Proposed IL rec center’s $14.7M cost stuns council

By Mandy Catoe

Wednesday, February 1, 2017 

The Lancaster County Council has gotten its first look at a proposed new Indian Land recreation center occupying 10 acres donated by Avondale’s developers, but the jaw-dropping $14.7 million price tag sent the plan back to the drawing board.
For comparison, the 100-acre mega sports complex that the county hopes to build at a central location just north of Lancaster using hospitality-tax revenues is expected to cost $17 million.
Reacting to the sticker shock among council members at the Jan. 23 meeting, County Attorney John Weaver laughed and said: “I have not checked the pulse of any of the council members here tonight. I am sure $14 million was far beyond their expectations.”
Council member Charlene McGriff responded, “You are correct.”
The county paid Horry County-based architectural firm Pike, McFarland and Hall Associates $6,000 to draw up the plans based on a needs assessment from county Recreation Director Hal Hiott. The company gave council an elaborate 20-minute presentation.
The proposed recreation center would be near the 179-acre Avondale mixed-use development off Harrisburg Road. The developer, Charlotte-based Sinacori Builders, gave the county 10 acres as part of their development agreement in November.
“The county hopes to put a very updated, modern and useful recreation facility there,” Weaver told council members. The county attorney, who worked with Horry County before coming to Lancaster in 2014, had recommended the architectural firm.
The plan features a 50,000-square-foot building with 4,700 square feet of meeting space for the Lancaster County Council on Aging, additional space for county recreation department offices and two full-size basketball courts. An elevated walking trail would be inside the facility.
The balance of the land will include two multipurpose athletic fields and parking for 300 vehicles.
Joe Pike, a partner in the firm, told council members: “We understand you don’t have $14.7 million. We are willing to work with Hal and county staff to figure out what they don’t need to reduce that cost. We can take your budget and work backwards.”
The firm opened the floor for questions after the 20-minute presentation. Weaver spoke first in defense of the ambitious plan.
“I thought it was important for the public and the council to see what would be wonderful for the residents of Indian Land if there were no restrictions put on what Hal wanted and what the recreation department wanted.”
McGriff called Hiott to the lectern and asked him,”Is this your $14.7 million dream?”
“It is what we need,” Hiott said. “We’ve outgrown what we have up there.”
“But $14.7 million?” McGriffin asked again, incredulous.
“I didn’t dream $14.7 million,” Hiott said. “I was asked to put down on paper what we need.
“My suggestion is to come up with a budget and whittle this down,” Hiott said.
McGriff said she thought the budget would have been the first step and then determining what could be built based on the available funds.
“To serve the people of Indian Land, I do envision a center that big eventually, whether it is built in phases or not,” Hiott said.
McGriff pointed out that the cost of this project was just a couple of million dollars short of the expected expense of the centrally located county complex 10 times as large.
Council chair Steve Harper passed the project on to the Infrastructure and Regulations Committee with the recommendation they meet with the Recreation Department to whittle the plan and budget down for a new facility and report back by June.
The county hopes to sell the outgrown, old recreation center at 8286 Charlotte Highway. It has been appraised, but is not yet up for sale, according to Weaver.
“There is a tremendous need for recreational facilities in the Indian Land area,” Weaver said. “What we have up there is antiquated and very insufficient.”
The existing 9.62-acre property, with improvements including the recreation center and EMS building, were appraised in May 2015 for $3.7 million. The land value was $2.4 million and improvements were $1.3 million. Last July, the appraisal on just the land had increased to $2.8 million.
Follow reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.

Duke donates $22K to 4 local nonprofits

By Mandy Catoe

Sunday, January 29, 2017


Duke Energy last year gave $22,100 to four Lancaster County nonprofit agencies, part of its $2.8 million in donations across the state.
“The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to address the needs of the communities where its customers live and work,” said Rick Jiran, Duke Energy VP of Community Relations.
Duke Energy awarded the local grants to the Women’s Enrichment Center, Lancaster County Council of the Arts, Katawba Valley Land Trust, and Lancaster County Partners for Youth.
Duke gave a $5,800 grant to the Women’s Enrichment Center, which was used to purchase supplies and materials for their sewing room, part of their workforce training program.
“We need to recognize that workforce development occurs in many forms – from helping children in schools to helping adults be trained or retrained,” Jiran said. “The women’s enrichment center offers a very unique opportunity for these women to gain a skill which will enable them to be productive.”
Julie Walters, director of the Women’s Enrichment Center, said she was “thrilled that Duke Energy chose us as one of the nonprofits that they wanted to assist.”
Walters encourages people to visit and shop at the group’s store, Lotus Boutique and Designs, at 311 North Main Street. All profits help the women who visit the center seeking assistance with unplanned pregnancies. The mission of the Women’s Enrichment Center is to help the women become self-sustaining.
“There is energy and excitement in their mission,” Jiran said. “It was easy to get behind them and support them. We are supporting an action, not just an idea.”
Lancaster County Council of the Arts received a $4,000 grant, which it applied to two parts of its children’s programming, according to Debbie Jaillette, director of Council on the Arts.
The funding allowed the council to provide scholarships to its arts and sciences summer camps and free tickets to “The Nutcracker” ballet for children who did not have the money to attend.
“I will not turn a child away who wants to go to camp,” Jaillette said.
The money bolstered the camps’ health and wellness initiative, enabling them to give nutritious snacks to camp attendees.
“We were able to give granola, fresh fruit and pretzels rather than potato chips,” Jaillette said. “We then use the opportunity at snack time to talk about why these are better choices.”
Camp ticket prices don’t have a snack allowance, and the grant allows the council to provide healthy snacks.
“Duke has been so, so supportive, and there is no question of the commitment they have in the communities they serve,” Jaillette said. “We are so grateful. The $4,000 is a lot of money to us.”
The foundation gave $2,800 to Katawba Valley Land Trust. The trust shares Duke’s environmental mission, Jiran said, preserving land and greenspace to help ensure quality of life for residents.
Lindsay Pettus, vice president of the Katawba Valley Land Trust, said the grant will be used to develop brochures and educational materials about conservation easements. 
Duke Energy also gave a $9,500 grant to Lancaster County Partners for Youth, which the group will use for the Promise Neighborhood project.
“Promise Neighborhood is all about economic development beginning with the child,” Jiran said. “It’s hard to ask a child to do well in school and to focus on their studies when they are hungry. This is about basic needs and being able to give those children what they need as they are growing up so when they reach the time for skills training and being productive adults, they are ready.”
The Duke Energy Foundation also responded to state emergencies last year by giving $100,000 to the One SC Fund, which helps residents recover from disasters. Duke also contributed to Harvest Hope Food Bank and American Red Cross.
The Foundation gave $25,000 to the South Carolina Firefighter’s Association after the wildfires in the Upstate.
Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.

Lancaster Woman Marched In Washington

For Kornegay, it was an ‘inclusion march,’ not an anti-Trump event

By Mandy Catoe

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Lauren Kornegay of Lancaster demonstrated with hundreds of thousands at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., last weekend.
Kornegay, 28, attended with three friends from her hometown in Maryland. She stressed that the march for her was about respect – about showing up and being “for” something more than marching “against” incoming President Donald Trump.
“It was an inclusion march,” Kornegay said. “It was not an anti-Trump march, though some people held signs protesting recent remarks he made on the campaign trail.”
The most obvious reaction to Trump’s comments were the pink, knitted, cat-ear hats worn in response to a crude remark he made about a decade ago that surfaced in a video tape just before the election.
Kornegay described the event as a celebration of differences. The demonstration was a declaration of resistance to any view other than we are all equal. The premise of the march was that women’s rights are human rights.
Among the causes being championed in the nation’s capital were the environment, immigrants, Muslims, survivors of sexual assault, Native Americans, women, reproductive health, equal pay, gays, transgendered people, Latinos, blacks, the disabled, and civil rights.
The website for the Women’s March on Washington stated: “We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.”
The rally attracted nearly 500,000 people, according to Washington city officials.
Kornegay said she stopped and stood in the middle of the street, in the sea of pink, and felt the gravity of the movement as people walked past her from all directions. People were crying and hugging strangers and walking hand-in-hand in the shadow of national memorials proclaiming freedom.
“I was like, this is amazing, with all these different people here for the same reason, the same mission – to support what we believe in, to show the world that our voice matters and that we are here. It was powerful.”
She described the march as reminiscent of the peace, love and harmony movement of the hippie generation.

courtesy of LAUREN KORNEGAY

Lauren Kornegay carries her sign at the march with a lyric from a Beyonce Knowles song.

Kornegay said she marched for her grandmother and mother, her nieces and for her future children – for those who could not march and for those who made it possible for her to march. Kornegay’s grandmother, Mary Belk Mackey Robertson, was a principal at Clinton Elementary School years ago.
She said she was especially moved by the men attending the march who carried signs of equality and support for their female friends and relatives.
Hundreds of sister marches were held in most major U.S. cities, including Charlotte, where the march drew 10,000 people. Lancaster resident and retired nurse Pam Phillips said she marched in Charlotte because she “did not want to see progress rolled back” for the LGBTQ community, environmental protection and insurance coverage.
She said the Affordable Care Act has allowed for preventive colonoscopies, mammograms and contraceptives for most people and prevented people being denied coverage for pre-existing conditions.
“After watching Trump on TV this weekend, I just felt compelled to make my voice heard,” Phillips said.

Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.

Lt. Hall back on the job after bizarre eye injury

Lt. Phillip Hall, out of work for three months with a bizarre injury that cost him his left eye, returned to work at the Lancaster Police Department on Monday.
“Walking in the police department Monday morning felt like coming home from a long trip overseas,” said Hall, a 21-year law enforcement veteran. “I got a great welcome from all my co-workers and city residents.”
Hall, 42, oversees police special operations which includes cases involving narcotics, gang activities and criminal investigations.
He joined the LPD in 2000 after serving four years at the Lancaster County Sheriff’s office. Law enforcement is the only job he has ever wanted to do.
“We are very, very grateful to have him back,” said Capt. Scott Grant, interim police chief. “He is truly one of the most dedicated law enforcement officers I have ever met.”
Grant has known and worked with Hall for nearly 20 years and said one of the best moments of his career was calling Hall on the phone last Friday to tell him he had been released medically and could return to work.
“Every day he is out there doing what he can to make Lancaster better for everyone who lives here. It would have been a real tragedy for his career to end because of this injury.”
Three months ago, Hall injured his left eye in a freak off-duty accident. As he was sawing branches from a fallen pine tree on his hunting property, a limb snapped and slapped him in the face. Just before the limb recoiled, a pine needle pierced his left eye. The sap sealed the hole closed, leaving behind what appeared to be a scratch on his cornea with little hint of the damage deep inside.
The accident happened Oct. 15.
Two days later he lost sight in that eye due to a fungus eating away at the inside of his eye. Despite a round of intense antibiotics and four surgeries, doctors were unable to restore his sight.
Hall said the pain was getting worse and just before Christmas, his doctors advised him that the only way to end the pain was to remove the eye.
The surgery was performed Jan. 5. Next month he will see an ocularist for a custom-fitted artificial eye.
During the three months of uncertainty, Hall’s faith in God, his family and the community were strengthened.
While he lost vision in one eye, he gained a deeper view of how much he was loved and supported by a community he has served for two decades.
His church, Camp Creek Baptist, joined with the Lancaster Police Department to hold a barbecue fundraiser. His parents’ church, West End Baptist, hosted a benefit. The Antioch Volunteer Fire Department, where Hall serves as chief, rallied with other county fire departments and collected money to help offset the medical costs.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for all the support they gave us,” Hall said. “It helped a lot with the medical bills.”
Hall and his wife, Alicia, have been married almost 18 years and have two daughters, Jasmine, 16, and Jordan, 13. Hall said his family, parents and in-laws gave them endless encouragement. His work family and the community kept his spirits up, and he tapped into an extended support system through Facebook.
“People from all over were praying for me,” he said. “Co-workers sent uplifting texts.”
Hall said the outpouring of love kept his hopes alive. He turned it over to God and made peace with the uncertainty. He also made good use of his time away from work.
Hall’s wife, Alicia, said she enjoyed the extra family time during his recuperation, especially the uninterrupted family meals.
“We were able to do a lot of things that we missed out on the past 18 years,” she said. “We went to our first Christmas parade as a family.”
She expressed gratitude for the community’s support, as well as from her employer, Nutramax Laboratories, which made it possible for her to help care for her husband.
“If I needed to leave for the day or even a couple hours, they worked with me,” she said.
Alicia Hall said her husband feared not being able to support his family and resume his 21-year career. She said she saw a sadness in him that he hid from others. “He would hold his head down in disappointment,” she said.
During his time away from work, many people reached out to him and thanked him for helping them in the past.
“With answered prayers and faith, he kept moving,” she said. “It’s a true testimony that God answers prayers.”
Besides the larger life lessons, Hall said he learned a valuable lesson about safety glasses. “Always wear them,” he said.

Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.

Three reasons we must remain vigilant and continue moving forward.

700 More Jobs at Movement Mortgage

 $18 million investment at Indian Land headquarters

 

 

By Mandy Catoe

Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at 12:41 pm

Movement Mortgage will create 700 more jobs at its Indian Land headquarters over the next five years, doubling the size of its operation on S.C. 160, Gov. Nikki Haley's office announced Tuesday.
The $18 million investment includes the construction of an additional 91,000-square-foot building at Bailes Ridge Corporate Park. Hiring will begin in the first quarter of this year.
The expansion follows the news six weeks ago that Texas-based Compucom Systems will move its headquarters to the same business park, creating 1,500 jobs with a $41 million investment.
"This is another fantastic day for the state of South Carolina and Lancaster County," said Jamie Gilbert, economic development director. "Movement Mortgage is continuing to be a fantastic addition to our business community. We look forward to a long partnership with them."
Elected officials expressed excitement over the news.
"The county council thanks Movement Mortgage for their new commitment to our community, as well as the state and county economic development team that worked with them to get it done," said Steve Harper, Lancaster County Council chairman.
"In just over a year, they have become one of the county’s leading corporate facility operations and have exceeded their initial projection for jobs and investment," Harper said.
Gilbert said this was a very competitive project, with other states vying for the expansion.
"Movement Mortgage’s decision to double the size of its Lancaster County operation speaks volumes about the state and county’s excellent business climate," Gilbert said.
"The Indian Land area has emerged as one of the top locations for headquarters facilities in the Carolinas and Southeast."
Movement Mortgage CEO and co-founder Casey Crawford credits South Carolina and Gov. Haley with "being great partners in creating a business-friendly climate that promotes growth."
Haley expressed satisfaction in probably one of her last official announcements as governor of the Palmetto State. Haley's confirmation vote as President Trump's U.N. ambassador was scheduled for Tuesday.
“Movement Mortgage has been an incredible partner to our state since its doors opened in Lancaster County two years ago," Haley said.
"This $18 million investment, and the 700 jobs it means for Lancaster, shows that Movement Mortgage is committed to our state and its people, and we couldn’t be more excited to see this fantastic company continue to grow and thrive here for a very long time,” Haley said.
Movement Mortgage was founded in 2008 and is based in Indian Land. The company now has 4,100 employees nationwide, including more than 650 at the Lancaster County headquarters. It operates in 48 states.
The company nearly doubled in volume and employment over the past year, funding $7.8 billion in mortgage loans in 2015, compared to $4.3 billion in 2014.
The headquarters is at 8024 Calvin Hall Road in Indian Land, in Bailes Ridge Business Park. The existing 104,000-square-foot building is the National Sales Support Center and the flagship location for Movement’s loan processing, underwriting, capital markets, marketing, legal, compliance and other corporate functions.
The facility includes on-site amenities for employees such as a cafe, fitness center and prayer room. The modern, open-concept design promotes collaboration, innovation and continued growth.
"It's always good when a local company is doing well and expanding," said Steve Willis, county administrator.
But progress in the Panhandle brings more traffic challenges.
Willis said the S.C. Department of Transportation is already working on widening S.C. 160.
He said the county will be asking the Rock Hill Fort Mill Area Transportation Study (RFATS) to look closely at 160 in the next fiscal year.
The study will look at the possibility of redirecting some traffic off 160.
"A huge component of the traffic on 160 is Fort Mill commuters going to Ballantyne," Willis said. "It's a matter of how do we get people from Point A to Point B without being on 160, maybe by using Barberville."
Growth and job development in the southern part of the county lag behind the explosion of growth in the Panhandle.
Duracell is still expected to be phased out over the next two and a half years despite record production, Gilbert said. Initially the county had hoped to lure one of parent company Berkshire Hathaway's businesses to the Duracell location.
The Berkshire Hathaway companies are individually managed, he said, with no one overseeing or orchestrating the shuffling of businesses.
Manufacturing jobs are the focus of the county's southern job development.
"We do have manufacturing expansions in the hopper for the Lancaster and Kershaw areas, but they won't be in the size or magnitude of the recent office expansions seen in the Panhandle," Gilbert said.
"We are focused on ways to be more aggressive and incentivize deals to come to Lancaster, Heath Springs and Kershaw," Gilbert said.
The Economic Development Advisory Board has been established with that main goal and is meeting Feb. 1.
"Product development and bringing more economic prosperity to the southern part of the county are at the top of our list," Gilbert said.
Job seekers for the new jobs at Movement Mortgage can apply at www.Movement.com.

Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.

Chamber May Move Its Offices Downtown

 Faile urges members to boost revitalization

By Mandy Catoe

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Dean Faile began his 10th year as president of the Lancaster chamber Thursday night urging the group to relocate its offices to downtown and join in the revitalization of the city’s business core.
Faile spoke to more than 200 chamber members and guests at the group’s largest gathering of the year, the annual meeting, dinner and awards ceremony at USC Lancaster’s Bradley Building.
“It’s time to move the chamber back to the downtown and be a part of the revitalization effort,” Faile told the crowd, saying the county’s leading business organization needs to pick up the pace of change and take advantage of the region’s growth.
He said the chamber moved to its current offices, tucked almost out of sight on Colonial Avenue near North Elementary School, about the time he started working there, leaving a Main Street building that was in poor repair. Now, he said, it’s time to return.
County Economic Development Director Jamie Gilbert and City Administrator Flip Hutfles, both said they favor the move, and talks have just begun about the possibility.
Hutfles said he supports a dual office downtown for the chamber and the new county Economic Development Department.
“This will be a big benefit for the city and the chamber as well, to have a presence downtown,” Hutfles said. “By the end of the summer, downtown should have a different feel as revitalization continues. It’s one little step at a time.”
Currently, the economic development department is located at 1033 W. Meeting St., behind Crown Cinema in a building shared with the Veteran’s Administration.
Gilbert said he agreed with Hutfles. “I think we should be downtown,” he said. “Faile said it best. We should be downtown if we want business to come downtown.
“There is a significant synergy with what the chamber does with work-force development and what we do in the economic development department,” he said.
Another shot in the arm for downtown will be the addition of 521 BBQ. Owner Mike Dial, winner of the Small Business of the Year award Thursday night, plans to open a restaurant at 123 South Main Street this spring.
Dial, who started the restaurant in Indian Land in 2005 and expanded to Tega Cay in 2014, drew huge applause from the room when the award was announced.
“With very little food-service knowledge, this man used common sense and determination to drive his success,” said First Citizens Bank’s Chief Finance Officer Steve Sherrill, who presented the award. “He had several basic tenets: always serve fresh food, always provide great customer service and always treat employees right.”
Sherrill said Dial has done more than just make great barbecue. He has fed volunteers for Kids First, provided dinners for families during the holidays, donated hams to needy families, and even helped an employee pay medical bills.
“I am humbled by it,” said Dial. “I don’t think I really deserve it. I am sure there are other businesses out there who have worked harder and are more deserving.”
The honor of Business Person of the Year went to Susan Rowell, publisher of The Lancaster News. The recipient of this award “must be great at work, great in the community and be a great person,” said presenter Kristen Blanchard. The outgoing chamber chair, Blanchard handed off the group’s leadership to  Shaun Barnes, director of external relations at Comporium Communications.
Blanchard said Rowell stands out because “she has been involved in nearly every facet of our nonprofit community, volunteering with the United Way, the Lancaster County Community Foundation, the J. Marion Sims Foundation, the Carolinas Literacy Network, Springs Memorial Hospital, the Women’s Enrichment Center, the Promise Neighborhood Project and mangy other community efforts.”
Rowell has also served as president of the Rotary Club and chair of the chamber, and this year she will take on a national leadership role as chair of the National Newspaper Association.
Rowell gathered her thoughts after a moment of speechlessness.
“I’m honored to live in this community and work in this community and be a part of all this volunteerism, and I love The Lancaster News and The Lancaster News family. It’s because of them that I get to do what I love to do.”
Volunteer of the Year went to Lisa Hallman, also the recipient of Lancaster County School District’s 2016 Teacher of the Year Award.
“On top of all her many volunteer hours and contributions, she was one of the driving forces behind the Lancaster County School District’s bond referendum, which passed successfully,” said Bruce Brumfield, president and CEO of Founders Federal Credit Union.
“I love Lancaster County,” Hallman said. “I’m very honored to serve our people here.”
The Citizenship and Service Award went to Stan Johnson, former CEO of Kanawha Insurance, who has spent more than 30 years in Lancaster devoted to community service.
“Stan Johnson is a man of superior intellect with the motivation of always doing what is right, and he has the good judgment to know what is right,” said T. Thomas, former vice president of Kanawha. “He has given freely and abundantly of his time and energies to his adopted home of Lancaster and been generous with his financial support of many worthwhile endeavors.”
Ambassador of the Year went to Keith Harris, a marketing consultant with Indoff Promotional Products.
“Harris goes above and beyond in everything we ask, always asking what more can I do to help, from attending ribbon cuttings, coordinating meetings, to serving as the chairperson for two chamber committees,” said Janice Dabney, CEO of Springs Memorial Hospital.

The chamber’s Small Business of the Year award winner Mike Dial gets a congratulatory hug amid the applause as he makes his way to the front. Dial is the owner of 521 BBQ and plans to open another restaurant on Main Street in Lancaster this spring. Below,

A shocked Lancaster News Publisher Susan Rowell takes a moment to collect her thoughts and take it all in after winning the Business Person of the Year award. “I didn’t put on any lipstick,” she said.

(These two photos were supplied by Eric Rowell).

Follow Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.