MINUTES
LOWER SAVANNAH COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
FULL BOARD MEETING
Aiken County Government Center – Aiken, SC
February 11, 2016
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Keith Sloan called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
ROLL CALL
The following board members were present
Aiken County
Roger Boyd
Lessie Price
Kathy Rawls
John Simmons
Thomas H. Williams
Ronnie Young
Allendale County
Bill Robinson
Wilda Robinson
Theresa Taylor
Bamberg County
Jerry Bell
Clint Carter
Larry Haynes
Alzena Robinson
Jasper Varn
Dr. Gerald Wright
Barnwell County
Lowell Jowers, Sr.
David Kenner
Keith Sloan
Pickens Williams, Jr.
Calhoun County
Roger Hill
Joe Sikes
David Summers
Orangeburg County
Janie Cooper-Smith
Johnny Ravenell
Silas Seabrooks, Jr.
Harry Wimberly
The following board members were absent or excused
Aiken County
Willar Hightower (Ex)
LaWana McKenzie (Ex)
Don Wells
Allendale County
Vernie Harney (Ex)
Dorothy Riley (Ex)
Dawan Smith (Ex)
Bamberg County
Justin Bamberg
Barnwell County
Lonnie Hosey
Freddie Houston (Ex)
Thomas L. Williams (Ex)
Calhoun County
Helen Carson-Peterson
Pamela Claxton
James Haigler
Russel Ott
David Summers (Ex)
Orangeburg County
Danny Covington (Ex)
Brad Hutto (Ex)
Joe Jackson (Ex)
Clyde Livingston (Ex)
The following staff was present
André Anderson
Christine Chandler
Jeff Derwort
Mary Ann Keisler
Dr. William Molnar
Frances Owens
Jennifer Tinsley
Nora Sanders
Amanda Sievers
MINUTES
LOWER SAVANNAH COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
FULL BOARD MEETING
Aiken County Government Center – Aiken, SC
February 11, 2016
RECOGNITION OF VISITORS
Debra Boyd
Camille Furgiuele
Malcolm Rawls
Martha Ruthven
Annie Clyde Williams
Victoria Cooper
Lolita Robinson
Linda Bell
Dorothy Robinson
Doris Wright
Wallace Smith
Reka Wimberly
Aiken County
Aiken City Council
Aiken County
Congressman Joe Wilson’s Office
Aiken County
Allendale County
Allendale County
Bamberg County
Bamberg County
Bamberg County
Orangeburg County
Orangeburg County
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion was made by Mr. Bill Robinson and seconded by Mr. Lowell Jowers, Sr. to approve
the minutes from the December 10, 2015 full board meeting. The motion carried
unanimously.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
Mr. Johnny Ravenell presented the December 2015 and January 2016 financial report as
information.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
20 Years Kathy Rawls
20 Years Ronnie Young
LSCOG Board of Directors
Aiken County
LSCOG Board of Directors
Aiken County
PLANNING, COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (PCED) DIVISION
Ms. Tinsley gave the board members a general overview of the services offered in the PECD
Division and referred to the handouts for Planning, CDBG, EDA, Tourism and the HOME
Consortium. The Planning department managed by Ms. Amanda Sievers is involved with
zoning, land-use plans, GIS, Hazard Mitigation and FEMA grants and 10 year comprehensive
plan and zoning updates and technical assistance. Orangeburg County is receiving a detailed
land-use assessment for its 10 year planning and zoning update. Also included in planning is
the rural transportation and Guideshare program. The City of Denmark planning project has
been completed successfully with Guideshare funds to transform the downtown intersection
to produce new traffic flow, traffic lights, signage, pedestrian walkways, benches and
landscaping. Planning receives $5.4 M in federal and state funding per fiscal year a reduction
from $8 M.
Tourism is directed by Ms. Mary Ann Keisler and covers as part of the Thoroughbred Country
the counties of Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg and Barnwell. LSCOG is the only COG that
MINUTES
LOWER SAVANNAH COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
FULL BOARD MEETING
Aiken County Government Center – Aiken, SC
February 11, 2016
manages a tourism department in-house. The Thoroughbred Country is distributing the
Thoroughbred Country Guide throughout the Region and US based on request generated
from ads in various magazines and papers. Ms. Keisler is very active promoting tourism
attending various sponsor functions, conferences, keeping legislators informed, and social
media updated.
Mr. Jeff Derwort manages the CDBG and EDA programs. CDBG Spring Round flyers have
been sent out to municipality and county representatives to send in applications for
infrastructure projects such as water/sewer improvements. CDBG can fund a lot of different
project such as demolition and streetscape projects, Brownfields, Fire/Police Substations and
Libraries. Calhoun County recently received a grant to purchase a fire truck in the amount of
about $270 K. All projects have to support and serve the lower to moderate income
population and require a 10% match. EDA serves as a funding conduit to fund capital
investment projects coupled with job creation and focuses primarily on industry. The
collaboration with Economic Development organizations is crucial. These projects have to be
in line with the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). Similar to CDBG,
EDA can include infrastructure such as rail, roads, water & sewer. EDA planning grants
require a 50% match. Barnwell City received a waste water grant for $900 K and OC Tech
received a $1.9 M grant for the new nursing facility that is in the design stages.
Lower Savannah Regional Housing Consortium (LSRHC) is a relatively new program for the
COG and is in its fifth year. Orangeburg County is the lead agency. Public meetings are being
arranged to determine the housing needs in the region and document them in the
consolidated plan updates. This plan determines the funding for HOME for the next five
years. Ms. Tinsley urged board members to spread the word to attend the public meetings.
All six counties are part of the Consortium. Mass mailings were sent out to solicit
municipalities to join the Consortium in 2017. Existing members will also need to renew their
resolution to continue membership in the Consortium. There are two Community Housing
Development Organizations (CHDO) that the LSRHC works with and there are three programs
LSRHC provides funds for: Homeowner rehabilitation (single family), rental program (new
construction, rental acquisition or rental rehab) and the home buyer program.
LS REGIONAL HOUSING CONSORTIUM (LSRHC) UPDATE
Ms. Tinsley presented two projects for approval by the board. She referred to the handout.
The technical review committee reviewed 2 projects and recommended them for approval to
the board.
1. $120,000 for materials only for a new construction of three Edisto Habitat for
Humanity houses. There is no match required for this Homebuyer Program project.
The location is on Kings Road in Orangeburg. Three houses have already been
approved before.
A motion was made by Ms. Janie Cooper-Smith and seconded by Mr. Harry Wimberly
to approve the amount of $120,000 for the construction of three Edisto Habitat for
Humanity houses. The motion carried unanimously.
2. $143,000 for Southern Carolina CDC in the Set Aside Rental Program for two single
family home rental purchases. This is a purchase that does not require rehabilitation
MINUTES
LOWER SAVANNAH COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
FULL BOARD MEETING
Aiken County Government Center – Aiken, SC
February 11, 2016
and will be designated for affordable housing. The houses are located in Denmark and
Bamberg and will be owned and maintained by Southern Carolina CDC. Mr. Jerry Bell
asked about the value of the 2 Bamberg County houses. Ms. Tinsley responded that
the COG requires an independent appraisal, which are reviewed and underwritten by
the COG.
A motion was made by Ms. Janie Cooper-Smith and seconded by Mr. Larry Haynes to
approve the amount of $143,000 for the acquisition of two houses by Southern
Carolina CDC. The motion carried unanimously.
PLANNING – GUIDESHARE FUNDS
Ms. Amanda Sievers asked for Guideshare Fund Approval and referred to the handouts. She
mentioned that LSCOG has 37 projects while other COGs typically deal with 3 to 5 projects in
the same 5 year STIP timeframe.
1. $1.3 M for the University Mile (US301) Transportation Alternative Project (TAP) (Town
of Allendale) to fund Option #2 of the project scope. This projects has been
previously discussed. $500 K have been awarded for this project through the TAP
program. The entire project scope is 1.4 miles long and runs from Railroad Avenue
(US 278) to SC 641. At the board meeting in August, the recommendation was to
include this TAP project as an unfunded priority in the Long Range Transportation Plan
and with identified funding, this project would then be placed in the Transportation
Improvement Plan. The project includes streetscape and safety improvements for
pedestrian and bicyclists such as sidewalks, ramps, crosswalks, landscaping, street
lighting and striping at identified priority sections. There are two funding options: (1)
pedestrian only improvements at priority sections of the corridor, (2) bike and
pedestrian improvements from US 278 to S-490, just beyond the entrance of US
Columbia at Salkehatchie, for a total length of 0.8 miles. This project is in the
preliminary phase with a completed survey and a study of land re-configuration.
Planning is waiting for further details such as a design study from DOT by the end of
February.
A motion was made by Ms. Wilda Robinson and seconded by Mr. Silas Seabrooks, Jr.
to approve $1.3 M in Guideshare for the University Mile (US 301) TAP toward Option
#2. The motion carried unanimously.
2. $1 M for the US 278 and US 321 intersection improvement project in the Town of
Fairfax. This intersection is in downtown Fairfax and includes two primary US routes.
This intersection experiences high traffic volume with an active rail line. Businesses
are in close proximity and there are poor accommodations for pedestrians and
bicyclists. The preliminary project scoping has taken place but there are no designs to
date. The vision for this intersection is comparable to the US 78 at US 321 project in
downtown Denmark as another showcase project. Currently this project has $2 M
allocated, and during the TAC meeting on January 12th, members recommended to
add another $1 M from Guideshare Funds toward this project.
MINUTES
LOWER SAVANNAH COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
FULL BOARD MEETING
Aiken County Government Center – Aiken, SC
February 11, 2016
A motion was made by Ms. Theresa Taylor and seconded by Mr. Silas Seabrooks, Jr. to
approve the TAC recommended additional $1 M in Guideshare funds for the
intersection improvement of US 278 and US 321 in the Town of Fairfax. The motion
carried unanimously.
TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS
Ms. Keisler referred to the handout and explained that the Thoroughbred Country Tourism
Advisory Committee consists of four (4) voting members for each county. Tourism serves
Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg and Barnwell Counties. She asked the board to approve Lynn Cox
McEwen a new voting member for the Barnwell County Council appointee to the committee.
Aiken and Bamberg Counties have new appointees on their county council agenda.
A motion was made by Mr. David Kenner and seconded by Mr. Lowell Jowers, Sr. to approve
the appointed member Ms. McEwen to the Thoroughbred Country Advisory Board. The
motion carried unanimously.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
Mr. Andre Anderson updated the board on recent developments in the Workforce
Development Department. He referred to the handout “Big Picture Report” that highlights
events during the second quarter PY 15 (October – December). WIOA had 110 enrollments
and Business Services staff was involved in 50 hiring events in the centers. A new Business
Service representative was hired, Abbey Burkett. Staff organized a job fair in Barnwell at the
Southern Carolina Alliance building for the displaced employees due to closing of the Barnwell
County Hospital. Fourteen employers from across the region took place. All major hospitals
from the region were present at the job fair with 5 onsite interviews conducted and 3
individuals hired that day. With the changes through the implementation of WIOA, new
performance measures will come into effect. Even though the LS Workforce Investment Area
is meeting or exceeding performance measures and enrolling Adults and Dislocated Workers
is going well there is low spending in Youth. Ms. Alzena Robinson asked about the Youth
Forum and asked to include all technical colleges. Mr. Anderson replied that Workforce
Development has been in talks with Dr. McIntyre about how to expand services to Denmark
Tech and is seeking opportunities to expand services to involve all the technical colleges and
4-year universities. He further explained that the numbers for the SC Works Center
Operations include all visitors to the centers. Many visitors get UI, job placement, workshop
or business event services without being enrolled in WIOA. Mr. Bill Robinson asked if the
WorkKeys Assessments can be broken down into counties. Mr. Anderson replied that the
certificates get awarded by the state but he will try to get the information.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
 Agricultural Flood Relief Letter: A letter was sent to Governor Nikki Haley asking for
agricultural flood relief. The letter was answered to let agricultural business owners
know that their business is being treated like any other business impacted by the
flood in October 2015.
MINUTES
LOWER SAVANNAH COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
FULL BOARD MEETING
Aiken County Government Center – Aiken, SC
February 11, 2016
 SCARC Board nomination to replace Mr. Ted Felder: Mr. Ted Felder resigned from the
board of directors in November 2015 to vacate his seat to Mr. Joe Sikes. Dr. Molnar
asked the board members to select and vote, by showing of hands, for Mr. Felder’s
replacement on the SCARC Board. Ms. Alzena Robinson nominated Mr. Larry Haynes
and Mr. Joe Sikes nominated Mr. Roger Hill. Mr. Haynes received 13 votes and Mr.
Roger Hill received 5.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
A motion was made by Ms. Janie Cooper-Smith and seconded by Ms. Alzena Robinson to
approve going into executive session. The motion carried unanimously.
RETURN TO GENERAL SESSION
A motion was made by Mr. Bill Robinson and seconded by Ms. Janie Cooper-Smith to return
to general session. The motion carried unanimously.
APPROVAL OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MINUTES
A motion was made by Ms. Alzena Robinson and seconded by Ms. Wilda Robinson to approve
the Executive Committee Meeting minutes from January 14, 2016. The motion carried
unanimously.
GENERAL DISCUSSION
ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. William Molnar
Executive Director
NOTICE OF THE MEETING AND A COPY OF THE AGENDA FOR THE MEETING WAS DISTRIBUTED
TO LOCAL NEWS MEDIA PRIOR TO THE MEETING AND A NOTICE OF THE MEETING POSTED
ON LOWER SAVANNAH COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS BULLETIN BOARD AT LEAST 24 HOURS
PRIOR TO THE MEETING.