By RON BAXLEY JR. T&D Correspondent
NORTH – Mayor Patty Carson and the Mayor’s Youth Council recently received a grant of $3,270 for beautification of the southwest intersection in the town from the Central Carolina Community Foundation. They accepted a giant facsimile of the check at North Town Council's April meeting.
Members of the Mayor’s Youth Council, all North High School students, who were on hand for the presentation, were Daiquel Houser Sr., Patrick Mack, Nireon Fields, Zaacheaus Edmunds, Amber New and Brianna Byrd. CCCF officials presenting the check were Cherise Arrendale, Strategic Initiatives and Communications manager, and Jamesha Shackerford, program associate.
Arrendale said some of the questions the CCCF considers in awarding grants include: "Are our communities welcoming? Are there activities for people to do? Are there superb public spaces?”
“There were 57 applicants. We picked 11 projects,” she said.
Carson thanked the Central Carolina Community Foundation for their generous donation.
Also during the meeting, Councilman Jeff Washington reported the town is going to put a fence around the basketball court and place new backboards on the basketball goals thanks to a grant from Orangeburg County.
Councilwoman Deborah Cook reported there are bags for litter collection at town hall that citizens can use to continue the countywide litter cleanup initiative started earlier this month.
In addition, Cook reported she had not heard anything else about the private fresh-air market that was rumored to be coming to the outskirts of North. Council has been waiting to pursue getting a public farmers' market in North until it was determined whether or not a private market will locate there.
The mayor said the town could contemplate having a public farmers' market on the town square. She said she knows several farmers who would be interested in participating.
Council went into executive session to discuss the pending sale of town-owned property and personnel matters related to an appointment to the North Planning Commission.
When council returned to the public session, Carson made a motion to add William Bramlett to the Planning Commission. The motion was seconded and approved.
“I welcome anybody in town to serve on the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals," the mayor said.
During public comments, resident Wanda Whetstone asked if beautification was going to happen at all parks and areas of town. She also noted that grant money was still available after the last hurricane to help repair houses.
“I would like for you to get with Council member Jackson on neighborhood revitalization," the mayor told Whetstone.
Whetstone also wanted to know why the restrooms at the town park were locked on a regular basis during the day.
Washington, who serves as parks commissioner, said there had been some littering and vandalism in the restrooms including clogging the toilets with entire rolls of toilet paper and an unusual amount of soiling of those facilities. He said he had been keeping the restrooms locked mostly for that reason. However, Washington said the restrooms are opened periodically.
Whetstone went on to ask if the town could get a report on potential contaminates in the water tower from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. She also asked if something could be done about a business's tables obstructing a sidewalk in town and preventing access to the sidewalk by disabled individuals.
Carson said she would address the issues Whetstone raised at a later date.