't get a long and I can't imagine that because we have such a good group here to work with. Every day wasn't perfect, or easy and there were hard times."
Bundy thanked the council and members of the audience for bringing things in their heart to council and for working together to make the county better. Bundy acknowledged the members of Lancaster Area Shelter Supporters who were in attendance.
McCullough offered a brief summary on service.
First, one becomes aware and then informed. After that, a period of involvement and service.
McCullough also said he favors term limits which keep politicians from becoming part of the problem.
"It takes a while to learn the routine, but if you stay in the routine too long, it becomes a rut," he said.
"When that happens, you become a part of the problem rather than the solution."Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
The dispute between Lancaster County and the Sun City Carolina Lakes’ developer over who is responsible for the community’s roads has been resolved with both sides compromising.
The county council passed a unanimous resolution Monday night, its final meeting of 2016, to settle the years-long dispute.
Atlanta-based Pulte Group agreed to repair a handful of roads with storm-water drainage problems, and it provided a $2 million guarantee to cover any repair costs related to storm-water problems for another three years. With those stipulations, the county, which had asked for $3 million and a five-year guarantee, agreed to accept the rest of Sun City’s roads into the county system.
Pulte also agreed to repair and repave the major access route to the development, Del Webb Boulevard, even though the county had not requested that.
Under the 2005 development agreement, Pulte was required to construct the roads to meet county standards, after which the county was required to adopt them into its system. But the county had long contended that some of the roads’ storm-water infrastructure had not been built up to standards.
An emphatic motion to approve the resolution was made by outgoing Councilman Larry McCullough, whose district includes the much-debated roads. Another Panhandle councilman, Brian Carnes, quickly seconded the motion.
County Attorney John Weaver said he and Councilman Larry Honeycutt have been negotiating with the developer the last few weeks and reached an agreement just hours before Monday night’s council meeting.
“John and I met with Pulte, and a good understanding came out of that meeting,” Honeycutt said. “We have a good deal for the county and a good deal for Pulte.”
The county has agreed to accept the roads and underlying storm-water infrastructure throughout the public roadways in Sun City Carolina Lakes. The responsibility for fixing any damaged roads not caused by failures in storm-water infrastructure will remain with the county. Pulte has extended the warranties on both the roads and storm-water infrastructure and has provided two $1 million letters of credit to make needed repairs and to provide a warranty expiring Dec. 31, 2019.
The debate over the roads started not long after construction began in 2005. As the 3,200-home development nears completion, county officials and Sun City residents want assurance that they won’t be left with unsatisfactory roads without funds to repair them.
Pulte sent an e-mail Monday to Weaver stating that it would repair the following areas, which have dips near the drains indicating poor storm-water infrastructure: 10564 Bethpage Drive, 3021 Azalea Drive, intersection of Riverbend Road and Yosemite, 2152 Hartwell Lane, 26456 Sandpiper Court, 55396 Derringer, and 52104 Longspur.
“Pulte has voluntarily agreed to do a rather substantial job at the Highway 521 entry into Sun City just beyond the guardhouse on Del Webb Boulevard,” Weaver said. “This was a concession on their part and not a requirement.”
Pulte will repair and repave the inbound lanes of Del Webb Boulevard, the entry into Sun City from Highway 521.
In a moment of levity following the decade-long debate over the roads, McCullough said, “Mr. Graham who will be taking over that district on Jan. 1, is particularly happy.”
Councilman-elect Terry Graham, seated in the audience, raised both arms high in victory and shouted “Thank you.”
McCullough echoed with “hallelujah.”
 |
| Councilmen-elect Terry Graham, left, and Billy Mosteller enjoy their last opportunity to sit on the citizen side of the county council meeting. They take office Jan. 3. |
 |
| Brian Carnes, left, presented out-going council members Larry McCullough and Bob Bundy with plaques commemorating their service to Lancaster County. Bundy served as chair for the council during his single term of service. McCullough served two terms. |
The council cleared all pending business for the year and bid goodbye to outgoing council members Bob Bundy and McCullough.
Bundy served as chair for the council during his single term of service. McCullough served two terms. Neither sought reelection.
McCullough thanked the council, the audience and his wife, who he said has tolerated the many interruptions that allowed him to serve the county.
Vicechair Brian Carnes presented a plaque of appreciation to both men.
"Serving on a council such as this in a community such as ours is truly special," Bundy said.
"You hear stories about councils that don't get a long and I can't imagine that because we have such a good group here to work with. Every day wasn't perfect, or easy and there were hard times."
Bundy thanked the council and members of the audience for bringing things in their heart to council and for working together to make the county better. Bundy acknowledged the members of Lancaster Area Shelter Supporters who were in attendance.
McCullough offered a brief summary on service.
First, one becomes aware and then informed. After that, a period of involvement and service.
McCullough also said he favors term limits which keep politicians from becoming part of the problem.
"It takes a while to learn the routine, but if you stay in the routine too long, it becomes a rut," he said.
"When that happens, you become a part of the problem rather than the solution."Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
Friday, December 9, 2016
IL sees eye-popping growth as huge employers move in
Friday, December 9, 2016
The Indian Land economic magnet keeps pulling in big catches, accelerating the job-creation momentum that has made it one of the state’s fastest-growing areas over the past several years.
CompuCom’s planned headquarters relocation and call center, which together will employ 1,500 within five to seven years, would make it the county’s third-largest employer, after Red Ventures and the Lancaster County School District.
In addition to Red Ventures, which will complete a major expansion next year, the list of big new employers in the county includes Nutramax Labs, Keer America, Haile Gold Mine, Sharonview Federal Credit Union, URS Nuclear, Honeywell, TriNet, Kennametal, Inspiration Networks, Verian Technologies, Special Materials, Valmet and Movement Mortgage.
Of those 14 new companies, all but Nutramax, Haile Gold Mine, and Valmet are located in the Panhandle.
In addition to the employers moving into the area, there have also been major expansions at Akzo Nobel, Cooley Group, Silgan Containers and Cardinal Health.
Movement Mortgage opened for business in March 2016 in Indian Land’s Bailes Ridge Business
Park off S.C. 160, the same site as CompuCom. Movement’s headquarters and national sales support center is the flagship location for the company’s loan-processing, underwriting, capital markets, marketing, legal, compliance and other corporate functions.
In fall 2014, Keer America Corp., a Chinese yarn manufacturer, completed construction on a 135-acre textile campus near the intersection of S.C. 160 and Old Bailes Road in Indian Land. The plant has 30 production lines. Construction will be completed by 2019, and the plant will employ 500 people.
Red Ventures, an Internet marketing firm, plans to hire an additional 1,500 employees, increasing its work force to 3,750 at its Indian Land campus in 2017. The expansion, a $90 million investment, will double Red Ventures’ size.
The once exclusively Internet marketing firm is expanding its business model to include insurance and real estate.
Its most talked about venture is RedStone, a 310,000-square-foot retail center under development at the intersection of U.S. 521 and S.C. 160. The project includes a 14-screen movie theater complex, Sharonview Credit Union, Lee Nails, Tide Dry Cleaners and nine restaurants. Other likely businesses include a major grocery store and a national coffee chain. The shopping center should be complete by early 2018.
The new growth will result in Indian Land’s first hotel, a four-story TownPlace Suites by Marriott, located at the intersection of U.S. 521 and Red Ventures Drive.
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
The Indian Land economic magnet keeps pulling in big catches, accelerating the job-creation momentum that has made it one of the state’s fastest-growing areas over the past several years.
CompuCom’s planned headquarters relocation and call center, which together will employ 1,500 within five to seven years, would make it the county’s third-largest employer, after Red Ventures and the Lancaster County School District.
In addition to Red Ventures, which will complete a major expansion next year, the list of big new employers in the county includes Nutramax Labs, Keer America, Haile Gold Mine, Sharonview Federal Credit Union, URS Nuclear, Honeywell, TriNet, Kennametal, Inspiration Networks, Verian Technologies, Special Materials, Valmet and Movement Mortgage.
Of those 14 new companies, all but Nutramax, Haile Gold Mine, and Valmet are located in the Panhandle.
In addition to the employers moving into the area, there have also been major expansions at Akzo Nobel, Cooley Group, Silgan Containers and Cardinal Health.
Movement Mortgage opened for business in March 2016 in Indian Land’s Bailes Ridge Business
Park off S.C. 160, the same site as CompuCom. Movement’s headquarters and national sales support center is the flagship location for the company’s loan-processing, underwriting, capital markets, marketing, legal, compliance and other corporate functions.
In fall 2014, Keer America Corp., a Chinese yarn manufacturer, completed construction on a 135-acre textile campus near the intersection of S.C. 160 and Old Bailes Road in Indian Land. The plant has 30 production lines. Construction will be completed by 2019, and the plant will employ 500 people.
Red Ventures, an Internet marketing firm, plans to hire an additional 1,500 employees, increasing its work force to 3,750 at its Indian Land campus in 2017. The expansion, a $90 million investment, will double Red Ventures’ size.
The once exclusively Internet marketing firm is expanding its business model to include insurance and real estate.
Its most talked about venture is RedStone, a 310,000-square-foot retail center under development at the intersection of U.S. 521 and S.C. 160. The project includes a 14-screen movie theater complex, Sharonview Credit Union, Lee Nails, Tide Dry Cleaners and nine restaurants. Other likely businesses include a major grocery store and a national coffee chain. The shopping center should be complete by early 2018.
The new growth will result in Indian Land’s first hotel, a four-story TownPlace Suites by Marriott, located at the intersection of U.S. 521 and Red Ventures Drive.
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.
CompuCom bringing 1,500 jobs to Lancaster County
Largest job announcement in Carolinas this year
Thursday, December 8, 2016Texas-based CompuCom Systems Inc. is relocating its headquarters to Indian Land, bringing a $41 million capital investment and creating 1,500 jobs over the next five to seven years.
It’s the largest single job announcement in Lancaster County history, said Gov. Nikki Haley’s office.
“This is an exciting new chapter in CompuCom’s journey,” said CompuCom CEO Dan Stone. “We will build a state-of-the-art command center” that will be “closer to many of our clients, as well as near an expanding network of IT professionals in North and South Carolina.”
Founded in 1987 and based in Plano, Tex., CompuCom is a privately held global company that focuses on helping businesses outsource their information technology services. With about 11,500 employees, it is a partner to six of the Top 10 Fortune 500 companies.
Its new 150,000-square-foot Indian Land facility will be located in Bailes Ridge Business Park on S.C. 160, housing its headquarters and global contact-center operations. Work on the site is already under way.
Lancaster County officials expressed excitement and said the deal is a team effort that began in fall 2015 when interim economic director Michael Trotter and County Administrator Steve Willis began negotiations with CompuCom in Columbia.
“This speaks volumes for our business climate and the potential we have to support corporate facilities,” said Jamie Gilbert, who became the county’s economic development director in July.
“Not only is this the county’s largest single new job announcement in the county’s history, this is the largest in the state and the Carolinas this year,” he said.
Gilbert was quick to credit Trotter and Willis and the S.C. Department of Commerce.
“Michael Trotter and Steve Willis began this, and I picked it up when I began this past summer,” Gilbert said. “We got it in the end zone as a team…. It shows what that partnership can accomplish.”
Hiring will begin before the end of this month, the company said. Those interested in applying for the new positions should visit the company’s career page online at compucom.com/careers.
“We are thrilled to have them locate in Lancaster,” Willis said.
“They will be a great fit and addition. The 160 and 521 area is turning into a corporate headquarters. The success of Red Ventures and Movement Mortgage bodes well for the success of CompuCom.”
“Lancaster County is ecstatic,” said county council Chairman Bob Bundy. “This is very exciting news for the county, region and state, as we are getting one of the world’s leading IT and network solutions providers and over a thousand high-salary jobs.”
Haley’s office said the state’s Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved job-development credits for the project, along with a Rural Infrastructure Fund grant of $1 million to assist with construction costs.
“When a company like CompuCom decides to build its global headquarters and create 1,500 new jobs here, it sends a message to the entire world that South Carolina is open for business,” Haley said.
“The commitment that this $41 million investment represents is extremely important to our state, and we could not be more excited to welcome this fantastic company to the South Carolina family.”
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Rebound begins overnight stays, only such program in the state
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
 |
| Rebound Behavioral Health, which treats chemical dependency and mental illness in adults, has begun offering overnight lodging to the company's day patients. (Photo supplied). |
Dan Anderson, Rebound’s director of business development, said the
“partial hospitalization program” at the facility near Van Wyck will
help patients focus on recovery rather than dealing with transportation
issues or the distraction of a dysfunctional home.
The new boarding unit will provide a safe, comfortable, structured environment for the patients, he said.
“Rebound is the only behavioral health facility in the state to offer
the option for PHP patients to board during treatment,” Anderson said.
The move toward boarding day patients is the current treatment trend
because it increases the likelihood of insurance reimbursement,
according to George McConnell, director of the state-run Morris Village
Alcohol and Drug Addiction Center in Columbia.
McConnell was unaware of any other agency providing the service in the state.
Rebound added the boarding option because many patients in the
outpatient program live too far away to drive to treatment every day.
“Even those who live close often have transportation issues,” Anderson said.
The adult PHP is an outpatient program for adults with acute
psychiatric and/or substance abuse issues, but whose symptoms are not
severe enough to require 24-hour inpatient care. PHP is a bridge between
inpatient care and community-based outpatient treatment.
Patients enter the partial hospitalization program directly or from Rebound's Crisis Stabilization Inpatient program.
“We renovated an existing building that wasn’t being used into apartment-style lodging,” Anderson said.
Rebound Behavioral Health opened in 2013 and is an adult private
inpatient treatment center located at 134 E. Rebound Road, north of
Lancaster off U.S. 521. It serves individuals with a variety of
emotional and behavioral issues including depression, substance
abuse/addiction, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress
disorder, psychosis and dual diagnosis.
Counseling Services of Lancaster works with Rebound by referring
clients to its inpatient facility and receiving referrals for outpatient
care, said Donna Herchek, assistant director.
Rebound is a part of Acadia Healthcare, headquartered in Franklin,
Tenn. Acadia was established in 2005 and operates a network of nearly
600 behavioral health facilities across the United States, the United
Kingdom and Puerto Rico.
The opening of the 36-bed unit was celebrated from 4-5:30 p.m. Dec. 6
with a ribbon-cutting, hors d’oeuvres and a meet and greet with staff.
Follow reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152
Warming Center Needs Volunteers
LACH shelter has bathing, laundry facilities this year
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
The Lancaster Area Coalition for the Homeless is renting a two-bedroom, one-bath house at 1242 Trestle Lane. The home will remain open until March 1, but that may be extended if cold weather lingers.
“It’s been difficult to find a location,” said Melanie Outlaw, United Way director and coalition chair.
“Many times the homeowners aren’t receptive to allowing their property to be used for the homeless.”
An open house will be held Dec. 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the home. The public is invited to visit.
LACH members walked through the home early this week and made a specific list of what is needed. That list will be available at the open house and posted on the Facebook pages of LACH and United Way of Lancaster County.
“Our community is very receptive and giving when you tell them what you need,” Outlaw said.
Due to limited storage at the facility, Outlaw asks donors to check the list or call the United Way before donating.
Last year’s warming center didn’t have a shower, tub or laundry facilities. It was located in the basement of a former children’s home at 721 E. Arch St.
“We are excited to offer this to the homeless this year,” Outlaw said.
Just like last year, the warming facility will be set up to serve a capacity of 10 homeless people.
“We were never at full capacity at any one given night last year,” Outlaw said. “If we need to adjust at any point, we will.”
LACH and United Way are seeking volunteers to supply meals and to oversee nightly operations. Those wishing to assist at the home must pass a SLED background check.
Training for the overnight shifts will be provided at the home Dec. 20 at noon or 6:30 p.m.
For more information on volunteering, contact Outlaw at (803) 283-8923.
Temperatures have been fairly mild recently, but are expected to plummet to the low 20s by the end of the week.
Temperatures in the low 40s are difficult to get through for those with no shelter from the cold, especially when it rains. This past Monday morning, with a fine mist falling, firefighters responded to a fire in a boarded-up home at 303 Ray Street where a small fire was burning in the middle of a room.
“We can’t actually say for sure that a homeless person set the fire, but it’s safe to assume that it was someone trying to stay warm,” said Lancaster Fire Chief Justin McLellan.
The fire was no surprise to Outlaw, who said volunteers saw traces of fires set inside abandoned apartments on Memorial Park Road last year when they were gathering data on the homeless.
 | |||
| This small, unassuming house on Trestle Lane will bring much needed relief to the city’s homeless this winter. The warming center offers laundry and shower facilities, warm meals and beds for those in need. |
Tributes, tears as city honors Chief Carter
‘Happy, happy, happy,’ says chief, overwhelmed by well-wishers
Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 2:00 am
There were lots of hugs and tributes and a few tears Monday at
the Historic Courthouse during a busy three-hour drop-in for retiring
Police Chief Harlean Carter.A steady crowd of well-wishers flowed in and out, with at least 30 people filling the old courtroom the entire time.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with the chief over the years,” said Sheriff Barry Faile, one of many officials in the room. “She’s always been a team player and always had the best interests of the citizens in mind. She will be missed.”
Several times, Carter was overcome with emotion. She said she was too full to comment. Her eyes scanned the many faces surrounding her, and tears rolled down her face. She managed to say, “Happy, happy, happy.”
Carter’s retirement takes effect Dec. 12. She has worked at the police department for 26 years, the last six in the top job.
Friends, family, colleagues and a flurry of city and county officials stopped by Monday to bid the chief farewell.
Kristen Grant, a SLED agent and former Lancaster Police Department gang investigator, made the trip back to Lancaster to thank her former boss.
“Chief Carter has been a great role model for me,” Grant said. “As a woman, she has been a great mentor for me.”
Pageland Police Chief Craig Greenlee, who served under Carter’s leadership, was there. He said he is applying what he learned from Carter in his new job.
Carter graciously accepted the praise of many, but also continued to give it.
As she embraced Officer Michael Hirtle, she said, “He is the epitome of what a police officer should be. He is personable. He gets the job done. He loves the community, and he lets people know he loves the community.”
“I learned it from the chief,” Hirtle chimed in. He has been an officer for 16 years.
The chatter echoed in the spacious second-floor room. Recurring refrains of “I love you” and “thank you” were constant.
Katie Brown, principal of Buford Elementary School, thanked the chief for the outreach work she did at her school years ago.
“She’s been special in my life ever since,” Brown said.
Capt. Dwayne Davis, a 20-year police veteran, thanked the chief for her belief in him for promoting him to captain in 2013.
“We are close friends, and I will miss her,” Davis said.
Davis described a close-knit working relationship in the department.
“It is a little sad,” Davis said. “I love her. I’ve seen other chiefs, but her involvement in the community sets her apart, and we are going to continue that.”
Among the attendees was Elijah Carter, the chief’s husband.
“We plan to tour the country,” he said.Kenneth Cauthen, the police chaplain, described the chief as a jewel to the city.
“I hate to see her go,” he said.
City Administrator Flip Hutfles said the chief made her contribution to the city and deserves to enjoy retirement.
“I’m sad to see her go because of her rapport with officers, the community and all the citizens, regardless of socio-economic status,” Hutfles said. “She will be hard to replace.”
Minister Marvin Tennant from Christian Assembly worked outreach with the chief at Southside. He complimented Carter on her work with the community.
Noteworthy praise came from her daughter, Sherese Wilson, who said, “She has always been Mom to me, but watching her move through her career made me want to emulate her.”
Wilson, 36, is a federal probation officer based in Columbia.
“She was an officer when I was born, and she was one of the first female officers in Philadelphia,” Wilson said. “If I can achieve just half of what she has, then I will have done a good job.”
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152
Monday, December 5, 2016
Planting a red maple to honor 1st responders
More than 50 city and county officials and employees stood in a chilly
circle Friday morning while the Lancaster Garden Club planted a red
maple tree in honor of first responders.The ladies of the garden club chose to celebrate Arbor Day by planting the tree at the Public Safety Communications Center on Pageland Highway. Over 200,000 calls each year for law enforcement, EMS and firefighters are handled here.
“The red maple is a perfect choice to honor first responders,” said Bob Bundy, county council chair. “Life is represented by the green color. The ones we are here to honor protect life.”
The tree turns from green to scarlet red and then gold, Bundy said.
“The red represents fire, blood or heart,” he said. “I think heart is appropriate for this compassionate, close-knit community.”
The gold represents the “golden hour,” Bundy said. “All first responders know about that.”Half the crowd was made up of first responders. They all nodded in recognition. Care provided in the golden hour, the first hour after victims suffer a traumatic injury, is critical to their survival and recovery.
Those assembled prayed together and sang “God Bless America.”The 30-minute ceremony will yield a lasting gift to first responders. Many will start their shift by walking past the tree.
The 12-foot-tall skinny and bare tree will spread out and grow to a height between 60 and 90 feet and live for about 100 years.
“We are honored to take part in this and will gladly look after the tree and keep it watered,” said Chris Nunnery, director of public safety communications.
A half dozen 911 operators, including some who had the day off, joined in the celebration.
Twelve-year veteran operator Colby Carter looked around at the crowd before speaking.
“This means everything to us,” she said. “Every day we have someone’s life in our hands and we do all we can to help them.”
“This tree is a small token for what you do,” said Carolyn Tolson, Lancaster Garden Club president. “We appreciate what you do.”
Lancaster Garden Club members Janesta Williams and Cecile Flanders co-chaired the Arbor Day committee.
Marshall Thompson and Ronnie Hinson from Resolute Forest Products planted the tree and spread mulch around the base.
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Alley
Sweet moment: Walking hand-in-hand with my six-year-old niece, Alley, to the Charlie Brown Christmas play last night left some lingering warmth. Excitement and anticipation added a bit of speed to our pace as we approached the entrance. Before reaching the door, her sweet raw and unguarded emotion erupted with "I'm glad we're together tonight," she said. "I don't see y'all enough. We need to do this more." I whispered a quick instant prayer of gratitude for her innocence and protection in this sometimes harsh world. And another that she remain this honest and for her circle to fill with those whose spirits are equally true and real. And may I always be a safe haven for her to be her.
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