Council OKs $787,000 library loan agreement

DARLINGTON — A new public library for Society Hill moved a step closer to becoming a reality Monday when Darlington County Council unanimously agreed to accept a loan for as much as $787,200 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development agency.

“I’m very pleased that we’ve gotten to this point,” Darlington County Library Director Sue Rainey said after the vote.

Plans call for construction of a new 4,200-square-foot library on about 1.5 acres, Rainey said. The new facility will replace the town’s existing smaller library.

Dr. Ernest “Chip” Helms donated the land for the library, Rainey said.

The loan will be the most recent portion of funding for the project, Rainey said.

The project already won $250,000 in funding from the state through state Sen. Gerald Malloy’s efforts, a commitment that was required in order for the county to qualify for the loan.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina gave $25,000 to the project. Another $40,000 has been raised from within the community, Rainey said.

From the loan agreement, the county will agree to provide a $116,000 donation, which can take the form of in-kind services, said Stewart Hucks of USDA’s Rural Development office in Florence.

Hucks reviewed the terms and conditions of the loan agreement with council before Monday’s vote.

The funding for the loan is available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Hucks said.

The loan will be repayable during a period of as many as 30 years and will be secured by a general obligation bond, Hucks said.

“The next step is we get all the paperwork done, then we get Rural Development’s architect to approve our plans and we set up the bidding process,” Rainey said.

Rainey said it is still too early to speculate when construction might actually begin.

In other business, council unanimously approved a new contract with the Darlington County Humane Society for the continued operation of the county’s animal shelter.

Several changes were included in the new contract, including a provision to make the contract automatically renewable from year to year unless amended by mutual consent or terminated by either party with 30 days written notice.

The contract also imposes limits on the number of animals that can be housed at the shelter based on shelter capacity.

It also sets fees for adopting and reclaiming dogs and cats. The adoption fee for a dog or puppy is $60 or $100 for two dogs, and $40 for cats or kittens or $65 for two cats.

The proposed new county budget for fiscal 2009-10 will provide $57,270 for operational and capital funding for the shelter.