No. 2 (July 2012) - South Carolina Association of Counties

Volume 23 Number 2 

Clarendon County’s 

New Administration Building

ELECTRIC CO-OPS WERE 

CONSTRUCTED 

WITH LINES, 

POLES AND 

THE FOOLHARDY NOTION 

THAT WE ALL PROSPER 

BY HELPING EACH OTHER. 

It seems obvious in retrospect, but there was 

a time when getting electricity outside of the 

city limits wasn’t a given. Today, the spirit 

of community that co-ops were built upon 

continues to thrive. And as members we can 

all lend a hand by saving energy. Learn how 

at TogetherWeSave.com. 

TOGETHERWESAVE.COM

2011-12 SCAC OFFICERS 

President 

Joseph B. Dill 

Greenville County Council Member 

First Vice President 

Charles T. Edens 

Sumter County Council Member 

Second Vice President 

W. Weston Newton 

Beaufort County Council Chairman 

Third Vice President 

Joe Branham 

Chester County Council Member 

Immediate Past President 

R. Carlisle Roddey 

Chester County Supervisor 

Secretary 

William T. Noonan 

Sumter County Special Projects Director 

Treasurer 

Belinda D. Copeland 

Darlington County Treasurer 

SCAC Staff 

Executive Director 

Michael B. Cone 

Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel 

Robert E. Lyon, Jr. 

Deputy General Counsel 

Robert S. Croom 

Assistant General Counsel 

Timothy C. Winslow 

Of Counsel 

Russell B. (Bo) Shetterly 

Senior Staff Attorney 

M. Clifton Scott, Jr. 

Wesley A. Covington 

John K. DeLoache 

M. Kent Lesesne 

Staff Attorneys 

Joshua C. Rhodes 

Jenna L. Stephens 

Public Information Director 

W. Stuart Morgan III 

Director of Insurance Services 

William S. Griggs, AIC 

Director of Risk Management Services 

John D. Henderson, ARM, ALCM 

Risk Manager, SCCWCT and SCCP&LT 

Robert E. Benfield, ARM 

Program Coordinator, SCCWCT and SCCP&LT 

Pam S. Collins, ARM 

SCCP&LT Claims Manager 

John V. Jervey, AIC 

Workers’ Compensation Claims Manager 

Dennis L. Hicks, AIC 

Director of Administrative Services 

Melinda L. Suddes 

Controller 

Doug L. Brockhard, CPA 

Director of Research and Training 

Anna B. Berger 

Special Projects Coordinator 

Leslie M. Christy-Jennings 

Senior Research Associate 

Susan B. Turkopuls 

Meeting Planner/Administrative Assistant 

Nilda A. Padgett 

Administrative Assistants 

S. Ruthie Duvall 

Pearlena A. Khalif-Govan 

Dana M. Tomlinson 

Mary E. Williams 

Field Representative 

Rick K. Ucinski 

Assistant Program Coordinator 

SCCWCT and SCCP&LT 

Susan L. Chambers 

Procurement Officer 

Robert J. Lyon, CPPB 

Webmaster 

Jennifer M. Haworth 

CONTENTS 

Date of Issue: July 2012 

2 Restoring Trust in Government 

By U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy 

(R-4th District, S.C.) 

6 Clarendon County’s New Administration Building 

By W. Stuart Morgan III 

23 Utilizing Mediation for Workers’ 

Compensation Claims 

By Dennis L. Hicks, AIC 

Workers’ Compensation Claims Manager, SCAC 

26 Calhoun County’s New Learning Center 


34 Jasper County’s Newly Restored Courthouse 


41 Beginning Local Government Meetings With Prayer 

By Charles W. Thompson, Jr. 

Executive Director and General Counsel, IMLA 

49 A Roadside Guide to Laurens, County Seat of 

Laurens County 

By Alexia Jones Helsley 

COVER PHOTOS: Model of Clarendon County’s new administration building, constructed 

by Meadors, Inc. (Photo courtesy of Meadors, Inc.) CLARENDON COUNTY COUNCIL — Council 

Members Billy Richardson and Benton Blakely; Council Chairman Dwight L. Stewart, Jr.; 

Council Vice Chairman William J. Frierson; and Council Member A.C. English. (See story, 

page 6) (Photo by Stuart Morgan) 

COUNTY FOCUS MAGAZINE is published quarterly by the 

South Carolina Association of Counties 

P.O. Box 8207 

Columbia, SC 29202-8207 

(803) 252-7255 

FAX: (803) 252-0379 

W. Stuart Morgan III, Editor 

Copyright is by the South Carolina Association of Counties. All rights reserved. No portion of the 

contents may be published or reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. 

COUNTY FOCUS 1

Restoring Trust in Government 

By U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-4th District, S.C.) 

Trust. It’s a currency we use in our 

everyday lives. When we go to the doctor, 

and she diagnoses the condition and 

prescribes a course of treatment, we trust 

her. When the roof leaks or the car has 

an unusual knocking sound, we take it to 

an expert, and we trust the diagnosis and 

suggested repairs. 

Imagine a world devoid of trust. 

Would we ever board an airplane? Would 

we ever let our children or grandchildren 

play on playground equipment. Even the 

most skeptical and cynical among us has 

to trust someone sometime about something. 

What do we do when we lose trust in 

government? How can we possibly expect 

to confront the serious challenges of our 

economy, affordable energy, foreign 

policy, and healthcare if we do not trust 

the institutions of government or those 

we elect to represent us? 

Since I arrived in Congress in January 

2011, there have been scores of incidents 

and episodes that have eroded what little 

public trust exists. The General Services 

Administration (GSA) scandal, wherein 

GSA employees were traveling to Las 

Vegas under the guise of training to spend 

exorbitantly, is a recent example. So, too, 

with Solyndra and the Department of 

Energy wherein energy companies with 

poor investment grades were loaned 

hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. 

Secret Service agents, who are sworn 

to protect the President, used dreadful 

professional and personal judgment on a 

recent trip to Colombia, South America. 

U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy 

Fast and Furious was an ill-conceived gun 

trafficking investigation, which resulted 

in the death of a United States Border 

Patrol agent and hundreds of innocent 

Mexican citizens and left hundreds — if 

not thousands — of weapons still unaccounted 

for on both sides of the border. 

For each of these scandals, Congress 

held hearings and promised reform. Too 

often the reforms never come and Congress 

finds itself in a cycle of condemning 

the same inappropriate conduct time 

and time again without ever significantly 

dealing with the underlying issue. The 

consequence is that public trust continues 

to erode with each passing scandal and 

Congress’s failure to systemically change 

government to avoid repeats. 

Even as public trust continues to 

decline, the problems and challenges confronting 

our country increase. Our annual 

deficit (the amount we spend versus the 

amount of revenue brought in) is more 

than $1.5 trillion. Our cumulative debt 

(deficits added together throughout the 

years) is $16 trillion. 

It can be difficult for us to relate to 

billions and trillions of dollars, so let’s 

put it in numbers we are more familiar 

with. Suppose your family makes $32,000, 

spends $45,000 and has a credit card bill 

of $157,000; stripping the zeroes away, 

this is where we are as a country. We have 

to make hard choices and have a national 

conversation about the size and scope of 

government. We have to have a national 

conversation, rooted in fact and civility, 

about the constitutional responsibilities 

of the federal government versus the 

state government versus the local government 

versus our responsibilities as 

individuals in a freedom-loving society. 

These conversations can take place only 

if we trust the people we elect to serve in 

the institutions of government. 

So, where do we start? We start with 

what we learned as children. Tell the 

truth — even if it hurts. Restoring public 

trust starts with leveling with the people 

we work for about what the challenges 

are, what led us to the problems and the 

competing theories on how we solve these 

problems. 

Part of telling the truth is requiring 

(See Restoring Trust, page 4) 

2 Volume 23, Number 2

Jason, Julie and Leah are the next generation of nuclear 

engineers. They’re part of the team that is building the two 

new nuclear units that will serve the growing energy needs 

of customers. Once completed, the new units will employ 

up to 1,000 workers. The future of nuclear power in 

South Carolina is happening at SCE&G. 

Jason Ouzts, Leah Bush and Julie Ezell 

SCE&G Engineers 

sceg.com 

COUNTY FOCUS 3

RELAX. 

We’ve got this. 

Koozies, coolers, 

pens, tote bags, 

customized 

everything!! 

The same company you trust 

with all your printing can 

now handle your 

promotional needs. 

Restoring Trust ... 

(Continued from page 2) 

Representing you before Congress 

and the Administration 

Helping you better serve your 

residents 

Saving you and your taxpayers’ 

money 

Raising public understanding of 

county government, and 

Restoring the Federal - County 

Partnership 

The Voice of 

America’s Counties 

www.naco.org 

facts as opposed to using merely personal 

attacks to make our points. Before coming 

to Congress, I was a prosecutor in 

federal and state courts. Facts are all we 

were allowed to use to prove our cases. 

Personal attacks were not allowed. Personal 

opinions were not allowed. Just the 

facts. 

In addition to telling the truth, we 

must have something we value more than 

being re-elected. We must value being 

respected more so than being popular. 

We must also view government service 

as a sacred trust and we must view 

it as temporary. Each elected official has 

to decide for herself or himself how long 

she or he can be effective in a particular 

office. Of course, the voters can decide 

at any point they are ready for new 

representation. But even if the voters 

do not decide to make a change, there 

is something to be said for serving and 

then allowing one of the countless other 

qualified people in our state to do so. 

Despite the challenges that confront 

us, we still have much to be grateful for. 

We are still the greatest country on earth. 

We are still the most generous country 

on earth. We are still the first to show up 

when tragedy strikes others, and the first 

to be called when others feel threatened. 

We are creative, hardworking, fairminded, 

benevolent and courageous. 

There really is no challenge we cannot 

meet. But we must be able to trust those 

we have placed in positions of leadership 

to tell us the truth, to be good stewards 

of what we have been given, to serve with 

humility and an abiding sense of gratitude 

that our fellow citizens allowed us to be 

their voice, and to be fair-minded with the 

facts while not surrendering our convictions. 

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-4th District, 

S.C.) is a member of the House Judiciary 

Committee, the Oversight and Government 

Reform Committee and the Education and 

the Workforce Committee. He is a former 

state and federal prosecutor. 

Contact the fun folks in our 

Promotions Department: 

803-796-4000 

800-948-1074 


www.ProPrinters.com 

Visit: www.sccounties.org 


COUNTY FOCUS 5

Clarendon County’s 

New Administration Building 


Model of Clarendon County’s new administration building, 

constructed by Meadors, Inc. (Photo courtesy of Meadors, Inc.) 

C 

larendon County completed a new $7.342 

million county administration building on July 

16 that will centralize county government offices 

and create more office space to accommodate 

the county’s growth during the next 25 years. 

“The price was right,” said David Epperson, 

Clarendon 

County administrator, 

explaining why 

the county purchased 

an abandoned Bi-Lo shopping center 

in downtown Manning to achieve 

these objectives. 

Other counties in South Carolina 

have already converted abandoned 

shopping centers to serve as county 

administration buildings. Likewise, 

David Epperson 

Clarendon County 

Administrator 

Clarendon County determined that it 

was much more cost effective — given 

the limited wear on the shopping cen- 

ter — to renovate 

the structure to 

serve as a county 


See South Carolina 

County Map, 

Page 55 

government building instead of constructing a new one. 

The county also determined that utilizing the shopping 

center near the heart of downtown would prevent the building 

from becoming a magnet for crime, and help improve property 

utilization and values in the area. 


A “Win/Win” for Clarendon County and the 

City of Manning 

Epperson described the project as a “win/win” for Clarendon 

County and the City of Manning. 

The county found the space it needed — 44,275 usable 

square feet — by purchasing the shopping center in October 

2010 for $1.175 million and renovating it between August 15, 

2011 and July 16, 2012. 

The county furnished the facility and covered other costs, 

including the cost of moving offices to the new location, for an 

additional $455,000. 

Seventeen county departments, located at seven different 

locations in Manning, began re-locating to the new Clarendon 

CLARENDON COUNTY COUNCIL — Council Members Billy Richardson, Benton Blakely; Council 

Chairman Dwight L. Stewart, Jr.; Council Vice Chairman William J. Frierson; and Council Member 

A.C. English. (Photo by Stuart Morgan) 

County Administration Building on July 23. 

The single-floor facility — separated into quadrants or 

sections by two crossing corridors — houses: 

Voter Registration 

Veterans Affairs 

Auditor 

Treasurer 

Assessor 

Administration 

Economic Development Board 

Procurement/Grants 

Planning 

Register of Deeds 

Water and Sewer 

Clerk to Council 

Probate and Finance. 

The building includes a council chambers, whose seating 

can be re-configured several ways to accommodate up to 110 occupants; 

a training room; an employee break room; a cafeteria; 

several large conference rooms; and ample space for parking. 

The key feature of the building’s front exterior is the new 

entry façade, constructed of a custom mix of red and redorange 

bricks, corrugated metal, dark bronze aluminum and 

a balanced amount of storefront glass. A tower is centered in 

the new façade, which stretches from one end of the building 

to the other. 

The highlight and centerpiece within the interior of the 

building is its 30-foot-diameter rotunda where the two corridors, 

connecting interior offices, intersect. The ceiling of the rotunda 

is made of Cypress boards, reflecting the county’s timber industry. 

Large storefront windows, surrounding the upper portion 

of the rotunda, let in natural light. A mural wraps around the 

lower portion of the rotunda. 

A similar mural runs along the interior walls of the new 

county council chambers, located 

at the front of the building. Both 

murals depict scenes in the county’s 

history in a timeline format — vintage 

cars, cotton and tobacco fields, 

the turpentine industry as well as 

local landmarks like the Summerton 

Diner, Central Coffee Shop, and the 

Chat ‘n Chew in Turbeville. 

They also depict subjects and 

events in the county’s distant and 

recent past: the Swamp Fox, Gen. 

Francis Marion; Santee Cooper dam 

project; Briggs -v- Elliott; tennis great 

Althea Gibson; fire department, law 

enforcement and emergency medical 

services; and tourism. 

A native of Darlington, Sarah 

Jeffers Beauchene, who resides in 

Charleston, designed and painted 

the murals after studying the county’s 

history. 

“I’m very happy with the new administration building,” 

Epperson said. “This has been needed for a long time. We’ve 

taken a empty shopping complex, and turned it into a focal 

point for county services and community pride.” 

The recent downturn in the economy provided an opportunity 

for Clarendon County, because the county was able to take 

advantage of the competitive environment within the construction 

industry that created a very low interest rate environment 

for government debt obligations. 

The county funded the project through revenue bonds, 

issued by the Clarendon Facilities Corporation and secured 

through an installment/purchase agreement with the county. 

So, the county’s annual installment purchase payment (debt 

service) will be funded through a Fee-in-Lieu agreement with 

Georgia Pacific Corp and paidoff by January 2023. 

“It has been said that ‘luck is where preparation and opportunity 

meet’,” Epperson said. “Clarendon County Council had 

a vision years ago for this project and set aside a large amount 

of funds. Through the years, various versions of this project 

See Clarendon County, page 9) 

COUNTY FOCUS 7

DN 

DN 

Floorplan of the New Clarendon County Administration Building 

Illustration courtesy of Meadors, Inc. 

LOADING 

DOCK 

MECHANICAL 

POSTAGE INFORMATION 

TECHNOLOGY 

CONF. 

ROOM 

REGISTER 

OF DEEDS 

COUNTY 

AUDITOR 

COUNTY 

ASSESSOR 

CONF. 

ROOM 

ROTUNDA 

PLANNING & 

ZONING 

COMMONS 

AREA 

TRAINING 

ROOM 

PROBATE 

COUNTY 

TREASURER 

FINANCE 

TAX 

COLLECTOR ADMINISTRATION 

VOTER REGISTRATION & VETERANS AFFAIRS 

HUMAN 

RESOURCES 

COUNCIL CHAMBERS 

ECONOMIC 

DEVELOPMENT 

CONF. 

ROOM 

CONF. 

ROOM 

PROCUREMENT & 

GRANTS 

EXECUTIVE 

SESSION 


Clarendon County ... 


were looked at and modified in terms of needs and design. 

“So, when the opportunity presented itself — through the 

Georgia Pacific Fee-in-Lieu-of Taxes and the empty shopping 

center, we were in a position to act quickly,” he added. “When 

we pulled the trigger and entered into negotiations to acquire 

the facility, we never slowed down.” 

Epperson credited Clarendon County Council for not 

abandoning the project years ago. He also credited former 

county administrator Bill Houser for bringing all the elements 

and parties together to make the project work. 

“There have been a lot of people — staff, elected officials, 

stakeholders and community leaders — directly and actively 

involved in this project, who worked tirelessly to make this new 

administrative building a reality,” Epperson added. 

Clarendon County’s new administration building is designed 

to make it more convenient for local taxpayers to obtain 

county government services and to significantly improve the 

county’s operational efficiencies. But Clarendon County’s 

operational efficiencies should improve more after all courtrelated 

functions, still located at two different locations in 

Manning, are re-located downtown to the county courthouse. 

“We needed additional public space to create an effective 

and efficient facility to provide services,” Epperson said. “But 

See Clarendon County, page 14) 

Seventeen county departments, located at seven different locations in Manning, began re-locating to the new Clarendon County Administration 

Building on July 23. (Illustration courtesy of Meadors, Inc.) 

COUNTY FOCUS 9

Architect’s rendering of what the front of the new Clarendon County Administration 

Building will look like after it is completed on July 16. 

The rotunda, as of June 28. Workers rush to complete the 

building, so county employees can begin moving in on July 

23. 

Clarendon County’s new administration building was scheduled 

to be completed on June 15, but rain delayed the project. Fortunately, 

Meadors, Inc. (the architect) provided several renderings to accompany 

photos on this page and page 12 that were taken on June 28 before this 

issue of COUNTY FOCUS MAGAZINE had to be rushed to the printer. 

Photos by 

Stuart Morgan 

The front side of the new administration building, as of June 28. 

10 Volume 23, Number 2 

Architect’s rendering of what visitors will view as they 

enter the front of the new administration building and approach 

the rotunda in the center.

When completed, the mural by artist Sarah Jeffers Beauchene will illustrate in timeline format the history of Clarendon County. However, as of 

June 28, only this portion — the beginning of the mural (right) and the end of the mural (left) — was installed. (Chadwick Brown of Commercial 

Construction of Summerville, who was installing insulation and drywall near the rotunda, stopped his work for about 10 minutes and used a Skyjack Elevation 

Platform to position the photographer for this eye-level picture.) 

Rotunda Plan 

Rotunda Plan 

Auditor 

Assessor 

Treasurer 

Finance 

COUNTY FOCUS 11

The registrar’s office, setup with furnishings to show what other offices 

will look like when the rest of the administration building is 

furnished. 

As of June 28, this was the view looking toward council chambers. 

Architect’s rendering of what visitors will see when they enter the building’s 

front entrance and proceed to the right toward council chambers. 

Architect’s rendering of what the council 

chambers will look like when it is completed. 

12 12 Volume 23, 23, Number 2 2

COUNTY FOCUS 13

Renovation 

Construction 

FINISHING 

MEADORS 

Millwork 

CONSERVATION 

Models 

Architecture 

Design Services 

Antique 

Reproductions 

RESTORATION ARCHITECTURE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN SERVICES MILLWORK 

www.meadorsinc.com om 843 723 8585 

Clarendon County ... 


we didn’t forget the community pride element of our facility, 

because it’s attractive and functional at the same time.” 

Clarendon County used local vendors, including artists; local 

materials, such as Cypress wood; and locally-manufactured 

brick whenever possible. 

The county hired Meadors, Inc. of Charleston to renovate 

the abandoned Bi-Lo shopping center, so that it could be used 

as a county administration building. 

Before launching the project, however, the county and 

Meadors, Inc. studied similar projects that other counties in 

South Carolina had completed. According to Jeremy Tate, 

designer/project manager, Meadors, Inc. of Charleston, this 

allowed Clarendon County to learn what other counties had 

discovered to work well and not work well. This also helped 

Meadors design an administration 

building unique to Clarendon 

County while avoiding mistakes that 

other counties had made. 

“The main advantage of utilizing 

an existing building is that you are 

able to start with a floor, walls and a 

roof,” Tate said. “Abandoned shopping 

centers also offer large spaces 

that can accommodate many offices 

and people. But the biggest challenge 

is planning a new floor plan that 

works with existing column spacing, 

planning for natural light and placing 

Jeremy Tate 

Designer/Project Manager 

bathrooms and special spaces. With proper planning and study, 

however, very creative solutions can be found to create the 

greatest of results — as was the case with Clarendon County’s 

administration building.” 

The floor plan of administration building was designed 

to take advantage of the building’s existing column spacing. 

Features, such as light wells and the rotunda, were added to 

provide creative spaces. 

Meadors, Inc. conducted a comprehensive Owners’ Project 

Requirements (OPR) Workshop and interviewed each of the 

17 county departments at the beginning of the project. After 

the project was completed, Meadors then conducted another 

OPR Workshop with all 17 relocated county departments to 

measure the project’s success, and perhaps, figure out how to 

make similar projects more successful in the future. 

“Successful projects like this one don’t just happen by 

chance,” Tate said. “They are the direct result of information, 

communication, talent and implementation while paying attention 

to details. This project was very successful. But it was 

successful, because of the team that was established between 

Meadors and Clarendon County.” 





residents 


money 




Partnership 



www.naco.org 

COUNTY FOCUS 15

SCAC 

Corporate Supporters 

SCAC appreciates its corporate supporters — all 104 of them! If your company 

would like to support the Association and receive sponsorship benefits, please contact 

the SCAC Office at (803) 252-7255. 

PATRONS 

Ariel Third Party Administrators, Inc. 

Columbia, SC 

BB&T Governmental Finance 

Columbia, SC 

Delta Dental 

Columbia, SC 

Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina 

Cayce, SC 

Energy Systems Group 

Irmo, SC 

Musco Sports Lighting, LLC 

Columbia, SC 

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, LLP 

Columbia, SC 

Pope Zeigler, LLC 

Columbia, SC 

Progress Energy 

Florence, SC 

Republic Services, Inc. 

Greenville, SC 

Santee Cooper 

Moncks Corner, SC 

SCANA Corporation/SCE&G Company 

Columbia, SC 

South Carolina Power Team 

Columbia, SC 

Tax Management Associates 

Charlotte, NC 

ABM 

Alpharetta, GA 

Alliance Consulting Engineers, Inc. 

Bluffton, Columbia and Greenville, SC; and 

Charlotte, NC 

American Engineering Consultants, Inc. 

Cayce, SC 

Amick Equipment Company 

Lexington, SC 

Analog Digital Solutions, Inc. 

Fuquay Varina, NC 

Archer Company, LLC 

Rock Hill, SC 

Asphalt Zipper, Inc. 

Simpsonville, SC 

AT&T 

Columbia, SC 

Bamberg Board of Public Works 

Bamberg, SC 

The Benefit Bank of S.C. 

Lexington, SC 

Berkeley Electric Cooperative 

Moncks Corner, SC 

Black River Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

Sumter, SC 

Blanchard Machinery Company 

Columbia, SC 

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

Pickens, SC 

Broad River Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

Gaffney, SC 

Carithers Real Estate 

Anderson, SC 

CDM Smith Inc. 

Columbia, SC 

Clemson University 

Cooperative Extension Service 

Clemson, SC 

Coastal Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

Walterboro, SC 

Community Eye Care, LLC 

Charlotte, NC 

Corporate Concepts, Inc. 

Columbia, SC 

DataMax/Interstate Credit Collections 

Winston-Salem, NC 

Davis & Floyd, Inc. 

Charleston, SC 

DP3 Architects, Ltd. 


SPONSORS 

DURA-PATCHER/CIMLINE 

Greenwood, SC 

Engineering Resources Corporation 

Orangeburg, SC 

FacilityDude 

Cary, NC 

Fairfield Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

Winnsboro, SC 

Five Star Computing, Inc. 

Columbia, SC 

Florence & Hutcheson 

Columbia, SC 

Fuss & O’Neill, Inc. 

Columbia, SC 

GMK Associates, Inc. 

Columbia, SC 

Greene Finney & Horton, LLP 

Mauldin, SC 

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA 

Columbia, Charleston, Florence and 


Hazen and Sawyer, PC 

Raleigh, NC 

Horry County Solid Waste Authority 

Conway, SC 


Horry Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

Conway, SC 

Howell Linkous & Nettles, LLC 

Charleston, SC 

Hulsey McCormick & Wallace, Inc. 

Piedmont, SC 

Hybrid Engineering, Inc. 

Irmo, SC 

J.M. Wood Auction Company, Inc. 

Montgomery, AL 

Johnson Controls, Inc. 

North Charleston, SC 

KeyMark, Inc. 


Lowcountry Billing Services 

Lexington, SC 

Marlboro Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

Bennettsville, SC 

MBAJ Architecture 

Lexington, SC 

M.B. Kahn Construction Co., Inc. 

Columbia, SC 

McNair Law Firm, PA 

Anderson, Bluffton, Charleston, Columbia, 

Greenville, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach and Pawleys 

Island, SC; and Charlotte, NC 

Mead & Hunt, Inc. 

Lexington, SC 

Michael Baker Corporation 

Columbia, SC 

Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

Lexington, SC 

Moreland Altobelli Associates 

Anderson, SC 

Motorola Solutions – Palmetto 800 

Columbia, SC 

Municipal Code Corporation 

Tallahassee, FL 

NACo Prescription Discount Card Program 

Scottsdale, AZ 

NBSC 

Columbia, SC 

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP 

Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, 

Myrtle Beach, SC; and Washington, DC 

Newberry Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

Newberry, SC 

Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Inc. 

Hilton Head Island, SC 

Palmetto Management Partners, LLC 

Chester, SC 

Piedmont Natural Gas 


Pike McFarland Hall Associates 

Myrtle Beach, SC 

qPublic 

Deland, FL 

QS/1 

Spartanburg, SC 

Siemens Industry, Inc. 

Norcross, GA 

Sims Recycling Solutions, Inc. 

Salley, SC 

South Carolina 811 

Columbia, SC 

South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc. 

Columbia, SC 

South Eastern Road Treatment 

Evans, GA 

Southern Health Partners, Inc. 

Chattanooga, TN 

Southwest Securities, Inc. 

Columbia, SC 

Spirit Communications 

Columbia, SC 

Stevens & Wilkinson 

Columbia, SC 

Stewart Cooper Newell Architects, PA 

Columbia, SC 

Terrell, Hundley & Carroll 

Right of Way Services, Inc. 

Lawrenceville, GA 

Thomas & Hutton 

Mount Pleasant, SC 

Thompson Turner Construction 

Sumter, SC 

Time Warner Cable 

West Columbia, SC 

Total Comfort Solutions 


Trane 

West Columbia, SC 

Upstate South Carolina Alliance 


URS Corporation 

Columbia, SC 

VC3 

Columbia, SC 

Vismor, Ricketson & Associates 

Anderson and Columbia, SC 

Waste Connections of the Carolinas 

Duncan, SC 

Waste Management of South Carolina, Inc. 

Wellford, SC 

Waste Pro 

Longwood, FL 

W.K. Dickson 

Charlotte, NC 

Woolpert, LLP 

Columbia, SC 

WORLDNET AUCTIONS, INC. 

Greeleyville, SC 

Purpose 

of the SCAC 

To promote more efficient 

county governments 

To study, discuss and 

recommend improvements 

in government 

To investigate and provide 

means for the exchange of 

ideas and experiences 

between county officials 

To promote and encourage 

education of county 

officials 

To collect, analyze and 

distribute information 

about county government 

To cooperate with other 

organizations 

To promote legislation 

which supports efficient 

administration of local 

government in South 

Carolina 

For more information 

about the SCAC, please 

contact: 

South Carolina 

Association of Counties 

P.O. Box 8207 

1919 Thurmond Mall 

Columbia, SC 29202-8207 

(803) 252-7255 

scac@scac.sc 

COUNTY FOCUS 17

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SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES 

Building Stronger Counties for Tomorrow 

Need Information? Visit SCAC’s 

Website at www.sccounties.org 

The South Carolina Association of Counties’ website is a dynamic portal that informs 

visitors about our extensive services, which include education and training opportunities, 

research capabilities and legal assistance. 

Some ey nancial programs that the Association offers are Setoff ebt, Certied is 

Management, S.C. Workers’ Compensation Trust and S.C. Property & Liability Trust. These 

programs and services are further augmented by offering uniue countyspecic publications, 

legislative monitoring and ad hoc surveys. epending on the county specic uery, a visitor 

can obtain exactly what is needed by visiting www.sccounties.org. 

SCCOUNTIES.ORG is also a conduit to a number of other resources such as the 

National Association of Counties, the S.C. General Assembly and state legislative information, 

U.S. Congress, federal agencies, national and state associations, county and other local 

government websites as well as reference and statistical sites. 

The SCAC staff remains ready to receive and assist with any special requests. To facilitate 

this communication, please refer to the SCAC staff list on page 21 to obtain respective 

email addresses. 


P.O. Box 8207 

Columbia, S.C. 29202-8207 

Telephone: (803) 252-7255 

1-800-922-6081 (Toll-Free in South Carolina) 

Email: scac@scac.sc 

Fax: (803) 252-0379 

18 18 Volume Volume 23, 23, Number Number 2 2

SCAC Officers 

PRESIDENT 

& 

Board Members 

Joseph B. Dill 

Greenville County 

Council Member 

First 

Vice President 

Second 


Third 


Immediate 

Past President 

Secretary 

Treasurer 

Charles T. Edens 

Sumter County 


NACo 

Board Member 

W. Weston Newton 

Beaufort County 

Council Chairman 

Waymon Mumford 

Florence County 

Council Vice Chairman 

Joe Branham 

am 

Chester County 




Supervisor 

SCAC 

Proudly Serving 

South Carolina’s 

46 counties since 1967. 

William liam T. Noonan 

Sumter County 

Special Projects 

Director 

David K. Summers, Jr. 

Calhoun County 


Belinda D. Copeland 

Darlington County 

Treasurer 

S.C. Counties Workers’ 

Compensation Trust and 

Property and Liability 

Trust Chairman 

Diane B. Anderson 



Julie J. Armstrong 

Charleston County 

Clerk of Court 

John Q. Atkinson, Jr. 

Marion County 


William Banning, Sr. 

Lexington County 


R. David Brown 

Fairfield County 


Gonza L. Bryant 

Greenwood County 


John Caldwell 

Newberry County 


James A. Coleman 



James R. Frazier 

Horry County 


Jeffrey A. Horton 

Spartanburg County 


L. Gregory Pearce, Jr. 

Richland County 


Lois H. Roddey 


Probate Judge 

R. Archie Scott 

Dillon County 


Claude Thomas 

Abbeville County 


K.G. “Rusty” Smith, Jr. 



Joel R. Thrift 

Oconee County 


W.B. Wilson 

Williamsburg County 


F. Pickens Williams, Jr. 

Barnwell County 

Administrator 

Johnnie Wright, Sr. Ronnie Young 

Orangeburg County Aiken County 

Council ChairmanCOUNTY Council Chairman FOCUS 19

Preparing Counties for Tomorrow ... 

WHAT IS THE SCAC? 

CONFERENCES 

EDUCATION 

T he South Carolina Association of Counties, 

chartered on June 22, 1967, is the county ofcials to meet and learn, among them 

SCAC provides many opportunities for 

only organization dedicated to statewide 

representation of Mid-Year Conference — Held in late winter 

county government in Columbia, this conference enables all county 

in South Carolina. ofcials to become better informed about the 

A nonpartisan, Association’s legislative program. The Association 

also hosts a reception for all members of 

tion 

with a full-time the Legislature during this conference. 

staff in Columbia, 

the SCAC conference is open to all elected and appointed 

Annual Conference — Held in August, this 

is governed by a ofcials. The conference includes a business 

29-member Board of session, general session, workshops, group 

Directors selected meetings and exhibits of county products and 

nual 

Conference. 

Legislative Conference — Held in ecember, 

services. 

Counties have made tremendous this conference allows members of the Legislative 

Committee to discuss and adopt a legislative 

progress since the enactment of the Home 

Rule Act in 1975. A lot has changed, and program for the upcoming year. The committee 

so has county government. As county is composed of each Council Chairman along 

government becomes more important to with the Association’s oard of irectors. 

the quality of life in the state, the SCAC 

 

for tomorrow. 

The Association, in cooperation with the 

nstitute for Public Service and Policy esearch 

at the University of South Carolina and the 

Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University, 

conducts an Institute of Government (Level 

I, Level II and Advanced Level) for County Of- 

cials. 

This certicate program helps county ofcials 

enhance their skills and abilities. Courses 

are offered at the Annual and Mid-Year Conferences 

and at the County Council Coalition 

Meeting in the fall. 

SCAC also sponsors a number of workshops 

throughout the year on specic issues 

and provide several webcast training opportunities 

to county employees. The Association has 

prepared an educational video entitled SOUTH 

CAROLINA COUNTIES: GOVERNMENT THAT 

WORKS! 

FINANCIAL SERVICES LEGAL ASSISTANCE SETOFF DEBT PROGRAM 

The SCAC offers a number of nancial 

services to its member counties. SCAC sponsors 

two self-funded insurance Trusts designed 

specically to meet the needs and requirements 

of local government agencies, including the 

Workers’ Compensation Trust and the Property 

and Liability Trust. In cooperation with 

the National Association of Counties Financial 

Services Center, SCAC now offers purchasing 

cooperative agreements with Independent Stationers, 

Goveals, GAS OP Trust and 

the Insurance Center for Local Government. 

SCAC provides legal assistance to county 

governments by rendering legal opinions, preparing 

Amicus briefs, drafting ordinances and 

consulting with other county ofcials. 

The Association provides support to counties 

involved in litigation, which might affect 

other counties. It also sponsors the Local Government 

Attorneys’ Institute, which provides 

six hours of continuing legal education for local 

government attorneys. 

South Carolina counties are able to collect 

delinquent emergency medical services debts, 

magistrate and family court fines, hospital 

debts as well as other fees owed to the counties 

through SCAC’s Setoff ebt Collection 

Program. 

ebts are submitted through the Association 

to the South Carolina epartment 

of evenue to be matched with income tax 

refunds. The debt is deducted from a refund 

and returned through SCAC to the claimant. 

LEGISLATIVE 

INFORMATION 

PUBLIC 

INFORMATION 

RESEARCH AND 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 

The South Carolina General 

Assembly convenes each January 

in Columbia and adjourns sine die 

in June. One in every four bills 

introduced affects county governments. 

SCAC monitors each bill 

as it is introduced and keeps its 

members up-to-date on all legislative 

activity with a weekly FRIDAY 

REPORT. The Association also dispatches 

Legislative Action Alerts 

and publishes ACTS THAT AFFECT 

COUNTIES. 

The SCAC publishes an annual 

DIRECTORY OF COUNTY OF- 

FICIALS listing addresses and 

telephone numbers of county ofces 

and their elected and appointed 

officials. The Association also 

publishes CAROLINA COUNTIES 

NEWSLETTER ve times a year to 

keep the Association’s membership 

informed about legislation 

and various county news. COUNTY 

FOCUS MAGAZINE is published four 

times a year and features articles 

on county trends, innovations and 

various other subjects of interest 

to county ofcials. The magaine 

includes a section called “County 

Update.” 

SCAC provides research and 

technical assistance in many areas 

to those counties that request it. 

The Association staff annually 

responds to hundreds of inquiries 

from county ofcials ranging from 

simple requests for a sample ordinance 

to more complex questions 

requiring considerable research. 

The Association also develops 

technical research bulletins and 

conducts surveys on a variety 

of subjects. egular publications 

such as the ANNUAL WAGE 

AND SALARY REPORT, ACTS THAT 

AFFECT COUNTIES, HOME RULE 

HANDBOOK, HANDBOOK FOR SOUTH 

CAROLINA COUNTY OFFICIALS, 

and CASE LAW AFFECTING LOCAL 

GOVERNMENT are made available 

to county ofcials. SCAC’s website 

address is 

http://www.sccounties.org 

The site provides county of- 

cials with the latest information 

on SCAC programs, services and 

meetings as well as legislative 

information, research and survey 

results and links to other local 

government resources. 

SCAC1919 Thurmond Mall P.O. Box 8207 Columbia, S.C. 29202-8207 

(803) 252-7255 Toll-Free in S.C.: 1-800-922-6081 Fax (803) 252-0379 Email: scac@scac.sc 

www.sccounties.org 


SCAC Staff 



P.O. Box 8207, Columbia, SC 29202-8207 

(803) 252-7255 

General office email: scac@scac.sc 

Website: www.sccounties.org 

Robert S. Croom 

Deputy General Counsel 

rcroom@scac.sc 

Robert E. Benfield, ARM 

Risk Manager 

rbenfield@scac.sc 

Douglas L. Brockhard, CPA 

Controller 

dbrockhard@scac.sc 

Leslie M. Christy-Jennings 

Special Projects Coordinator 

ljennings@scac.sc 

Wesley A. Covington 

Staff Attorney 

wcovington@scac.sc 

S. Ruthie Duvall 

Administrative Assistant 

rduvall@scac.sc 

Jennifer M. Haworth 

Webmaster 

jhaworth@scac.sc 

Dennis L. Hicks, AIC 

Workers’ Compensation Claims Manager 

dhicks@scac.sc 

Pearlena A. Khalif-Govan 


pkhalif@scac.sc 

Robert J. Lyon, CPPB 

Procurement Officer 

rlyon@scac.sc 

Nilda A. Padgett 

Meeting Planner/ 


npadgett@scac.sc 

M. Clifton Scott, Jr. 

Senior Staff Attorney 

cscott@scac.sc 

Jenna L. Stephens 


jstephens@scac.sc 

Dana M. Tomlinson 


dtomlinson@scac.sc 

Rick K. Ucinski 

Field Representative 

rucinski@scac.sc 


Executive Director 

scac@scac.sc 

Robert E. Lyon, Jr. 

Deputy Executive Director 

and General Counsel 

blyon@scac.sc 

Timothy C. Winslow 

Assistant General Counsel 

twinslow@scac.sc 

Anna B. Berger 

Director of Research and Training 

aberger@scac.sc 

Susan L. Chambers 

Assistant Program Coordinator 


schambers@scac.sc 

Pam S. Collins, ARM 

Program Coordinator 


pcollins@scac.sc 

John K. DeLoache 


jdeloache@scac.sc 

William S. Griggs, AIC 

Director of Insurance Services 

bgriggs@scac.sc 

John D. Henderson, ARM, ALCM 

Director of Risk Management Services 

jhenderson@scac.sc 

John V. Jervey, AIC 

Property & Liability Claims Manager 

jjervey@scac.sc 

M. Kent Lesesne 


klesesne@scac.sc 

W. Stuart Morgan III 


smorgan@scac.sc 

Joshua C. Rhodes 


jrhodes@scac.sc 

Russell B. (Bo) Shetterly 

Of Counsel 

bshetterly@scac.sc 

Melinda L. Suddes 

Director of Administrative Services 

msuddes@scac.sc 

Susan Turkopuls 

Senior Research Associate 

sturkopuls@scac.sc 

Mary E. Williams 


mwilliams@scac.sc 

COUNTY FOCUS 21

SCAC-Sponsored Insurance Trusts 

History of the Trusts 

The S.C. Workers’ Compensation Trust dates back to Nov. 1, 1984, when 11 counties began the fund with less than a 

half million dollars. More than 25 years later, the Trust has grown to include 42 counties with total discounted premiums 

in the $19 million range. The Trust also provides workers’ compensation coverage for 47 additional agencies with ties to 

county government. The Property & Liability Trust began on Aug. 1, 1995 with four initial members. The membership 

has grown to 16 counties and 8 county-related agencies. 

Boards of Trustees 

The Trusts were designed by and for county government with the goal of providing insurance to counties at the lowest 

rates possible, while providing services uniquely tailored to the needs of county governments. The Boards of Trustees are 

made up of county officials who are elected by the SCAC’s Board of Directors. Although not a requirement, both boards 

currently share the same membership. 

Risk Management 

Because member contributions (premiums) are based both on the accident histories of the individual counties (experience 

modifiers) and on the membership as a whole, both Trusts employ very aggressive risk management strategies. The 

philosophy adopted by the Trusts is that, if accidents are caused, they can be prevented. Risk Management services are 

provided by the SCAC staff. The payoff is lower premiums and a safer working environment. 

Claims Administration and Management 

Ariel Third Party Administrators provides workers’ compensation claims administration for the Workers’ Compensation 

Trust. The SCAC Staff provides claims administration for the Property & Liability Trust and provides the administration 

of both Trusts. 

BOARDS OF TRUSTEES 

for 

South Carolina Counties 

Workers’ Compensation Trust 

and 

Property & Liability Trust 

CHAIRMAN 

David K. Summers, Jr. 



VICE CHAIRMAN 

James A. Coleman 



Gonza L. Bryant 




Utilizing Mediation for 

Workers’ Compensation Claims 

F 

or those of you who have been involved in insurance claims for 

several years, mediation is something that has long been used to 

bring resolution to Property and Liability claims. In recent years, 

mediation has been a growing trend for workers’ compensation 

claims in South Carolina. For many years, our next-door neighbor 

to the north (North Carolina) has been using a mandatory mediation 

system for all workers’ compensation claims where a hearing 

has been requested. Other states around the country use similar 

mediation systems. 

Mediation is not necessary in minor claims such as minor 

lacerations, fractured fingers and toes, the loss of a tooth, etc. The 

majority of the claims that end up in mediation are claims that 

have complex legal and/or medical issues that need to be resolved 

and where progress has not been made in getting the claim settled 

without additional assistance. Some positive aspects of mediation 

are the less formal setting, and each side has more control of the 

atmosphere than they would in a formal hearing environment. 

Each side is able to speak more freely. A formal hearing follows 

stricter guidelines that are normally found in a courtroom setting. 

One significant aspect of mediation is that it usually saves 

litigation expenses for the carrier, policyholder and/or self-insured, 

as long as both parties are committed to the mediation process. 

The mediator and location of the mediation is usually agreed to 

by both parties prior to setting a date for mediation. It rarely takes 

more than one day to complete a mediated claim. By that time 

it is known whether the claim will be settled or if a hearing will 

be needed to bring the claim to resolution. Mediation costs are 

usually split evenly between the parties, unless otherwise agreed 

to by both parties. 

The attendees of a mediated claim can vary based on the related 

issues, their complexity and how many parties are involved. 

Normally, the attendees would be the claimant and his/her attorney, 

defense counsel and the adjuster handling the claim for the 

By Dennis L. Hicks, AIC 

Workers’ Compensation Claims Manager, SCAC 

insured along with a representative from the employer, which 

is usually the Human Resources Director/Manager, immediate 

Supervisor of the claimant and in some cases, witnesses for either 

or both sides. This is not a complete list of potential attendees. 

Every case is unique and their needs may vary greatly. It is imperative 

that the representative attending the mediation on behalf 

of the insured entity has adequate settlement authority prior to 

the mediation in order to avoid lengthy delays in the mediation 

process. 

Mediation usually begins with all parties together in one 

room. The attorneys representing both sides will make opening 

statements and the mediator lets everyone know how the 

process will progress and gives any instructions which need to be 

followed. In every case I have personally been involved in, once 

the opening statements have been made and the mediator has 

made their statement, the parties are separated. The mediator 

will then float between the two sides in an effort to move both 

parties closer to resolution of the issues and ultimately bringing 

closure to the claim through settlement. This process can take 

anywhere from an hour or two up to an all-day event. The goal 

is to get the claim resolved on the day of mediation. 

In South Carolina, the current mediation process is completely 

voluntary. There is a proposed regulation that will add 

Article 18 (regulation items 67-1801 - 67-1809) to the Regulations 

of the S.C. Workers’ Compensation Commission. The proposed 

regulation would establish written procedures regarding the 

mediation process. The Commission believes they already have 

the authority to require mediation when they deem appropriate. 

The proposed additions to the regulations would add definition 

and clarity to the mediation process. 

The proposed regulation would require mediation in certain 

cases. Some of the cases where mediation would be required 

would be potential permanent and total disability claims, occupa- 

Clyde B. Livingston 

Orangeburg County 


Waymon Mumford 



F. Pickens Williams, Jr. 

Barnwell County 

Administrator 



Supervisor 

SECRETARY/ 

ETAR 

TREASURER 


Executive Director, SCAC 

COUNTY FOCUS 23


2012 DIRECTORY 

OF 

COUNTY OFFICIALS 

tional disease cases, third-party lien reduction claims, contested 

death cases and mental/mental injury claims (cases where there 

is no actual physical injury but a claim for psychological issues 

exist). Many of these types of claims are already being mediated 

by order of individual commissioners. All of the claims being sent 

to mediation will be cases where compensability is admitted with 

the exception of the contested death claims. 

Mediation activities will be confidential. Participants, including 

the mediator cannot be asked to testify about anything occurring 

during the mediation session. Documents related to the 

mediation are not discoverable for use in future proceedings. 

The full text of the proposed addition of Article 18 to Chapter 

67, Regulations of South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission, 

can be located at: www.scstatehouse.gov/regnsrch.php. 

Once you arrive at the web page to search by Regulation Docket 

Number you will need to add “4286” in the search box and press 

enter. It will open the document that you can scroll through in 

order to review. 

Want to know “Who’s Who” in South Carolina 

county government? Order a copy of the 2012 DIREC- 

TORY OF COUNTY OFFICIALS. 

The DIRECTORY identifies all elected and appointed 

county officials in the state. This popular, award-winning 

publication also identifies SCAC’s Officers, Board of 

Directors, Past Presidents, Corporate Supporters, 

Regional Councils of Government, Federal and State 

Officials and State Senators and Representatives. Addresses 

and telephone numbers are included for all 

county officials, state officials and members of the S.C. 

General Assembly. 

The cost per copy is $25.00 (including tax, postage, 

shipping and handling). 

To order your copy of the 2012 DIRECTORY OF 

COUNTY OFFICIALS, please contact: 




P.O. Box 8207 

Columbia, S.C. 29202-8207 

(803) 252-7255 

E-mail: smorgan@scac.sc 


24 Volume 23, Number 2 

Visit: www.sccounties.org

QS/1 ® is a long-time leader in local government management software 

and services. 

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Calhoun County’s 

New Learning Center 

C 


alhoun County officially opened a 

new $2.8 Learning Center on October 

13, 2010 in St. Matthews. 

The 17,760-square-foot Learning 

Center includes: 

County Library and 

OCtech Quick Jobs Center. 

“Our county desperately needed a 

new library,” said Calhoun County Council 

Chairman David K. Summers, Jr. “The 

old library was actually an old house, built 

around 1882. It was small, didn’t have any 

space for programs or computers, and its 

floors sagged under the weight of books. 

Our citizens needed something better, 

and our county wanted something we 

could be proud of. 

“Our county also needed the new 

Quick Jobs Center, because our county 

was hit hard by the recession,” Summers 

added. “Our residents previously had to 

travel to Orangeburg, Lexington, Sumter, 

Columbia or elsewhere to get employment 

assistance, and this was a real barrier 

for lots of our folks to overcome. With 

so many people looking for work, we’re 

happy that they can now get employment 

placement services here.” 



County Map, 

Page 55 

The library cost $1.8 million. The OC 

Tech Quick Jobs Center cost $1 million. 

The State of South Carolina provided 

$1 million to fund the construction of the 

Calhoun County Learning Center (Photo by Stuart Morgan) 


Learning Center. The S.C. Department 

of Commerce awarded a $990,000 Community 

Development Block Grant, and 

the federal government also awarded 

$190,000 to help fund the project. 

The balance was funded by Calhoun 

County and private contributions. 

The New Calhoun County Library 

The new 12,366-square-foot Calhoun 

County Library includes a service desk, 

technology center and separate sections 

for children (pre-teens), teens and adults. 

It also houses a collection of 30,000 items, 

including: books for young children, 

teenagers and adults; DVDs; audiobooks; 

bilingual items; and downloadable books 

for Kindles, other e-readers and iPads. 

But library users can find practically 

any item they need, because the facility is 

a member of the S.C. Library Evergreen 

Network Delivery System (SC LENDS). 

With 57 locations in South Carolina, SC 

LENDS is the state’s library automation 

and lending network for 16 county library 

systems and the State Library. 

“Today, patrons visiting the 

library can access over 2.6 million 

books and materials across 

the state just by placing a request 

online or by asking a library staff 

member to do so for them,” Summers 

said. “It only takes a few 

days to get something, and the 

ordering system is really popular 

with library users. 

“The new library has brought 

services and resources to our 

rural community that amaze 

people,” he added. “We have 

everything a big city library has 

to offer. Visitors say it’s as nice 

as visiting a library in Charlotte, 

and we like hearing that.” 

Finding a place to park is 

definitely easier and cheaper in 

St. Matthews than it is in a big 

city, because 1.5 acres’ worth of 

free parking space is provided 

behind the library. 

The Calhoun County Library 

is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on 

Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 

a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and 

Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays 

and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. 

The library’s bookmobile, in service for 

approximately 10 years, continues to 

serve communities across the county four 

days per week. 

“We love our new library,” said 

Kristen Setzler Simensen, director of the 

Calhoun County Library. 

“We love this building, 

and we’re so thankful. In 

a lot of places, budgets 

have been cut, and building 

projects have been 

put on the back burner. 

Here, we’ve been fortunate, 

and our patrons are 

thrilled. 

“This is a small 

community with a lot of 

people who don’t have 

access to a lot of the 

things that are available 

in larger places — places 

that have more resources,” 

Simensen added. 

“And so, having a library 

with access to books and 

 

technology and all of the things that we 

want is great. It definitely does bring big 

city life to a small town.” 

Partnerships have helped make the 

libary possible. 

“Our library is an excellent example 

(See Calhoun Co., Page 29) 

This plaque, located on the wall within the entrance to the New 

Calhoun County Learning Center, recognizes everyone who 

played a key role in making the new Center possible. (Photos 

by Stuart Morgan) 

CALHOUN COUNTY LIBRARY STAFF — (Left to right) Brittny Cokley; Karen Brophy; Reta Fludd; Kristen 

Simensen, director; Mary Jo Springs; Rosa Anderson; and Merle Govan. 

COUNTY FOCUS 27

This is the view standing near the center of the library and looking toward the back. The 

special teen section, separated behind the wall of glass, is shown ahead at left. 

This is the view looking from just within the 

entrance to the Calhoun County Library. The 

service desk is located forward and to the right. 

Photos by 

Stuart Morgan 

The special section for teens 

This is the view looking toward the adult section 

at left and the children’s section at right. 

Library staff members call this stuffed animal in 

the children’s section “Crackerbarrel.” 

 

This is the view looking from the middle of the 

library 28 toward Volume the front 23, entrance. Number 2 The children’s section

Calhoun Co. ... 


of how working together at the commuity 

level and in collaboration with 

other counties can have a huge impact,” 

Simensen said. “Because people in our 

community are accustomed to lending a 

hand to help neighbors, partnering wasn’t 

a hard sell. After all, if we each went it 

alone, we couldn’t provide this level of 

service in a county as small as ours. Working 

together makes our jobs easier, helps 

our citizens and just makes good sense.” 

The New OCtech Quick Jobs 

Center and Calhoun SC Works 

Center 

The new 5,394-square-foot OCtech 

Quick Jobs Center (OCtech QJC) is 

located adjacent to the Calhoun County 

Library. The Calhoun County S.C. Works 

(formerly OneStop) Center shares office 

space with OCtech QJC. 

OCtech Quick Jobs Center 

“The primary purpose of the OCtech 

QJC is to provide Calhoun County 

residents access to college services that 

Orangeburg-Calhoun County Technical 

College offers in a setting that’s close 

to home,” said Rebecca Battle-Bryant, 

This old house, constructed around 1882, served as Calhoun County’s previous library. (Photo 

by Stuart Morgan) 

Associate Vice President for Corporate 

Training and Economic Development, 

Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. 

OCtech QDC — normally open from 

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays 

— offers a variety of professional 

classes for adults, including: 

Certified nurses aid classes and 

emergency medical technical basic 

classes 

Community interest classes, including 

personal computers for seniors, 

floral design, cake decorating and 

wine tasting and 

Adult education, including FastTrack 

GED. 

Evening classes are offered and 

(See Calhoun Co., Page 31) 

This is the view looking toward the rear of the Calhoun County Learning Center. The entrance 

to the OCtech Quick Jobs Center (previously called Quick Jobs Development Center) and the 

Calhoun SC Works Center is shown in the photo at right. (Photos by Stuart Morgan) 

COUNTY FOCUS 29

A student signs in at the welcome center. 

One of three fully-functional classrooms/labs at the OCtech 

Quick Jobs Center 

Photos by 

Stuart Morgan 

This large training lab can accommodate up to 30 students. 

This Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) lab houses state-of-theart 

technology and equipment for CNA students. 

This 25-seat computer 

lab, which is open to the 

public, can be used to 

take online classes and 

to conduct job searches. 

The wi-fi Cyber Café (above and lower-right) allows 

students to take breaks between classes. The café’s 

small kitchen also can be used for community activities, 

30 such as Volume cake decorating. 23, Number 2

OCTECH QUICK JOBS CENTER STAFF — Rhonda Hewitt, adult education; Rebecca Battle-Bryant, 

Associate Vice President, Corporate Training and Economic Development; and Taylor Jones, 

OCtech student and office work study (Photo by Stuart Morgan) 

Calhoun Co. ... 


accommodated as needed. 

For fall 2012, OCtech QJC will offer: 

The Manufacturing Skills Standards 

Council’s (MSSC) Certified Production 

Operator Courses 

Call Center Operator certification 

courses 

Entrepreneurship certification 

courses 

Customer service courses 

Ultimate sales training workshop 

courses 

Criminal justice courses (online) and 

Many other online courses that can 

be taken in the Center’s computer 

lab or online at home. 

The Center has three classrooms 

that are designed to be flexible, and a 

computer lab that has 25 state-of-the-art 

computers networked to a printer. It also 

has Netbook computers (smaller than 

laptops) that visitors can sign out and use 

in the center’s wireless café if, by chance, 

the computer lab is unavailable. The café 

includes tables and chairs, so visitors can 

sit down, study, conduct job searches or 

just relax. 

OCtech QJC offers the following 

free services to OC Tech students and 

recent OCtech QJC graduates: résumé 

writing assistance, cover letter assistance, 

interviewing skills and techniques, job 

referrals and free services for local 

employers, including the posting of job 

announcements. 

The Center also offers affordable 

services for the public, including: an 

active job referral service for local employment 

for $10; a constructive résumé 

review and recommendations for revising 

one for $15; an analysis of a job seeker’s 

cover letter and suggestions for making 

one stronger for $10; and enrollment in 

OCtech’s Job Placement Office (JPO) at 

a cost of $20 per month. 

OCtech QJC’s computer lab is open 

to the public. So, anyone can use the 

computers to conduct job searches, create 

and print résumés, or do whatever they 

need to do. 

By appointment, OCtech QJC also 

serves as a testing center during normal 

operating hours. Some of the testing offered 

includes Compass, NCCER and 

WorkKeys. But special testing is offered 

as needed. 

“The Calhoun County Learning 

Center allows a comprehensive outreach 

— whether it’s through the library or 

utilizing ‘one-stop’ services to not only 

know where the jobs are but to get the 

skills that are needed to get those jobs,” 

Battle-Bryant said. “This all happens 

here in one place. 

“We certainly don’t write résumés,” 

she added. “But on an appointment 

basis, we counsel job seekers and guide 

them, and make sure that before we 

send out students for jobs in the community 

that they have something that is 

reflective of the education that they’ve 

received at OC Tech.” 

Calhoun SC Works Center 

The Calhoun SC Works Center, 

administered by the Lower Savannah 

Council of Governments, is one of 56 

such centers operating in the state. 

Funded by the federal Workforce Investment 

Act (WIA), the Center supports 

training programs that help job seekers 

prepare for employment and businesses 

find skilled workers. 

The Calhoun SC Works Center — 

open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays 

and Thursdays — offers the following 

services for adults, dislocated workers 

and youth (ages 16 through 21): 

Information on jobs available in the 

local area as well as information on 

job growth trends and forecasts 

Referrals to Unemployment Insurance, 

Public Assistance, help with 

disabilities, GED classes and other 

community agencies and services and 

Help conducting job searches and 

learning the different techniques 

used to get jobs. 

Self-service or staff-assisted career 

assessments 

Career guidance and planning 

Educational training (if qualified) 

Workshops on résumé writing, interviewing 

and 

Twelve-month follow-up services 

after job placement for WIA participants. 

The Center also offers Unemployment 

Insurance assistance from 9 a.m. 

to 1 p.m. on Thursdays. 

Calhoun County Council Chairman 

Summers said he is proud of what his 

county’s library board and county administrator 

did to get the library and the 

COUNTY FOCUS 31

learning center built. 

He said he is also thankful for his 

county delegation — Rep. Harry L. Ott, 

Jr. (Dist. 93) and Sen. John C. Land 

III (Dist. 36) — who helped Calhoun 

County secure funds needed to construct 

the building before the nation’s economy 

Calhoun Dedicates 

Mall and Blue Star 

Monument 

took a downturn. 

Summers credited Congressman 

James E. Clyburn (6th Dist., S.C.) for 

making sure the new library had computers 

and equipment, and the Lower 

Savannah Council of Governments for 

helping Calhoun County obtain a crucial 

federal grant. 

“We’re very proud of our new library 

and learning center,” Summers said. “It 

was a group effort.” 

Calhoun County dedicated a mall 

in St. Matthews on November 11, 2011 

— Veterans Day — that connects the 

new Calhoun County Learning Center, 

the county courthouse and the Farm 

Service Agency. 

“We believe our citizens are proud 

of the mall and its centerpiece — the 

Blue Star Monument or Soldiers’ 

Monument — because it has become 

a popular place for festivals, celebrations 

by the Daughters of the American 

Revolution (DAR) and for other functions,” 

said Calhoun County Council 

Chairman David K. Summers, Jr. 

Calhoun County approved a request 

by the William Thompson Chapter of the 

DAR in June 2011 to build the mall, and 

closed Courthouse Street downtown to 

construct it between May 2008 and June 

2011. 

The William Thompson Chapter of 

the DAR raised funds to construct the 

mall by selling bricks to citizens at a cost 

of $100 per brick. Citizens 

purchased the bricks, so 

that the name of a veteran 

(family member or friend) 

and the dates of his or her 

military service could be 

engraved on the bricks and 

placed in the mall. 

The black granite monument 

was designed by 

Brown Memorials of Florence. 

Hay Hill Landscaping 

Services of St. Matthews 

designed the mall’s landscaping. 

 

The mall 

The Blue Star Monument or 

Soldier’s Monument (right 

and below) is centered at 

the end at end of the mall on 

Mill Street. A plaza of bricks, 

surrounding the monument, 

honors veterans who have 

served from the American 

Revolutionary War to present. 


COUNTY FOCUS 33

Jasper County’s 

Newly Restored Courthouse 


J asper County dedicated its newly 

restored courthouse in Ridgeland on 

June 3, 2011. 

Built in 1915 and listed on the National 

Register of Historic Places on 

Oct. 3, 1981, the Georgian Revival style 

courthouse is one of the last remaining 

courthouses in South Carolina designed 

by Atlanta-based architect William Augustus 

Edwards (1866 – 1939). 

Edwards — renowned for the courthouses, 

educational buildings and other 

structures he designed in South Carolina, 

Georgia and Florida — designed nine of 

South Carolina’s courthouses between 

1903 and 1915. 

The Jasper County Courthouse was 

constructed by V.C. York of Charlotte, 

N.C. 

“By virtue of its imposing nature, age 

and grandeur, our courthouse contributes 

to local citizens’ sense of place and inspires 

the public to a high regard for the 

Jasper County Courthouse, Ridgeland, S.C. (Photo by Stuart Morgan) 


law and the business conducted within 

it,” said Jasper County Administrator 

Andrew P. Fulghum, explaining why his 

county chose to restore the courthouse 

instead of building a new one. 

“The fact that our county has already 

lost many of its historic structures,” he 

added, “gave critical weight to the decision 

to restore it.” 

The courthouse and its original jail 

cost $25,000 to build 104 years ago, but 

Jasper County 


County Map, 

Page 55 

the jail no longer exists. 

Although the courthouse was remodelled 

and renovated at various points over 

the years, it eventually fell into disrepair. 

So, the old building became the subject 

of much discussion within the local community 

in recent years as Jasper County 

Council tried to figure out what to do with 

it. 

Jasper County Council finally appointed 

Danny Henderson, a local 

attorney, in 2003 to chair a courthouse 

restoration committee after determining 

that the best option — perhaps the only 

real option — was to restore it. Over a 

three-day period around June of that 

same year the committee interviewed 

approximately five architectural firms 

before finally selecting Watson Tate Savory 

Liollio Architecture to restore the 

courthouse. International Public Works 

of North Charleston was awarded the 

project by public bid to become the contractor. 

It cost $3.7 million to restore the 

courthouse. It cost $2.6 million more 

to furnish the building and install new 

fixtures in it, to landscape the site, and to 

construct three separate parking areas for 

the courthouse and county government 

building (constructed several years ago). 

John C. McLean, architect for the 

courthouse restoration project, said any 

historic renovation project is bound to 

discover hidden problems. 

“Unfortunately, the Jasper County 

Courthouse held just about every surprise 

an owner would NOT wish to be 

confronted with — significant termite 

damage, causing structural damage, that 

had to be repaired once discovered,” he 

added. “We also discovered significant 

structural damage in the crawlspace due 

to previous renovations that had to be 

repaired; uncovered and abated multiple 

layers of previously unknown asbestos 

flooring; and discovered and repaired 

extensive water damage around the 

perimeter of the roof. The building was 

certainly due for a complete restoration.” 

The courthouse was restored between 

May 2009 and June 2011, and it 

proved to be a challenging project. 

The building’s shingle roof was re- 

The main courtroom of the Jasper County Courthouse is located on the second floor. (Photo by Stuart Morgan) 

COUNTY FOCUS 35

placed, its wood trim was repaired and 

painted, and its historic masonry was 

cleaned and restored. Inside, all of the 

building’s walls and hard ceilings were 

refinished, all acoustical ceilings were 

replaced, and all floor finishes were replaced 

or refinished. 

An elevator — the building’s first — 

was added. New electrical, HVAC, data, 

audio/visual, phone and security systems, 

and new toilet facilities were installed as 

well. 

Sanders Tate, the principal architect 

for Watson Tate Savory Liollio Architec- 

(See Jasper Co., page 38) 

Photos by 

Stuart Morgan 

The 

main courtroom, 

looking from 

the back to the front. 

The lobby outside 

the main courtroom, 

and the staircase 

leading to the first 

floor. 

 

Looking from the 

front to the back of 

the main courtroom. 

 

Looking down 

the hallway on the 

first floor. 

Signage for 

offices on the first 

floor. 

 

The staircase connecting 

the first and second 

floors. 

The new probate 

courtroom, located on 

the first floor. 

 


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COUNTY FOCUS 37

Jasper Co. ... 


ture, discovered during the restoration 

project that much of the building’s quality 

construction had been hidden over the 

years. For example, workers discovered 

that dropped ceilings had hidden original 

crown mouldings. 

“The courthouse is a wood-framed 

structure, and it was built with very heavy 

masonry walls — a very common type of 

construction for the period in which it 

was built,” Tate said. “So, the age of the 

building made it difficult to make it comply 

with today’s building codes. We tried 

to save the building’s historic character 

— existing wood trim, plaster, flooring, 

baseboards and door trims — whenever 

possible. 

“But unfortunately,” he added, 

“much of the building’s character was lost 

years earlier when the courthouse’s original 

wood windows were replaced with 

rather inexpensive aluminum windows. 

So, we installed some new windows — 

which had a much better thermal value 

and a classic profile — that better replicated 

what the original wood windows 

would have looked like.” 

The courthouse’s original fireplaces, 

which had been bricked-in and painted 

white over the years, have been opened 

and restored to their original condition. 

The courthouse’s original walk-in safes 

— with their original thick, heavy metal 

doors — have been refurbished as well. 

Still, the most challenging part of 

courthouse restoration project was arranging 

to fund the project during the 

recession. The cost of funding it became 

more expensive, because the old courthouse 

had to comply with modern-day 

requirements of the Americans With 

Disabilities Act (ADA). 

The building also had to be modified 

to safely and securely handle prisoners. 

“The courthouse is on the National 

Register, so maintaining the historical 

accuracy of the courthouse was also very 

important,” Danny Henderson said. 

“There were limited things that we could 

do to the building, and there was just a 

tremendous feeling on the courthouse 

restoration committee and with the architect 

to keep it as accurate as we could 

per the original plans.” 

Today, the first floor of the newlyrestored 

courthouse houses: 

Probate Court (New) 

Clerk of Court’s Office and 

Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office. 

The second floor houses: 

Courtroom 

Judge’s Chambers 

Jury’s Chambers and 

Inmate holding area. 

The original courthouse had 

20,200-square-feet of floor space. But two 

small wings (an additional 5,300-squarefeet) 

had to be added to the back corners 

of the building. 

One wing, designed solely to provide 

access, includes elevators, a staircase and 

restrooms to make the building ADAcompliant. 

The other wing, designed 

primarily to provide prisoner security, 

includes a separate entrance, holding cells 

and a restroom for prisoners. 

Stephanie Hunt, a local historian, 

said the courthouse might be the only 

one in South Carolina whose architect 

also designed the local jail. 

“Unfortunately,” Hunt added, “the 

old jail was destroyed by a bulldozer during 

the previous county administration.” 

Rita Livingston, an adjunct history 

professor at the College of Charleston, 

said she is very happy with the restoration 

of the Jasper County Courthouse, 

because special attention was placed on 

preserving the way the courthouse looked 

originally instead of installing new features, 

like elaborate moulding and new 

flooring. 

“It was a basic courthouse when it 

was built in 1915, and its appearance 

today is still very basic,” Livingston added. 

Jasper County Clerk of Court Margaret 

Bostick said it would have been a 

waste for the county to do anything except 

restore the courthouse. 

“This courthouse is historic. It’s history,” 

Bostick explained. “People often 

visit the courthouse who remember their 

grandparents coming in here and getting 

married. Some older folks also come in 

who remember when — as children — 

they held onto the courthouse’s exterior 

windows and used its ledges, which are 

about five to six feet off the ground, to 

try and walk around the courthouse. 

“This courthouse,” she added, 

“brings back memories.” 

Courthouse Restoration Project 

Completes Government Campus 

Jasper County centralized government 

services on a campus in downtown 

Ridgeland between 2007 and 2009. Designed 

by local landscape architect Alan 

Glassberg, the campus is located near the 

Ridgeland Town Hall, The Jasper County 

Chamber of Commerce and the Jasper 

County Historical Society. 

The Jasper County Government 

The Jasper County Government Building (built 2007–09), is located behind the county’s historic Building, designed by Watson Tate Savory 

courthouse. (Photo by Stuart Morgan) (See Jasper Co., page 40) 


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COUNTY FOCUS 39

Jasper Co. ... 


Liollio Architecture and constructed by 

Fraser Construction of Bluffton at a cost 

of $5.4 million, is located directly behind 

the historic courthouse. It opened on May 

7, 2009 and houses: 

First Floor 

Treasurer’s Office 



OF 


Auditor’s Office 

Register of Deeds Office 

Delinquent Tax Collector’s Office 

and 

Zenie Ingram Conference Room 

Second Floor 

Human Resources 

Assessor’s Office 

Building and Planning 

Business Licenses and 

Crime Reduction Unit of the Solicitor’s 

Office 

Third floor 

Finance 

Payables 

County Council 

Clerk to Council and 

Office of Administration. 

The county government building and 

newly-restored courthouse — separated 

by a courtyard and its centerpiece, a water 

fountain — now anchor the government 

campus. 

“I’m so proud of our county council 

and administrative staff who just jumped 

right in to make the restoration of this 

courthouse possible,” said Jasper County 

Auditor Hazel Holmes. “I’m also proud 

of our citizens, and proud that I’ve lived to 

be a part of this change in Jasper County. 

“The restoration of our courthouse,” 

she added, “represents what we’re doing 

to improve Jasper County, and that we’re 

coming together as a community to make 

things better.” 

Jasper County celebrated its centennial 

on January 30. 

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Beginning Local Government 

O 

Meetings With Prayer 

ver the past few years, we have begun 

to see a trend developing where people 

holding sincere religious beliefs and having 

been elected to office request that 

their local government meetings begin 

with prayer. As has been the case, since its 

founding, Congress has begun its sessions 

with a prayer. So, town councils, county 

commissions and other similar legislative 

bodies feel that they should be able to do 

the same. 

Yet, the First Amendment provides 

that the government shall make no law 

respecting the establishment of religion. 

When faced with a request to open a 

meeting with prayer, what key principles 

should a local government attorney consider? 

Some recent cases from around the 

country reflect how difficult the answer 

might be. 

Since 1999, the Town of Greece, 

N.Y., began its Town Board meetings with 

a short prayer. Before 1999, Town Board 

meetings began with a moment of silence. 

In 1999, however, at the direction of the 

Town Supervisor, John Auberger, the 

Town began inviting local clergy to offer 

an opening prayer. The proceedings generally 

went as follows: Auberger opened 

the meeting and asked the audience to 

rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. After 

the Pledge, Auberger introduced the 

month’s prayer-giver, who delivered the 

prayer over the Board’s public-address 

system. Prayer-givers had often asked 

members of the audience to participate by 

bowing their heads, standing, or joining 

in the prayer. 

By Charles W. Thompson, Jr. 

Executive Director and General Counsel, IMLA 

A substantial majority of the prayers 

contained uniquely Christian language: 

roughly two-thirds contained references 

to “Jesus Christ,” “Jesus,” “Your Son,” 

or the “Holy Spirit.” After the prayer’s 

conclusion, Auberger typically thanked 

the prayer-givers for being the town’s 

“chaplain of the month.” The Town 

consistently listed the prayer in each 

meeting’s official minutes. 

Between 1999 and June 2010, the 

Town did not adopt any formal policy 

regarding (a) the process for inviting 

prayer-givers, (b) the permissible content 

of prayers, or (c) any other aspect 

of its prayer practice. The Town claimed 

that anyone could request to give an 

invocation, including adherents of any 

religion, atheists, and the nonreligious, 

and that it had never rejected such a 

request. It also asserted that it did not 

review the language of a prayer before 

it was delivered, and that it would not 

censor an invocation, no matter how unusual 

or offensive its content. The Town 

acknowledged, however, that it had not 

publicized to town residents that anyone 

might volunteer to deliver prayers, or that 

any type of invocation would be permissible. 

In practice, though, Christian clergy 

members had delivered nearly all of the 

invocational prayers, and had done so at 

the Town’s invitation. From 1999 through 

2007, every prayer-giver who gave the 

invocation was Christian. 

The record showed that, although 

the Town did not have a formal policy, 

it did have a semi-established practice 

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COUNTY FOCUS 41

for inviting clergy to deliver prayers: an 

employee would telephone, at various 

times, all the religious organizations 

listed in the town’s “Community Guide,” 

a publication of the Chamber of Commerce, 

then put together a “Town Board 

Chaplain” list of individuals who had 

accepted invitations to give prayers. 

The employee simply worked her way 

down the telephone list. Religious congregations 

in the town were primarily 

Christian, and it appeared that many of 

the non-Christian organizations were not 

listed in the Community Guide. 

In 2007, two town residents, Susan 

Galloway and Linda Stephens, began 

complaining, asserting that the prayers 

aligned the town with Christianity. Second, 

they argued that the prayers were 

sectarian rather than secular. The Town 

indicated it did not control the content of 

the prayers and did not make any public 

response to these complaints. In 2008, 

these two residents brought suit against 

the Town and the town supervisor, Auberger, 

claiming that this prayer practice 

violated the Establishment Clause. They 

claimed that the prayer practice aligned 

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the Town with Christianity and that it, 

therefore, established a particular religion. 

After Galloway and Stephens had 

begun complaining to the town about its 

prayer practice, non-Christians delivered 

the prayer at four of the twelve Town 

Board meetings. A Wiccan priestess, 

and the chairman of the local Baha’i 

congregation each delivered one of these 

prayers, and a lay Jewish man delivered 

the remaining two. However, between 

January 2009 and June 2010, all the 

prayer-givers were once again invited 

Christian clergy. 

The district court granted the defendants’ 

motion for summary judgment. It 

dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims against 

Auberger as redundant of their claims 

against the Town, and held that (1) 

the plaintiffs had failed to advance any 

credible evidence that town employees 

intentionally excluded representatives 

of particular faiths, and (2) that, under 

binding Supreme Court case law, the 

Establishment Clause did not foreclose 

denominational prayers. 

On appeal, the only live issue was 

whether the town’s prayer practice had 

the effect, even if 

not the purpose, 

of establishing 

religion. On appeal, 

the Second 

Circuit reversed 

and remanded. The district court erred 

in rejecting the plaintiffs’ argument 

that the prayer practice impermissibly 

affiliated the Town with a single creed, 

Christianity. According to the Court, its 

“inquiry cannot look solely to whether 

the town’s legislative prayer practice 

contained sectarian references. We must 

ask, instead, whether the town’s practice, 

viewed in its totality by an ordinary, reasonable 

observer, conveyed the view that 

the town favored or disfavored certain 

religious beliefs. In other words, we must 

ask whether the town, through its prayer 

practice, has established particular religious 

beliefs as the more acceptable 

ones, and others as less acceptable.” 

In analyzing the facts and the law, 

the Court reviewed two Supreme Court 

cases that discuss legislative prayer. The 

first, Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783 

(1983), considered a claim by a Nebraska 

legislator that the state legislature’s practice 

of paying a chaplain and beginning 

each session with a prayer offered by 

the chaplain violated the Establishment 

Clause. The Court reviewed the long history 

of legislative prayer, finding comfort 

in its long history and the fact that the 

practice preceded and followed the adoption 

of the Bill of Rights. In the second 

case, County of Allegheny v. American 

Civil Liberties Union Greater Pittsburgh 

(See Prayer, page 44) 


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COUNTY FOCUS 43

Prayer ... 


Chapter, 492 U.S. 573 (1989), the Court 

was considering holiday displays but 

addressed the analysis used in Marsh 

as the majority and the dissent sought 

whether there was a distinction under the 

Establishment Clause between legislative 

prayer and holiday displays. The majority 

concluded that Marsh clearly directed 

that a governmental action may not “have 

the effect of affiliating the government 

with any one specific faith or belief.” 

The Second Circuit believed these 

cases do not go so far as to preclude all 

legislative invocations that are denominational 

in nature, so the court’s “factintensive” 

inquiry could not look “solely 

to whether the town’s legislative prayer 

practice contained sectarian references. 

Instead, the court concluded the answer 

depended on the extent to which the selection 

process resulted in a perspective 

that was “substantially neutral amongst 

creeds.” 

“We conclude, on the record before 

us, that the town’s prayer practice must be 

viewed as an endorsement of a particular 

religious viewpoint. This conclusion is 

supported by several considerations, 

including the prayer-giver selection 

process, the content of the prayers, and 

the contextual actions (and inactions) of 

prayer-givers and town officials. We emphasize 

that, in reaching this conclusion, 

we do not rely on any single aspect of the 

town’s prayer practice, but rather on the 

totality of the circumstances present in 

this case.” Here, the town’s process for 

selecting prayer-givers “virtually ensured 

a Christian viewpoint.” This homogeneity 

of viewpoint violated the Establishment 

Clause. Galloway v. Town of Greece, No. 

10-3635 (2d Cir. May 17, 2012) 

In Forsyth County, North Carolina, 

until 2007, the County Board did 

not have a written policy regarding the 

prayers but followed a relatively routine 

practice. The practice was somewhat 

similar to that used in the Town of Greece, 

N.Y. - “Congregations List” — a database 

of all religious congregations with an 

established presence in the community. 

No eligible congregation was excluded, 

and any congregation could confirm its 

inclusion by writing to the clerk. Each 

November, the clerk would update the 

list and then mail an invitation to the 

“religious leader” of each congregation. 

The letter informed those individuals that 

they were eligible to deliver an invocation 

and could schedule an appointment on 

a first-come, first-serve basis. The letter 

then closed as follows: 

“This opportunity is voluntary, and 

you are free to offer the invocation according 

to the dictates of your own conscience. 

To maintain a spirit of respect 

and ecumenism, the Board requests 

only that the prayer opportunity not be 

exploited as an effort to convert others 

to the particular faith of the invocational 

speaker, nor to disparage any faith or belief 

different than that of the invocational 

speaker.” 

The Board sought to prevent any one 

speaker from dominating the invocations, 

so it would not schedule the same speaker 

for consecutive sessions or more than 

twice during a calendar year. 

Once a potential speaker accepted, 

the Board would add the invocation to 

the meeting agenda, often alongside the 

name of the individual giving the invocation, 

his congregation, and the location of 

his place of worship. Prior to the opening 

gavel that officially began the meeting, 

the Board Chair would introduce the 

speaker and invite those who wished to 

stand to do so. After the speaker took the 

podium, the commissioners (and most 

audience members) would stand, and the 

prayer would commence. 

Despite its hands-off approach and 

efforts to seek diversity in the invocation, 

a review of the record reflected that at 

least half of these invocations in concluding 

referred specifically to “Jesus Christ”. 

After suit was filed alleging that the invocations 

and city policy that adopted the 

invocations violated the Establishment 

Clause, the city adopted a formal policy 

regarding its legislative prayer. Under 

the written policy, the invocation would 

no longer be “listed or recognized as an 

agenda item for the meeting so that it 

may be clear the prayer is not considered 

a part of the public business.” The 

policy also stated that nobody “shall be 

required to participate in any prayer 

that is offered,” and that “[n]either the 

Board nor the Clerk shall engage in any 

prior inquiry, review of, or involvement 

in, the content of any prayer to be offered 

by an invocational speaker.” Finally, the 

Board clarified that the prayers were “not 

intended, and shall not be implemented 

or construed in any way, to affiliate the 

Board with, nor express the Board’s 

preference for, any faith or religious 

denomination.” Instead, the stated goal 

of the policy was to “acknowledge and 

express the Board’s respect for the diversity 

of religious denominations and 

faiths represented and practiced among 

the citizens of Forsyth County.” 

The Plaintiffs attended a board meeting 

allegedly to participate in a matter on 

the board agenda. Under the new policy, 

a minister gave the invocation prior to the 

meeting being called to order. The Board 

chair introduced the minister and asked 

the audience to stand for the invocation. 

The invocation was decidedly Christian 

and the Plaintiffs alleged that they felt 

intimidated into participating because 

they had business before the board that 

they did not want to adversely affect by 

refusing to participate in the invocation 

and because the minister began the invocation 

by thanking the board for standing 

up to opponents to allow prayer at the 

meeting. 

In considering the issues of legislative 

prayer as applied to Forsyth County, the 

Fourth Circuit described what it believed 

to be the rationale for legislative prayer: 

In sum, invocations at the start of 

legislative sessions can solemnize those 

occasions; encourage participants to act 

on their noblest instincts; and foster the 

humility that recognition of a higher hand 

in human affairs can bring. There is a 

clear line of precedent not only upholding 

the practice of legislative prayer, but 

acknowledging the ways in which it can 

bring together citizens of all backgrounds 

and encourage them to participate in the 

workings of their government. 

While at the same time, the court 

recognized the potential harm that sectarian 

prayer can have: 

More broadly, while legislative 

prayer has the capacity to solemnize the 

weighty task of governance and encourage 

ecumenism among its participants, it 


also has the potential to generate sectarian 

strife. Such conflict rends communities 

and does violence to the pluralistic 

and inclusive values that are a defining 

feature of American public life. 

The court then sought to illustrate 

the legal test by saying legislative prayer 

“should not reject the tenets of other 

faiths in favor of just one. Infrequent 

references to specific deities, standing 

alone, do not suffice to make out a constitutional 

case. But legislative prayers that 

go further — prayers in a particular venue 

that repeatedly suggest the government 

has put its weight behind a particular 

faith — transgress the boundaries of the 

Establishment Clause. Faith is as deeply 

important as it is deeply personal, and the 

government should not appear to suggest 

that some faiths have it wrong and others 

got it right.” 

The County posited that its policy 

was non-sectarian and fell well within 

the boundaries of permissible legislative 

prayer laid out in Marsh. The Fourth 

Circuit agreed, but concluded that while 

the policy may have been non-sectarian 

and within constitutional boundaries, 

the implementation failed the test. This 

was not a unanimous decision, however. 

Indeed the dissent suggests the pragmatic 

difficulty of following the court’s direction 

that frequent reference to a named deity 

pushes the boundaries of permissible 

constitutional legislative prayer: 

When offering legislative prayers in 

which the Divine Being is publicly asked 

for guidance and a blessing of the legislators, 

religious leaders will hereafter have 

to refrain from referencing the Divine 

Being with the inspired or revealed 

name, according to each leader’s religion. 

The majority’s decree commands that 

every legislative prayer 

reference only “God” 

or some “nonsectarian 

ideal,” supposedly 

because other appellations 

might offend. 

Thus, in a stated sensitivity 

to references 

that might identify the 

religion practiced by 

the religious leader, the 

majority has dared to 

step in and regulate the 

language of prayer—the sacred dialogue 

between humankind and God. Such a decision 

treats prayer agnostically; reduces 

it to civil nicety; hardly accommodates 

the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence in 

Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783, 103 S. 

Ct. 3330, 77 L. Ed. 2d 1019 (1983); and 

creates a circuit split, see Pelphrey v. Cobb 

County, Ga., 547 F.3d 1263 (11th Cir. 

2008) (finding constitutional legislative 

prayers offered by “volunteer leaders of 

different religions, on a rotating basis,” 

even though the prayers referenced Jesus; 

Allah; the God of Abraham, Isaac, 

and Jacob; Mohammed; and Heavenly 

Father). Most frightfully, it will require 

secular legislative and judicial bodies to 

evaluate and parse particular religious 

prayers under an array of criteria identified 

by the majority. 

Joyner v. Forsyth County, 653 F.3d 

341; 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 15670 (4th 

Cir. 2011) 

What’s a local government attorney 

to do when faced with the question of 

whether prayer is permissible at a council 

meeting? The answer is murky, at best, 

but we know that legislative prayer can 

fall within Constitutional boundaries. A 

safe course may be for the attorney to 

advise that non-sectarian prayer designed 

to solemnize the business of government 

without offending individual listeners’ 

beliefs should guide the council’s policy. 

More importantly, the council should 

consider monitoring the implementation 

of the policy to determine if its realization 

follows a non-sectarian course. The trend 

seems to be that we will see more of these 

cases. So, as the saying goes, “forewarned 

is forearmed.” 

Planning 

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The Supreme Court denied certiorari 

in the Forsyth County case. Whether 

Town of Greece will appear more inviting 

to the court is hard to tell. Nevertheless, 

the issue of legislative prayer and the 

constitutional limitations courts impose 

will no doubt lead to a host of decisions 

across the country. Because these cases 

tend to be fact specific, IMLA will review 

petitions for certiorari to determine if a 

case warrants its participation. 

IMLA provides assistance to local government 

attorneys whose municipalities are 

members and supports local governments 

throughout the United States as an amicus 

in many cases at the Supreme Court and 

in the federal circuits and in state supreme 

courts. IMLA also provides local government 

attorneys with a forum to seek help 

and to gain understanding of the law and 

offers a number of low cost CLE programs 

each year to help attorneys keep abreast of 

emerging issues or to refresh their knowledge 

of local government law. 

To receive information on joining the 

IMLA as a member or to request assistance 

from IMLA, please contact Chuck Thompson 

at cthompson@imla.org. 




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COUNTY FOCUS 45

Support the 


Association of Counties ... 

... and benefit as a Corporate Supporter. 

Sponsors receive: 

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and ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROGRAM 

An invitation to register and attend SCAC’s Annual Conference each year and 

An exhibitors’ notice around April 1 each year that provides an opportunity on a “first-come, firstserved” 

basis to lease exhibit space at SCAC’s Annual Conference 

Patrons also receive: 

A complimentary registration for one delegate to attend SCAC’s Annual Conference 

Two complimentary tickets to attend the Association’s Annual Conference Banquet and 

Greater recognition in SCAC’s COUNTY FOCUS MAGAZINE, annual DIRECTORY OF COUNTY OF- 

FICIALS and ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROGRAM. 

For more information about the SCAC or to join, please contact: 



Attn.: Public Information Office 

P.O. Box 8207 

Columbia, South Carolina 29202-8207 

(803) 252-7255 



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A Roadside Guide to 

Laurens, County Seat 

of Laurens County 


H 

By Alexia Jones Helsley 

www.historyismybag.com 

istoric Laurens is the county seat of 

Laurens County, created by the County 

Court Act of 1785. Earlier, the area that 

became Laurens County was part of Old 

Ninety Six District. Both the city and the 

county were named for South Carolina 

Revolutionary hero Henry Laurens (1724 

– 92). Laurens, a Charleston merchant of 

French Huguenot descent, was president 

of the Continental Congress. Captured 

and imprisoned in the Tower of London, 

the British exchanged Laurens for Lord 

Cornwallis, the British commander who 

surrendered at Yorktown. 

By 1792, Laurensville (later Laurens) 

was the administrative center 

for Laurens County. Located on the 

main road connecting North and 

South Carolina, Laurens thrived as a 

center of government and commerce 

for the largely agricultural Laurens 

County. Cotton production was the 

main economic activity in the county. 

By the 1820s, Laurens had 35 houses 

and more than 200 residents. Among 

those seeking opportunities in the 

new county seat was Andrew Johnson, 

later president of the United 

States. During the 1820s, Johnson 

worked for two years as a tailor in 

Laurens. Johnson, elected vice-president 

in 1864, became president following 

the assassination of President 

Abraham Lincoln. The construction 

of the Laurens Railroad in 1854 was 

a boon for the local economy. During 

the Civil War, lowcountry planters 

moved their families to Laurens for 

S C 

The City 

of 

Laurens 

safety. 

The post-Civil War years were difficult 

ones. Racial tensions sparked the 

Laurens Riot of 1870 and at one time, the 

county was under martial law. Tensions 

eased and educational opportunities for 

all residents improved. Thomas Sanders, 

who came to Laurens as a teacher in 1895, 

did much to improve the education of the 

city’s black students. 

By the 1880s, the economic picture 

improved. Two new railroads increased 

the city’s standing, and in 1888 some promoted 

Laurens as the “Atlanta of South 

Carolina.” Textile mills also provided 

 

 

 

 

 

istorically, Greenville County owes much to its natural 

Hadvantages of scenery, location and abundant water, but it 

 

Pearis, Vardry McBee and the Earle family. Hidden History of 

Greenville County details the personalities, places and events that 

have given Greenville its progressive, diverse environment. Join 

archivist and history professor Alexia Helsley as she explores 

some of these individuals and their contributions, as well as littleknown 

events in the area and the ever-fascinating “Dark Corner.” 

From mansions to murders, learn things about Greenville County 

history that you’ve never encountered before. 

$24.00 Postpaid (Includes 

tax, shipping and handling) 

$??.99 

To order, write: 

AJH Historical Enterprises 

P.O. Box 3684 

Irmo, S.C. 29063 

 

See Map of South Carolina 

Counties and County Seats, 

Page 55 

employment opportunities that lasted 

through World War II. Laurens Cotton 

Mill, established in 1895, was the city’s 

first textile plant. 

The present courthouse is the county’s 

third. Erected in 1838 by John Wells 

Simpson, the courthouse is listed on the 

National Register of Historic Places. The 

core of the current building dates from 

1837 to 1838. Architect Thomas C. Veal 

designed the courthouse. Simpson and 

Veal were Laurens residents. Other antebellum 

structures in Laurens include the 

Octagon house (1859), probably the first 

house in South Carolina constructed of 

 

 

COUNTY FOCUS 49

concrete, and the William Dunlap Simpson 

house 1839). Simpson, who served in 

the S.C. Senate, was a lieutenant colonel 

in the 14th S.C. Infantry Regiment, a 

member of the Confederate Congress, 

and lieutenant governor under Wade 

Hampton. Upon Hampton’s appointment 

to the U.S. Senate in 1879, Simpson 

became governor of the State of South 

Carolina. 

Another significant antebellum property 

is the Williams-Ball-Copeland (the 

Villa) house. Construction of the house 

began c. 1859, and the house has rich 

historical associations. For example, John 

Drayton Williams, who built the house, 

signed the Ordinance of Secession. A later 

owner, Beaufort Watts Ball, was a member 

of the S.C. House of Representatives, 

the S.C. Constitutional Convention of 

1865 and owner of The Laurens Advertiser. 

William Watts Ball and Sarah Ball Copeland, 

children of Beaufort Ball, edited 

The Laurens Advertiser. W. W. Ball, later 

became editor of The State and The News 

and Courier, wrote The State That Forgot: 

South Carolina’s Surrender to Democracy. 

Today, the Villa is part of the Martha 

S.C. Archives & 

History 

REPEAT 

Black & Blue Ad 

(Pull from P. 67, 

Vol. 20, No. 3) 

(Stauffer’s 

Formation of 

Counties in 

This publication traces the evolution of the 

Palmetto State from the Proprietary Counties 

of 1682 to the boundaries of our modern state. 

It explains how each of the counties was formed, 

provides maps showing the changing face of the 

state as counties were established, and lists the 

counties alphabetically with founding dates, 

explanations of their names, and the county seats. 

To order your copy, send your name, shipping 

address South and telephone Carolina) 

number to 

SC Department of Archives & History 

8301 Parklane Road/Columbia, SC 29223-4905. 

Please make check for $4.75 payable to 

Archives and History. 

DO NOT USE 

THIS BORDER 

Also, remember to visit the South Carolina 

Archives & History Center website and on-line 

store at www.state.sc.us/scdah for information on 

other available publications. 

Franks Baptist Retirement Community. 

Operated by the S.C. Baptist Convention, 

the Martha Franks Baptist Retirement 

Community sits on 55 acres in the city of 

Laurens and offers a continuum of care 

for senior adults. 

The early 20th century was a time of 

excitement and experimentation. In 1910, 

representatives of the Laurens business 

community organized the Laurens Glass 

Works to provide employment opportunities 

for local residents and take advantage 

of nearby silica deposits. Nathaniel B. 

Dial not only helped organize the company, 

but served as its first president. 

Dial later served in the U.S. Senate. The 

plant was successful and, according to the 

Laurens County Museum, became “the 

first company licensed to manufacture 

bottles for Coca-Cola.” In May 1943, 

a major fire razed the plant destroying 

eight warehouses and seven railroad cars 

loaded with raw materials and finished 

materials. None of the 325 employees was 

injured, and fire damage was estimated at 

$250,000. At that time, E.D. Easterby was 

president of the company. The company 

survived several mergers before its unfortunate 

closing in 1996. 

The City of Laurens has many properties 

listed on the National Register. Individual 

homes include the Wilson-Clary 

Lost Columbia: Bygone Images of 

South Carolina’s Capital City (Charleston: 

the History Press, 2008) 

Lost Columbia combines an overview 

of the turbulent history of Columbia 

with rare and little seen images of the 

city’s destruction in 1865, the Assembly 

Street farmers’ market, the 

changing face of Main Street and lost 

institutions and 

neighborhoods. 

C O L U M B I A Lost Columbia 

is available 

 

in bookstores 

such as Barnes 

& Noble, from 

Amazon.com, 

or by mail from 

AJH Historical 

ALEXIA JONES HELSLEY 

Enterprises, 

P.O. Box 3683, Irmo, SC 29063. 

house and the Dr. William Claudius Irby 

house. The Laurens Historic District 

encompasses residential, commercial 

and religious properties. Among the 

listed properties are the courthouse, 

First United Methodist Church, Bethel 

A.M.E. Church (designed by Columbus 

White), St. Paul First Baptist Church, 

Rosenblum’s and Maxwell Bros. and 

Kinard Store, Laurens First Presbyterian 

Church, and the Episcopal Church of the 

Epiphany built in 1846. 

A Laurens highlight is the Laurens 

County Museum, the brainchild of the 

Laurens County Museum Association, 

organized in 2005. The museum features 

exhibits on the county’s agricultural heritage, 

the Laurens Glass Works and other 

aspects of town and county life. 

In 2010, almost 10,000 lived in the city 

of Laurens. Proud of its past, the city of 

Laurens embraces the present and plans 

for an even better future. 




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SCAC’s Magazine and Newsletter 

Highlight County Achievements 

SCAC’s publications, CAROLINA COUNTIES NEWSLETTER and 

COUNTY FOCUS MAGAZINE, highlight county achievements. Articles, 

which focus on significant county achievements, are published 

on a space available basis in CAROLINA COUNTIES NEWSLETTER. Indepth 

articles are published in COUNTY FOCUS MAGAZINE. 

For more information, please contact SCAC’s Public Information 

Office at 1-800-922-6081 or smorgan@scac.sc. 




county government? If so, order a copy of the 2012 

DIRECTORY OF COUNTY OFFICIALS by contacting: 

$25 

per 

copy 


Public Information Office 

P.O. Box 8207 

Columbia, S.C. 29202-8207 

(803) 252-7255 


COUNTY FOCUS 51

Counties Reporting in 

This Issue of County 

Update: 

Abbeville Greenwood 

Aiken Hampton 

Allendale Horry 

Anderson Jasper 

Bamberg Kershaw 

Barnwell Lancaster 

Beaufort Laurens 

Berkeley Lee 

Calhoun Lexington 

Charleston Marion 

Cherokee Marlboro 

Chester McCormick 

Chesterfield Newberry 

Clarendon Oconee 

Colleton Orangeburg 

Darlington Pickens 

Dillon 

Richland 

Dorchester Saluda 

Edgefield Spartanburg 

Fairfield Sumter 

Florence Union 

Georgetown Williamsburg 

Greenville York 

2011 R. Carlisle Roddey 


2010 Diane B. Anderson 


2009 L. Gregory Pearce, Jr. 

Richland County 

2008 K.G. “Rusty” Smith, Jr. 


2007 Belinda D. Copeland 


2004–06 Waymon Mumford 


2004 Barrett S. Lawrimore 


2003 Gonza L. Bryant 


2002 James A. Coleman 


2001 Steve S. Kelly, Jr. 

Kershaw County 

2000 James H. Rozier, Jr. 

Berkeley County 

1999 Polly C. Jackson 

Lancaster County 

1998 Robert R. Nash, Sr. 

Pickens County 

1997 Alzena Robinson 

Bamberg County 

County Update 

This section of COUNTY FOCUS MAGA- 

ZINE provides South Carolina county officials 

an opportunity to submit newsworthy items 

that may be of interest to the magazine’s readers. 

Due to space limitations, however, items 

may be shortened and edited for clarity. The 

best submissions — shortened to fit as “news 

briefs” in this section—will be published at 

greater length whenever possible in CAROLINA 

COUNTIES NEWSLETTER. 

For more information, please contact 

SCAC’s Public Information Office at 1-800- 

922-6081. 


County Map, 

Page 55 

Keeping you informed 

about what’s happening in 

South Carolina’s counties. 

SCAC’s Past Presidents 

1996 Betty T. Roper 


1995 George E. Bomar 

Greenville County 

1994 Raymond C. Eubanks, Jr. 


1993 William L. McBride 

Beaufort County 

1992 Belle J. Kennette 


1991 James R. McGee 

Orangeburg County 

1990 Kenneth R. Huckaby 


1989 Lowell C. (Butch) Spires 


1988 David K. Summers, Jr. 


1987 Danny E. Allen 


1986 O.V. Player, Jr. 

Sumter County 

1985 Sue H. Roe 

Aiken County 

1984 Charlie I. Crews 

Hampton County 

1983 James P. Whitlock 

Pickens County 


Calhoun County dedicated a mall in St. 

Matthews on November 11 — Veterans Day 

— that connects the new Calhoun County 

Learning Center, the county courthouse 

and the Farm Service Agency. Constructed 

between May 2008 and June 2011, the mall 

includes a Blue Star Monument honoring 

residents of Calhoun County who have served 

in the U.S. Armed Forces. 

1982 Lonnie Hamilton III 


1981 Alfred B. Schooler 

Georgetown County 

1980 Howard A. Taylor 


1979 Marjorie H. Sharpe 


1978 Berry L. Mobley 


1977 E.E. Johnson 


1976 Harold L. King 


1975 Jack Q. Gerrald 

Horry County 

1974 Arthur H. Burton 


1973 James O. Thomason 


1972 J. Hugh McCutchen 

Williamsburg County 

1971 John L. Greer 

Union County 

1969–70 J. Mitchell Graham 


1967–68 Charles W. Lawrimore 

Georgetown County 



Charleston County’s EMS team won the 

S.C. Paramedic Championship at the S.C. 

EMS Care Symposium, held recently in Myrtle 

Beach. 

Team members and EMS paramedics, 

Matt Adams of Johns Island and Mike Peck 

of Mount Pleasant beat three other regions 

and last year’s champion to win the honor. 

This is the third time Charleston County 

EMS has won the competition. The county’s 

EMS team first won in 2003. The county’s 

all-female team then won in 2005, becoming 

the first all-female team to do so since the 

competition began in 1986. 

The scenario for this year’s competition 

included responding to a simulated meth lab 

explosion. Charleston County’s EMS Team 

responded as actors played the role of individuals 

injured in the explosion and others 

tried to distract the responders. 

“Our employees, known as ‘The M 

Team’, successfully worked the call, treated all 

patients appropriately and made real-time decision 

in front of a crowd of 200,” said Charleston 

County EMS Director Don Lundy. “It’s 

one thing to work in front of bystanders and 

another to work in front of 200 paramedics. 

It only goes to show that Charleston County 

EMS is really the best, and I am so honored 

to be working with such professionals.” 

Charleston County was recently awarded 

two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) Brownfield Assessment Grants, totaling 

$400,000 ($200,000 to assess hazardous 

substances and $200,000 to assess petroleum 

issues). The county will use the federal grant 

funds to further neighborhood revitalization 

by identifying sites located in residential areas 

that are in need of redevelopment and to 

further economic development by working to 

create a redevelopment plan for industrial and 

commercial sites. 

“Once we identify the sites, we can 

enhance the strength of the surrounding 

neighborhoods and economic development 

initiatives,” said Christine DuRant, assistant 

county administrator for Charleston County 

Community Services. “Doing so will promote 

the redevelopment and reuse of properties 

that were previously unusable because 

environmental issues prevented their sale. 

Brownfield assessments will help us identify 

contaminated sites and determine the potential 

risks they pose, which are the first steps in 

transforming blighted properties into productive 

sites.” 

The EPA’s Brownfields Program provides 

funding to assess, safely clean up and 

reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real 

property that has the presence of a hazardous 

substance, pollutant or contaminant. The 

Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed in 

2002 to help states and communities clean up 

and revitalize brownfields sites. 

Joni Rennhack, an employee with 

Charleston County Government’s Building 

Inspection Services Department, on April 4 

was awarded the first Flood Plain Manager 

of the Year Award by the S.C. Association 

of Hazard Mitigation at the group’s annual 

meeting in Greenville. 

Rennhack, who has worked for the county 

Aug. 4 – 5 

Aug. 5 – 8 

Oct. 18 

Oct. 19 

Nov. 29 – Dec. 1 

Dec. 7 

March 2 – 6 

July 19 – 23 

Broadcast Location: SCAC Office 

August 29, 2012 

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon 

2013 Setoff Debt Collection and GEAR Programs 

September 20, 2012 

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon 

Anti-Harrassment: The Obvious and Not So Obvious 

Presenter: Linda Edwards, Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis Law Firm 

For more information, please contact Anna Berger, SCAC, at (803) 252-7255 or 

aberger@scac.sc. Or visit SCAC’s Webcast page at: 

http://www.sccounties.org/services/education/webcast-training.aspx 

SCAC’s 2012 Conference Calendar 

Institute of Government 

Annual Conference 

Hilton Head Marriott, Hilton Head, S.C. 

Institute of Government 

County Council Coalition 

Embassy Suites, Columbia, S.C. 

Legislative Conference 

Renaissance Charleston, Charleston, S.C. 

Local Government Attorneys’ Institute 

DoubleTree, Columbia, S.C. 

NACo’s 2013 

Conference Calendar 

Legislative Conference 

Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C. 

for 15 years, has the honor of being the first 

winner of the new award, and the distinction 

of having the award named after her. Next 

year, someone else will be awarded the Joni 

Rennhack Flood Plain Manager of the Year 

Award. 

“Joni was the most deserving for many 

reasons, including her long tenure —26 years 

— of work in floodplain management,” said 

Shawn Putnam of the S.C. Association of Hazard 

Mitigation. “Rennhack helped Charleston 

County obtain the National Flood Insurance 

Program Community Rating System (CRS) 

Annual Conference & Exposition 

Fort Worth Convention Center, Ft. Worth, Tex. 

COUNTY FOCUS 53

ating of 4. The county’s rating results in an 

annual $9.8 million in savings (a 30 percent 

reduction) on flood insurance premiums for 

citizens who live in unincorporated areas of 

Charleston County. She also did outstanding 

work on the Charleston Regional Hazard 

Mitigation Plan, which supports 30 jurisdictions 

within the county.” 

The Charleston Regional Hazard Mitigation 

Plan was the first approved plan in 

the U.S. and has been used for teaching 

purposes by the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA). The plan provides 30 

government entities within Charleston County 

with eligibility for federal pre- and post- disaster 

funding and contributes towards the CRS 

ratings for 14 jurisdictions within the county. 

A Charleston County’s Transportation 

Sales Tax Program contractor has been 

awarded the S.C. Asphalt Pavement Association 

Award. 

Sanders Brothers Construction Company 

of Charleston received the distinguished annual 

award from the S.C. Asphalt Pavement 



OF 


Want to know “Who’s Who” in South Carolina county government? 

Order a copy of the 2012 DIRECTORY OF COUNTY OFFICIALS. 

The DIRECTORY identifies all elected and appointed county officials in 

the state. This popular, award-winning publication also identifies SCAC’s 

Officers, Board of Directors, Past Presidents, Corporate Supporters, 

Regional Councils of Government, Federal and State Officials and State 

Senators and Representatives. Addresses and telephone numbers are 

included for all county officials, state officials and members of the S.C. 


The cost per copy is $25.00 (including tax, postage, shipping and handling). 

To order your copy of the 2012 DIRECTORY OF COUNTY OFFICIALS, 

please contact: 




P.O. Box 8207 

Columbia, S.C. 29202-8207 

(803) 252-7255 


Association for overcoming challenging work 

on the Glenn McConnell /I-526 Improvement 

Project. The $7.2 million Glenn McConnell 

Parkway/I-526 Improvement Project was 

completed in June of 2011. Work included improvements 

along Glenn McConnell Parkway 

from Essex Farm Road to Orleans Road. The 

project was requested by the City of Charleston 

and was funded by the Charleston County 

Transportation Sales Tax Program. 

Charleston County’s Economic Development 

Department recently launched a new 

website at www.charlestoncountydevelopment. 

com. 

The state-of-the-art website addresses 

a full range of information needs for: site 

location consultants and corporate executives 

relocating a business to Charleston; commercial 

realtors marketing their business sites or 

buildings; existing businesses seeking assistance 

with problems or help in expanding; and 

businesses seeking to do business with other 

local businesses. 

The site’s capabilities include: 

Virtual Familiarization Tour — Allows 

busy site consultants and corporate executives 

to quickly identify the location of Charleston 

County along with its key transportation 

features, including highways, rail service, 

ports and airports, business parks, and higher 

education institutions; 

InSite: Sites and Buildings Database — 

Enables browsing of all available business sites 

and buildings within Charleston County based 

upon parameters such as building type, square 

footage, ceiling height, acreage, distance from 

the airport and other variables. In addition 

to the basic property information, the user is 

able to view owner and broker information, 

building photos on Google Maps and other 

key GIS layers. Statistics about the surrounding 

workforce, income levels and other key 

demographics are possible with the polygon 

tool. Users may email a specific page or export 

their findings to PDF, Excel or Word. 

Companies Search — Expedites searches 

to identify all existing Charleston Countybased 

businesses by general category (e.g., 

manufacturing), and by more specific subsectors 

according to the Standard Industrial 

Code (SIC), North American Industrial Code 

(NAICS) classification. 


Chester County hosted an open house 

and ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 20 to 

unveil the county’s newly renovated and expanded 

law enforcement center. The facility, 

which cost $11 million and was completed in 

December, solves longstanding issues with 


Counties and County Seats 

of South Carolina 

the county’s old jail. Located at the site of the 

county’s previous jail, the new law enforcement 

center combines “under one roof”: a 

newly-renovated and expanded detention center 

division; sheriff’s administrative offices and 

patrol division; investigative division; crime 

lab; victims’ advocate office; E911 operations; 

county/municipal courtooms; and the City of 

Chester Police Department. 


Greenwood County hosted a ribboncutting 

ceremony on June 4 to officially open 

a new Veterans Administration (VA) Center 

in Greenwood. The VA Center (the county 

library before the new one was built) will serve 

veterans and active duty personnel, and will 

house the Hall of Heroes — a memorial to 

Greenwood County residents who have served 

in the U.S. Armed Forces. 

Greenwood County recently launched a 

new government website at www.greenwoodsc. 

gov. The new website allows multiple in-house 

staff members to easily contribute content. 

More than 15 staff members are currently 

registered and 

trained to make 

contributions. A 

select group of “super 

users,” with 

editing and publishing 

power, will 

maintain quality 

control over what’s 

published on the 

site. 


NACo e-News, published online by the 

National Association of Counties (NACo), 

recently recognized Hampton County and 35 

other counties, boroughs and parishes across 



COUNTY FOCUS 55

the United States for celebrating this year’s 

National County Government Month in April. 

Hampton County — the only South Carolina 

county to submit an entry and compete in 

NACo’s 2012 National Gounty Government 

Week Competition — celebrated the week by 

hosting a broad range of activities from April 

23 – 27 under the theme, “Healthy Counties, 

Healthy Families.” The county hosted tours of 

the Hampton County Administration Building 

on April 4, and celebrated Hampton County 

Government Day on April 25 by demonstrating 

the services that the county provices 

county residents. The county also provided 

free blood pressure checks, free fingerprinting 

and a offered a range of fun activities — from 

Zumba Gold demonstrations to Karate, sports 

and other demonstrations. Hampton County 

offered tours of the county’s EMS Building 

on April 26 and a Red Cross Blood Drive on 

April 27. 

Horry County 

Horry County recently announced the 

three winners of the county’s Employee Quarterly 

Awards and chose a winner from each of 

the three divisions. 

Dereck Taillefer, Automation Assistant 

for the Horry County Register of Deeds Office, 

won the Administration Quarterly Award 

for his execution and management of an innovative 

project to image deed books from 

1980 to 1994. 

Archie Elder Hucks, Shelter Technician 

at the county’s Animal Care Center, won the 

Public Safety Division Quarterly Award for 

the dramatic improvement in the performance 

of his duties during the past year, his leadership, 

and the way he challenges other shelter 

technicians to improve quality and efficiency 

while keeping costs down. 

Scott Rodgers, Program Coordinator for 

the county’s Parks and Recreation Division, 

won the Infrastructure and Regulation Quarterly 

Award for his assistance in opening the 

new Carolina Forest, North Strand and South 

Strand recreation centers during basketball 

season with minimal disruption to programs. 

These three winners received $250, a 

designated parking space, a certificate of 

achievement, and became eligible for the 

Employee of the Year Award of $1,000. 

Horry County officials hosted a ribbon 

cutting on May 3 for a new 49-space parking 

lot in Garden City Beach at the corner of 

Azalea Avenue and South Waccamaw Drive. 

The parking lot was constructed out of 

environmentally-friendly permeable concrete 

pavers, which allows for storm runoff to be 

infiltrated into the sandy, native soil. Safety 

improvements were also made with the installation 

of lighting and the construction of a new 

concrete sidewalk along Azalea Avenue and 

South Waccamaw Drive. 

The original budget was $790,000, but 

the project came in under budget at $700,000. 

The funding was provided by Horry County 

Local Accommodations Tax Fund Balance, 

Hospitality Fee Fund Balance, State Accommodation 

Tax funds, and the Horry County 

Transportation Committee. 

The prime contractor for the project was 

Wade Lott, Inc. from Conway. Sub-contractors 

included Benton Concrete, Low Country 

Landscaping and Southern Asphalt of Conway. 

Jasper County 

Jasper County dedicated its newlyrestored 

courthouse in Ridgeland on June 

3. Built in 1915 and listed on the National 

Register of Historic Places on October 3, the 

Georgian Revival Style courthouse is one 

of the last remaining courthouses in South 

Carolina designed by Atlanta-based architect 

William Augustus Edwards (1866 – 1939). 


Jeff Catoe, former Deputy Public Works 

Director, has been promoted to Public Works 

Director. 

Hector Soliman, Building Inspector, has 

been promoted to Building Official. 

Clay Catoe has been hired as EMS Director. 

Catoe, a long-serving, part-time medic, 

was previously employed full-time in administration 

by the S.C. Department of Corrections. 

Robin Helms, Lancaster County Veterans 

Affairs Officer, was elected 2nd Vice- 

President of the S.C. Association of County 

Veterans Affairs Officers. 

ADVERTISING INDEX 

Alliance Consulting Engineers, Inc. 5 & 13 

American Engineering Consultants, Inc. 47 

Ariel Third Party Administrators, Inc. Inside-Back Cover 

Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina Inside-Front Cover 

Hidden History of Greenville County 49 

50 

Meadors, Inc. 14 

NBSC 42 

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP 41 

PalmettoPride 43 

Professional Printers 4 & 48 

QS/1 25 

Santee Cooper 37 

Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects 45 

SCANA/SCE&G 3 

Tax Management Associates 39 

The Formation of Counties in South Carolina 50 

URS 33 

The Palmetto 

Directory Index 

LISTINGS: 

(See page 51) 

Alliance Consulting 

Engineers, Inc. 

BB&T Governmental Finance 

Florence & Hutcheson 

Meadors, Inc. 

QS/1 


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No. 2 (July 2012) - South Carolina Association of Counties

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