WINNSBORO – Town Council during their Aug. 4 meeting voted unanimously to transfer the water agreement for Holly Bluffs subdivision in Blythewood from S.C. Pillon Homes, Inc. to D.R. Horton-Crown, LLC.
John Fantry, the Town’s utilities attorney, said Council originally agreed to furnish 24,800 gallons per day to the prospective 62-home subdivision in 2011, when it was known as Summer Trace and owned by the Bessinger family of Columbia. The agreement passed to S.C. Pillon Homes when the Bessingers sold out to the Georgia developers in 2013. S.C. Pillon Homes sold to D.R. Horton-Crown last year.
The transfer of the water agreement gives D.R. Horton-Crown the green light to start building on the property, located on Blythewood Road.
Security
Councilman Clyde Sanders proposed that Council should invest in a security system for Town Hall and the Town’s annex building on W. Washington Street.
“We watch the news at night and people are walking into places and shooting people,” Sanders said. “Everybody says that can’t happen in Winnsboro, but it happens everywhere. We’re spending money on parks and recreation and everything else, and we’ve not had anything happen in the town of Winnsboro; but do we have to wait for something bad to happen in order to say that we need to provide security? I don’t think so.”
Town Manager Don Wood said Council had budgeted $14,000 this year for a security system, and Sanders moved to put that money to use. Councilman Stan Klaus seconded the motion, which passed 3-1. Councilman Jackie Wilkes voted against the measure.
Following executive session, Sanders amended his motion to cap the expenditure at $10,000.
STEM Institute
In a presentation to Council, Wanda Carnes, Vice Chairwoman of the Midlands STEM Institute, made an appeal for assistance with utilities heading into the 2015-2016 school year. Carnes said the school has recently added three modular buildings to accommodate an enrollment that has increased from 72 children last year to 155 in grades K-6 this coming year.
“We are in need of water, sewer and power for these three modular (buildings),” Carnes said. “Specifically, per the plans, we need 1,200 feet of 2-inch PVC pipe, and 350 feet of 4-inch PVC pipe.”
Carnes also asked Council if the Town could waive the sewer tap fee. She also said the school would provide the Town with a letter waiving any liability if the Town would perform the installation work.
Council took no action on Carnes’s request, but after the meeting confirmed that the Town does not provide similar utilities assistance for other schools in the county.
