Trash talk dominates Darlington County Council meeting

DARLINGTON — Discussions about trash and solid waste pickup dominated much of the discussion during Darlington County Council’s last meeting of the calendar year.

Councilman Alex “Buz” Shaw received multiple complaints about the large, 90-gallon yellow trash bags county residents must use for their waste pickup. Shaw said the attendant at the Pine Ridge center has refused to accept them. He said received complaints that the attendant at the same facility wouldn’t assist the elderly with their trash.

“That’s just pure human respect,” Shaw said.

Darlington County Administrator Phyllis Griffitts said the 90-gallon bags are still available and should be accepted at all county stations.

“We have the 90-gallon, but we prefer the taxpayer to use the 35-gallon,” she said. “It’s hard to lift the larger ones.”

Councilwoman Wilhelmina Johnson submitted a request for the county to pick up trash in areas near Darlington city limits and throughout the county on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Before Johnson submitted her report, councilwoman Anne Warr made a motion to deny the request.

“I think it would open a can of worms,” Warr said.

Council member Dannie Douglas seconded the motion.

“Until I get any dump sites in my area, I can’t vote for that,” Douglas said.

Johnson described the problem and detailed a possible solution in her report. The two main problems are county residents who have no transportation to the recycling centers and areas along the borders of or surrounded by Darlington and Hartsville.

Johnson projected the cost for trash pickup for households in “jump sites and donut holes” near Darlington and Hartsville would include 180 households on 42 streets. The total cost for roll carts, which would be a start-up cost, would be $10,800. Annual garbage pick-up would total $86,400.

The issue is that residents are paying for services they aren’t receiving, Johnson said.

“How about manpower and trucks?” Warr asked.

Johnson said the cities already have both. She suggested the county give the cities an incentive just like other businesses.

“It would not be fair for those communities that have to travel 10, 15 miles,” councilwoman Mozella “Pennie” Nicholson said.

“If we’re going to do it, we need to do it in a budget work session,” council chairman Wesley Blackwell said.

The motion to deny Johnson’s request carried with her vote the only opposition.

Council then went on to accept a bid for the “yellow bag” program with Johnson opposing it. Six companies submitted bids, and the contract for $176,230 was awarded to Waste Zero of Murrells Inlet. Last year’s contract with the company was $178,280, so the new contract represents a savings of $2,050 to the county.

During committee reports, Shaw discussed some of the good work being done at the county animal shelter.

“We’ve upgraded the dog pound,” he said. “We’ve got people now that’s really interested.”

Shaw specifically recognized Curtis Tyner of Heritage Community Bank and Anderson Brass for their work to upgrade the Darlington County Humane Society.

In other business, third reading for Ordinance 09-16 to provide $787,200 in bond money for the construction of the new Society Hill Library passed without objection.

The second reading on Ordinance 09-17 and Ordinance 09-18 also carried unanimously. Ordinance 09-17 amends the development standards to amend the requirements for fencing around detention/retention facilities within the county. Ordinance 09-18 amends the development standards for turnarounds on dead end streets within the county.

Motions for preclearance for bids for an ambulance and a stretcher for the Emergency Management Services, as well as for preclearance for the sheriff’s officer to purchase five vehicles, carried unanimously.

A request from Emergency Medical Services for a grant-in-aid of $16,840,04 also was approved unanimously.

Darlington County Fire Chief David Williamson requested permission to apply for two separate grants. One totaling $100,000 over four years, a SAFE grant through the U.S. Fire Administration, would supply additional volunteer incentives to cover some of volunteer firefighters’ expenses related to their work such as gasoline. The second would be for $1,500 to purchase a hydrocarbons detector. Neither would require any matching funds from the county, and both requests were approved unanimously.

Griffitts introduced two new department heads to council: Alan Haynes as emergency services director and Nancy Ray as county library director. Ray will speak at the Hartsville Kiwanis Club on Thursday.

County Attorney Jim Cox also addressed council about two issues: a lawsuit surrounding Haselden Farms and courtroom usage in Hartsville.

John Miller has filed lawsuit to get a court to rule on the easement for Haselden Farms.

Marifaye Haselden of Haselden Farms requested the variance to allow an access road to the proposed turkey farm she and her husband plan to locate on property they own off Penn Road about four miles outside of Darlington. Plans call for the facility to include eight houses each accommodating about 6,000 birds.

The county’s agricultural ordinance requires a 50-foot frontage to construct a poultry house. Haselden has a 40-foot easement and was requesting the variance to allow for a 40-foot frontage rather than 50 feet.

Miller named Danny and Virginia Lewis, who own the adjacent property, and Haselden in the suit.

The county was not named contingent upon county council instructing the building commission and planning department not to issue any permits regarding any easements until a court settles the suit.

“We took position that landowners needed to decide themselves or let the court decide,” Cox said.

Council approved a motion to instruct both departments not to issue permits regarding that easement without dissent.

The second legal issue Cox approached council with concerned the shared use of the magistrate courtroom in Hartsville. Family court uses the room two Wednesdays out of the month when all parties are in Hartsville. The probate judge and the solicitor’s drug courts uses the courtrooms, too, though Hartsville’s magistrate court takes precedence when needed.

Hartsville municipal court has grown past the point of using council chambers and would also like to use the space once every two months.

Cox requested that council allow the county administrator, the chief magistrate and Hartsville’s chief judge discuss how the city can use that magistrate courtroom. Council approved the motion with little discussion and no dissent.

During citizen’s comments, Clarence Johnson addressed council concerning Pearl Harbor.

“Sixty some years ago, I was there,” Johnson said. “But nowadays when you say Dec. 7, and it doesn’t raise an eyebrow.”

The meeting concluded with an executive session requested by Robert Long, economic development director, to discuss grant opportunities.

Upon his request, Nicholson asked if he had personally met with state Sen. Gerald Malloy of Hartsville. Long said no.

“I want to feel comfortable that you’re in close touch with our senator,” Nicholson said.

She noted how Malloy works closely with state Sen. Hugh Leatherman of Florence, who was instrumental in getting the Boeing plant to the state. She added that Boeing was a big one for the state, and she said she wished it could have been Darlington County instead.

Councilman Le Flowers was absent from Monday night’s meeting.

The next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 5 at the Courthouse Annex/EMS Building, 1625 Harry Byrd Highway, Darlington.