GILLS CREEK WATERSHED ASSOCIATION
EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEETING
Friday, February 11, 2011
Hamilton-Owens Municipal Airport
Minutes
I. WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS:
Pam greeted everyone and called the meeting to order at 11:40. In attendance were the following:
Mary Nevins, Victoria Kramer, Mary Jane Henderson, Lee Pippen, and Pam Greenlaw
II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Agenda was approved.
III. MINUTES:
Lee moved to approve the December 2010 and the January 2011 minutes. Mary, seconded. All agreed.
IV. OLD BUSINESS :
A. GCWA Strategic Plan 2.1.1. Under “Old Business” were discussions and decisions
surrounding the preparation for tabling at festivals and events. The spring festivals are Sparkleberry Fair,
Farmville, Rosewood Crawfish Crawl. In the summer is the Summer of Water. Mary added the festival being
planned by the Congaree Riverkeeper, Stewart Greeter, called River Rocks.
First, Pam explained the need to prepare for Sparkleberry Fair and outlined the theme of that event and GCWA’s
purpose, focus, & tasks related to putting together an effective display to promote GCWA and highlight the positives of
GCW. The theme is basically the past is the basis for the future. We want to highlight actions of the past that we (GCWA
& those for whose benefit we exist) can build on to achieve our vision for the future of GCW (specifically, restoration,
preservation, conservation for good water quality, for subsistence, for recreation (swimming, boating –including canoe &
kayak trails; walking, hiking, and biking on trails; fishing, and other water-based activities.)
Pam broke the Sparkleberry Fair project tasks down and created a list of subwatersheds which individual Ed Comm
members volunteered to “adopt,” as a focus for researching resources. Each of the Ed Comm members are to seek

photos from the past (asking for digitalized formats wherever possible)

persons who grew up in GCW and have particular stories to tell

homeowners’ & neighborhood associations’ assistance
Volunteers are listed on the table below along with particular resources as we thought aloud:
TASK 1:
Subwatershed
Responsible
Neighborhood/ Town/Featured Areas
Individuals
Committee Person
(Parks, County Clbs, Consrvtion, Schl
Dists, Churches, etc.
)
Little Jackson Creek
Spring Valley, Springwood
Lake
Pam & MaryJane
Jackson Creek
Sesqui, Greater Woodfield,
Pam --Sesqui
Arcadia Lakes
Lee: Brookfield NA, Forest
Lake
Upper Gills Creek (east of
Percival)
Drexel Lake
Pam & Mary Jane
Middle Gills Creek
Forest Acres
Volunteer needed ________.
Yancey’s Property
Pam will talk to Yancey
Shandon
Pete
Upper Bluff Rd
Rosewood
Airport
Owens Field Park
Arthurtown?
Washington Park
Lower Gills Creek
Arthurtown?
Ft. Jackson Wildcat
Environmental Office
Jim Olsen
Pam
Ft. Jackson
Then the Committee brainstormed particular known resources and determined who would chase down
these particular sources.
Interviews: (e.g. Oldest person in the watershed, orr the “I remember” storytellers.)
John Scherer of Cola Historical Society (Historic Columbia) –Pam
Columbia Star founder & owner: Warren Montgomery______ Lee
Digitalize & organize: Photos of what have been preserved from the old days (Let’s make this positive.) David Tuttle
offered to help with this in the full GCWA Board meeting on Thur., Feb. 10 (day before the Ed Comm meeting.
Conservation Easement properties? Roseberry, etc.—MaryJane will contact Jim Wilson and others who have worked on
these over the years.
Abandonment of areas that left a more “natural” state? Industry that’s moved on—Pete?
Richland County Public Library for volunteers to look up old photos of the area
Brownfield reclamation? Fred Delk ? Research on which development corporation is in charge of the Gills Creek area-Victoria
USC’s historical papers library (Deb Bloom) Make appointment for search? –Pam
Brookfield Neighborhood Association –Lee says this is her neighborhood, and they just organized an association. She will
email me the contact information for the current organizer and the association.
Victoria will speak w Karen Kustafik’s neighbor who lives (stormwater environmental) in Rosewood neighborhood as
prospective interviewee
TASK 2: Gills Creek Watershed’s present as basis for the future:
WHO: _______ Pete?
Pam asked the committee if we could defer this task. This task is basically the filtering of the information we collect in
TASK #1. Victoria said no need to defer this till next month. She shared her ideas on how to approach this task now,
specifically, for us to try to imagine the completed vision and get some sort of artist’s rendering of the location and look of
the bike, walking, and canoe trails, for example. The board and committees of GCWA could begin envisioning timetables
for such trails. We could also highlight the clear outs of the creek. Pam recalled that at one time, Elliott was having
discussions about trails with Mike Dawson who developed the riverwalks on the river. Pam will follow up with Elliott to find
out about how the conversation had and has proceeded.
Pam should solicit by email what we need to do for soil & water conservation for GCWA display at Sparkleberry.
TASK 3: Design & organization of table : WHO WILL HEAD: ___________
In terms of design & organization of the booth/table, there are some items which we need to examine and get feedback
from the Ed Comm members on, particularly the materials that will be organized. Some of these materials will be used at
multiple events, such as a Standard Table/Booth Setting-Up Guide, a booth exit survey, and the GCWA membership
brochure. Other materials would be recrafted in a modular fashion to suit specific occasions, such as door hangers, Power
Point slideshows, and/or video tapings. This task is time-sensitive; we have to deal with some of the materials today. The
discussion of these materials is written after the final TASK 4.
TASK 4:
Interaction of volunteers with public: WHO WILL HEAD: ____________
Attracting –Hawker ; Counting—Clicker; Engaging-- Sign –in, Sign up; Exit Polling; Following up—Email/ calls after the
event
We need to begin this spring with establishing an informal baseline for purposes of comparison of the “old” style of setting
up and executing tabling for GCWA with the new, upgraded exhibit. One idea is to ask exhibit visitors visiting our booth at
this spring’s (2011) events to grade us on a multiple-choice-type, 4-question exit survey which could include items that
glean information on the visitors’ favorite part(s) of the exhibit, the part that had the greatest impact on them, the
experience of face-to-face interaction with volunteers, their least favorite part, what are they taking away from visiting our
exhibit. IDEAS? _____________
Because of meeting time limitations and because of the fact booth volunteers can be dealt with at the next
meeting, this will be deferred to the next meeting of the Ed Comm in March.
B. DISCUSSION ABOUT MATERIALS
Brochure Pam passed the professional’s draft and her revision ideas. Although Judy Timmons, an Ed Comm
member, could not be present at today’s meeting, her advice had been solicited prior to the meeting and
incorporated in the revisions. This committee discussed the Vision statements, the Facts statements, the
What can YOU do section, and the map on the latest brochure draft.
Please refer to the professional draft when referencing the recommended revisions. The following revisions
were suggested:
Under “What can YOU do. . .” Mary suggested that the top 3 items be selected to be listed. The
committee did not discuss which should be the top 3.
Under “Facts about…” Pam explained the confusion commonly caused by the brochure’s first bullet
about the headwaters of the GCW. Since the point is to use familiar landmarks to orient readers as to where the GCW is,
Victoria suggested the following succinct statement to replace the first bullet: “The 3 major headwaters flow through
Spring Valley, Sesquicentennial State Park, and Fort Jackson.” All agreed it was clear and accurate.
Also under “Facts about …” The second bullet on the professional draft needs to be omitted. The idea of
urbanization can be integrated into the draft’s 4th bullet. The revision suggested is “The watershed drains over 47,000
acres of mostly urbanized land.” An alternative to striking the second draft bullet would be to replace “South Carolina’s”
with “Richland County.”
Under the “…Vision…” section, there are too many bullets. Some can be combined and condensed. The
first bullet is OK. The 2nd, 4th, & 5th bullets can be rephrased as one statement: “Ordinances (or codes) in place
promote best management practices, conservation, and “green” development that vastly improve water quality.”
Under “…Vision…” the second bullet might read better if restoration is before protection as that order would
comport with the mission statement on the front of the brochure.
Under “…Vision…” the final bullet starts off fine but emphasizes lakes instead of applying to all the
waterways. A revision of that: “The watershed is litter free, and erosion & sedimentation are greatly reduced.”
Under “…Vision…” the committee asks the board to entertain & include the following in the vision and thus
in the brochure: “The GCW is removed from the state’s list of impaired waterways.”
On the cover Map: The committee would like to see the three major headwater streams named. The other
problem with the map is the top-heavy labeling of the locations of the wealthy . Arthurtown in the south and Springwood
Lake in the north should probably be listed on the map.
Door Hanger:
Judy Timmons had advised that GCWA’s website be located on the doorhanger. Via email Mary and Victoria
suggested the paragraph be substituted by a list of what lake owners can do for water quality. To simplify the
process of cutting the opening for the card to slip over the doorknobs, Victoria said we can use one of the hole
puncher designed for and used by scrapbookers. The committee approved the final copy. Sample of the
doorhanger is attached.
Street Sign for Projects
Pam presented the draft for a 24” X 36” project sign that she had presented to the full board on the prior day.
The board had a split sense of what should be on the sign. Some felt that since GCWA had not designed,
planned, or paid for the Cary Lake dredging project, our name should not feature so prominently on the sign.
Pam had explained that the sign has “riders,” or a separate header & a footer on which the partners actually
planning or at least assisting in an integral way with the work would be credited. Other members of the full
board felt that since the purpose of the sign is to call attention to our organization’s approval the draft was OK.
The Education Committee reached consensus that conforms to the latter feeling of board members. All felt
that the design needs to be crafted by a professional.
C. Strategic Plan Objective 2.2 “ Engage citizens in water quality activities through
partnerships with neighborhood associations ):
PARTNERSHIPS with neighborhood and other associations.
For the purposes of dovetailing & maximizing our efforts the Education Committee had at
the January meeting selected the following subwatersheds for initial focus:
 Little Jackson Creek Sub watershed (1. above)where the County is planning a project for 2012,

Middle Gills Creek Sub watershed (4. above) where the County plans a project for Sunnyside Drive,
and
 Upper Bluff Road (7. above) where the County is planning a project for Devil’s Ditch.
1. Strategic Plan 2.2.1, “Identify Citizens’ concerns” – Pam reported an update on the Feb 8
public meeting at Spring Valley Country Club for the Little Jackson Creek Stabilization & Restoration
Project by Richland County which was attended by GCWA members Carol Kososki, Jessica Artz, Emily
Jones, and me (Pam.). GCWA Strategic Plans, Objective 2.2, Activity 2.2.1 comports with connecting
with residents at neighborhood meetings. (Although in this part of the strategic plan for the Ed Comm
the charge is to organize a listening session, the Ed Comm should be able to substitute someone else’s
listening at sessions with neighborhood groups as long as there is fruitful result of the listening.) As a
result of this meeting, we were able to meet specific residents and to learn of specific concerns with the
project. In this case, residents are concerned about their upstream neighbors’ responsibility for
unabated sedimentation not addressed in the County’s Little Jackson Creek Project. GCWA can
develop a plan to address those concerns by working with the stakeholders involved. At the full board
meeting Pam had asked if the Ed Comm should begin approaching the first 2 of the 3 the entities
identified by the neighbors: Lonnie B. Nelson Elementary, Carolina Ceramics on Brickyard, and the new
Dick Smith Nissan dealership. Mary Jane in her position in education with Richland County Soil and
Water Conservation District has a connection with the principal of Lonnie B. Other schools in Richland
School District 2 are already involved in installing rain gardens, specifically, Bookman Road. Emily had
emphasized the need to have an integrated approach, led by the technical committee, as engineering
assessment needs to occur first. There needs to be a scientifically demonstrated need before a solution
can be properly planned.
Plan of Action: We will plan a chart to approach neighborhood and homeowner associations in order to listen.
In the meantime, we will use the information forwarded by Judy Timmons that lists meeting dates of these
associations from the County for planning in the targeted subwatersheds.
2. Strategic Plan 2.1.2, “coordinate creek clean up” Again, though this activity suggests
creeks, because of the timeliness of lake draw downs in the first quarter of the year, the Ed
Comm feels lake bed & shore clean ups will fulfill part of this charge. We will use contacts we
make as listening devices and as cues to anti-litter campaigns (See Strategic Plan 2.3.2)
a. Cary Lake This clean up is co-planned by neighborhood activist & contact Elaine Starr & Pam
for Saturday,February 19. The sign-up sheet was passed around. Those from the GCWA who
have signed up for this clean up are the following: Callie & David Deweese, Bernie Gaudi, Judy
Timmons, Mary Nevins, and Pam Greenlaw.
Tasks: Pick up supplies fr KMB --- Pam; Sign – in -- Mary; Waivers ---- Jessica will make
copies;Hot Chocolate set up ----Pam; Doorhangers on knobs ---______________; Thank you
notes afterward--- _____________; Ask Jessica to send a reminder note about the clean up. In
the follow up list bring your own water bottle, etc.
Lee said we need to contact her newly organized neighborhood, Brookfield
Neighborhood Association, in particular, James Manning, the organizer and also the chair or
president of the Decker Blvd Revitalization group. (Decker is upstream from Cary Lake and is
the source of a great deal of contamination, including litter, sediment, restaurant grease, etc.)
b. Windsor Lake TBA
V. NEW BUSINESS -- Strategic Plan going forward Month by Month Check website
Bringing our GCWA strengths to the table without redundancy; dovetail with City &
County
Pam referred the committee to the Richland County Stormwater Consortium’s 2009 Report that
includes general benchmarks. This new business will be taken up as an agenda item for the next
meeting.
The next meeting of the Education Committee will be the 2nd Friday of March, March 11, 2011 from
11:30 AM till 1PM at Hamilton-Owens Field Airport large community conference room.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:35 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Pamela Greenlaw