Officials give updates on state of cities, county

DARLINGTON — Members of the Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce got an update Thursday on the state of Darlington County and the state of the cities of Darlington, Hartsville and Lamar.

Darlington Mayor Tony Watkins and Hartsville Mayor Michael Holt each discussed new developments in their cities.

Watkins said Darlington’s downtown redevelopment project is about to begin its second phase. The focus of the effort is redeveloping downtown commercial buildings for use as retail space with loft apartments upstairs which are now occupied. “We are grateful to the people who live in these buildings,” Watkins said.

He said the project is an example of how public-private partnerships can work to revitalize a downtown area. “An individual with a little capital can’t go into a 10,000-square-foot building and bring it up to par,” Watkins said.

“The state of the city, I have to say, is good overall,” Watkins said.

Watkins said that by beginning the project when it did, the city is in a good position to deal with the downturn in the economy.

“We have invested in our downtown in a very substantial way,” Watkins said.

Darlington is also considering a two percent hospitality tax on prepared foods and beverages to generate new revenue. Other cities, including Hartsville and Florence have adopted a hospitality tax to support recreational facilities.

“Nobody likes new taxes, but new funding sources need to be developed,” he said.

The city is also ready to begin renovation work on the old Carnegie library building in the downtown area. City officials are planning to turn the 1920s building into a museum of history and fine arts.

The city has obtained a $148,000 federal Preserve America Grant and a $125,000 state grant to help fund that project, he said.

Holt discussed the new Selling Hartsville marketing and branding initiative.

He said part of the initiative is aimed at attracting more people to live in Hartsville. “We’re losing population,” he said.

Holt said the city is promoting Byerly Park as regional recreational facility to draw tourists to the area athletic tournaments and other events.

The city recently adopted a stormwater management ordinance that was mandated by the federal government and is considering a rental residential property licensing ordinance, he said.

Holt said municipalities face difficulties in expanding because of the state’s annexation laws, which he said are antiquated. “It’s very frustrating,” he said.

He said cities face an increasing burden providing services for non-city residents who work or do business in the municipalities. As an example, he said nearly half of the arrests made by the Hartsville Police Department are people who live outside of Hartsville. “That’s a burden we bear,” he said.

“If municipalities cannot meet the growing service needs, they’re going to die,” Holt said.

Holt said municipalities in South Carolina must work together to promote their interests. “We’re all in this together,” he said. “There is nobody else in South Carolina looking out for us.”
Victor Pizzurro, director of development and planning for the Town of Lamar, said Lamar has completed the first phase of its downtown development project. He said the city has seen eight new businesses open in recent months. “We’re glad they came in when they did,” he said.

Stormwater management, land use planning and what to do about the Darlington County Courthouse are three big issues Darlington County Council will take up next year, Darlington County Council Vice Chairman Wesley Blackwell said.

Like municipalities, the county is also under a federal mandate to enact stormwater management measures to prevent pollution to creeks and streams from stormwater runoff.
Earlier this year, council received a report on space needs at the courthouse with a recommendation from a consulting group to build a new facility. Council has made no decision about what to do regarding the courthouse.