Volume 1 Number 11 | pdb2b.com

Chesterfield County Council at its June meeting voted to pass the first reading of an ordinance authorizing the sale of a 6,000-square-foot property to Chesterfield County Rural Water Co. for $17,000.

The June 1 meeting agenda identified the property as Tax Map No. 225-000-000-034. County Attorney Coleman Bryant said at the meeting that the County is currently using the property at the corner of Hillian-Edwards Road and Highway 9 as a storage facility.

He said Rural Water had approached County Administrator Michelle Stanley “about buying 6,000 square feet in the corner for the purpose of constructing a pump station so they can better serve residents along Hillian-Edwards Road, and now Council has agreed to be a partner in that and to convey that property through a sale to Rural Water.”

Chesterfield County Rural Water Co. General Manager Julie Johnson confirmed in an email interview that the property on the northeast corner of the intersection in unincorporated Chesterfield County will be used to house a pumping station.

“The project will increase water availability throughout the Brocks Mill area, specifically during extreme periods of hot weather and/or high demand periods,” Johnson said. “It will also maintain high water quality and service reliability by providing a redundant source of water.”

Johnson added that the utility will determine the project’s timetable on design, construction and bidding after the third reading of the ordinance.

Chesterfield County Rural Water has recently been awarded a $1,473,691 grant by the SC Rural Infrastructure Authority, which it will use for a separate project, according to Johnson.

At Council’s May meeting, Todd Smallwood, Council member for District 7 and Finance Committee chair, had recommended making a motion on the sale of the property for $17,000. The Committee had discussed using the proceeds of the sale to acquire affordable storage containers to be used at another County-owned site and selling the remainder of the Hillian-Edwards Road property.

The SC Rural Infrastructure Authority has awarded $29 million in grants for capital improvement projects in 16 counties, including four in the Pee Dee. The authority said in a May 26 statement the grants will go toward improving water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, benefiting more than 50,000 households and businesses and bolstering services that support economic growth.

The authority also implemented its new visibility improvement program, which combines technical assistance with future grant opportunities. It has selected two participants for the program, one of which is the town of Olanta in Florence County, the other being McCormick County.

Grantees in the Pee Dee and their award amounts:

The town of Kingstree in Williamsburg County and Williamsburg County itself were also awarded grants.

According to the statement, these grants will go toward upgrading water mains, rehabilitating or replacing wastewater lines, improving wastewater pumping stations and treatment plants, and expanding stormwater drains. These projects typically address undersized or aging infrastructure.

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Innovation nonprofit SC Research Authority has made funding available for tech startups focusing on rural health via its Tech Catalyst Fund. The program “will deliver non-dilutive funding to early-stage medical technology companies” aiming to improve access to healthcare in rural SC communities, SCRA said in a May 27 statement.

The funds will focus on prevention and management of chronic diseases, as well as improving quality, affordability and access to care.

Adrianne Grimes, SCRA director of marketing and communications, said in an email, “It is our hope that any advances this program produces will help the Pee Dee region, as well as all rural areas.”

SCRA President and CEO Bill Kirkland said in the statement, “Over the past several years, we have witnessed remarkable innovation statewide, and we are confident this program will serve as a vital catalyst in advancing the latest solutions to reduce chronic disease and ease the significant burden it places on our state. The Tech Catalyst Fund will drive the development and deployment of medical innovations, bringing meaningful change to those who need it most.”

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