Clarendon County could begin moving into its new Public Services and Animal Control facilities within two months as several major building and infrastructure projects approach key milestones.
County Administrator Walt Ackerman told County Council on Sept. 14 that paving and interior work had advanced significantly at the shared site.
The county was still waiting for Duke Energy to provide final electrical service while contractors completed roads, parking areas, floors, plumbing, electrical work and kennel gates.
The written capital projects report lists the combined Public Works, Fleet Maintenance and Animal Control construction contract at no more than $5.2 million, with a Nov. 24 completion date.
Ackerman offered a slightly earlier estimate for when the buildings could be occupied.
“We’re probably less than two months away from being able to actually go in that facility,” he said.
The Public Services facility will provide additional room to maintain county passenger vehicles, heavy equipment and generators. The Animal Control building will allow the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office to operate animal services in-house rather than continuing to contract with a local nonprofit organization.
Council recently named the buildings for two late councilmen. They will be known as the Reverend W.J. Frierson Public Services Facility and the A.C. English Animal Control Facility.
The county’s water expansion project at Davis Station is also nearing operation. The water tower has been erected and painted, but the county was waiting for electrical components that Ackerman said can carry lead times of about two years.
Most of those components had arrived by the September meeting, and Ackerman said the county hoped to have the tower operating before the end of October.
“The tower’s up. It’s painted. It says Clarendon County, the whole nine yards,” he said.
The broader Phase V water project includes piping to serve the tank and wellhouse. The written report lists substantial completion for Oct. 1 and final completion for Nov. 1.
Work is continuing on the county’s Emergency Operations Center and 911 Communications Center, which has a base construction bid of approximately $9.04 million and a scheduled completion date of April 15, 2027.
Roof work was underway when the latest report was prepared, along with initial electrical, plumbing and heating and air-conditioning work. The building’s exterior had been sealed, and window and door installation was expected to follow.
“That project is coming along very nicely,” Ackerman said.
Construction is also moving forward on the new Turbeville library, funded by the South Carolina Legislature and the Doctors Bruce and Lee Foundation.
Chamber & Associates received the construction contract with a base bid of $2.75 million. Framing had begun, and contractors were waiting for roof trusses.
The fire lane was relocated to avoid the fire vault, and the county received approval from the South Carolina Department of Transportation for access from Smith Street. No completion date was listed.
Ackerman said the library had begun “going vertical,” with walls starting to take shape.
A smaller building at the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office firing range is nearly finished. Contractors had completed the exterior structure and were working inside.
A one-time appropriation of $373,819 funded protective riot equipment, a moving-target system and the building. The project report listed an estimated $178,233 available for the building portion.
The county’s Archives preservation and relocation project is also nearing completion. Records have been moved and are available for public use, while the digitization work is almost finished.
Once the county receives the final data files, the records are expected to become available through its website.
Other projects remain in planning, permitting or funding stages.
The county received $950,000 for work along Newman Branch, where a contractor is trapping beavers, maintaining the stream and removing dams to restore water flow. The county was awaiting permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the projected completion date has been extended to Jan. 27, 2027.
Plans for J.C. Britton Park include pickleball and tennis courts, track lighting, restrooms and additional parking. A development team has been organized following approval of a $1 million federal grant, but the county was still waiting to receive the funding.
The county has also received approval for approximately $3.86 million for the Patriot Road well infrastructure project. The work would connect water systems and add a 250,000-gallon elevated tank. That funding had not yet been received.
Drainage projects planned for Hudson Road and Deal Street cannot move forward until the county obtains the necessary easements.
Although several projects remain in earlier stages, Ackerman said the county is beginning to complete much of its current construction program.
“We are wrapping up a lot of these projects,” he said.
