During the meeting of the Summerton Town Council, a second and final reading was held to rezone the property at 410 Buff Boulevard. This property is the area at the 108 exit off of I-95. Previously, the 14.4 acres were partially zoned as Interstate Commercial and partially zoned as Planned Development. In order to move forward with the new building project at that intersection, all of the property needed to be zoned the same.
According to Mayor Mac Bagnal, it didn’t matter which zoning was chosen, as either was appropriate for the new business coming to Summerton. However, they did need to match. As a result, all of the property was zoned as Planned Development, which will allow the construction efforts to continue.
In his status report, Bagnal addressed the incoming BCA plant, which will be housed in the old Federal Mogul building, now used by Pro Brass. However, again he assured Pro Brass is not leaving, simply downsizing and selling the building.
He then touched on the downtown Christmas event in Summerton, which was held this past weekend. Vendors were present, along with activities for children and time with Santa. The event was sponsored by Duck Fest.
Bagnal read a letter from Clarendon District One Board Chairman Tony Junious thanking the citizens of District One for re-electing him to the school board for another term.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the voters of District One,” read Bagnal from the letter. “I am delighted and humbled that you have placed your trust in me for another year.”
Bucky Brailsford offered a staff update. Santee Electric will be changing the yellow sodium lights in the street lights on Buff Boulevard near I-95. They will be replaced with LED bulbs, which will give a brighter light for those in that area.
The Summerton water project is under review, and they hope to have a full review in early January. They hope to begin construction in Spring 2019.
There is a bad surge-relief valve on the I-95 well, which is leaking water back into the well. As pressure builds, it’s shutting off water to the tank. They are repumping water until they can repair or replace the necessary parts.
Through the Livability Court, the Town is making progress toward dealing with properties at the intersection of Church and Buff. Bagnal added that they were looking into the grants the City of Manning received to deal with blighted areas, assessing how the Town of Summerton might qualify to receive similar grants. However, Summerton is hampered a bit, as they do not have a Town Administrator who can handle these issues on a day-to-day basis.
Summerton Police Chief Ray Perdue discussed the parade and the roads which were to be blocked off for the Christmas event. The purchase of the new police vehicle is still under discussion, and Perdue hopes to have word on funding by early January.
The meeting moved into executive session, wherein Clarendon County officials and Summerton Town Councilmembers planned to discuss contractual matters dealing with the new BCA plant.
