Ridge Spring Grant

Ridge Spring Recieves Grant

Ridge Spring Moves Forward
with downtown revitalization

  Senator Nikki Setzler presented the Town of Ridge Spring with a $50,000 check from Parks Recreation and Tourism to be used in building an open air farmers’ market in the new plaza which will begin construction in October.
  The Downtown parking lot will be completely resurfaced with 24 additional parking spaces.  This project is being funded by a CDBG grant from Upper Savannah Council of Governments.
  Once phase one (parking plaza) is finished, we will move directly into phase two which will be the garden area beside the parking lot. We will be enlarging the garden area, adding the open air farmer’s market, a Veteran’s Memorial and a children’s splash park.  Saluda County Capital Project Tax has set aside $175,000 and Parks, Recreation and Tourism has presented us with $50,000 to begin work on the park.
Pictured above are. from right to left, Senator Nikki Setzler, Councilman Capers Asbill, Councilman Richard Christi, Councilman Cyrs Lybrand, and Mayor Pat Asbill.

School, County Budgets
Get Second Readings

  Saluda County Council gave second readings to the school and county budgets Mon., May 13.
  A public hearing was held on the school budget. No one spoke. A public hearing was scheduled on the county budget, but it was deferred to a later date.
  The local support portion of the school district’s $19,664,537 budget is $7551,956, minus revenues and credits reflected on tax receipts from Property Tax Relief, Homestead Exemption, Tier 3 Property Tax Relief, and Motor Carrier for a net amount of $4,867,802  from ad valorem taxes.
  The county budget currently stands at $13,365,734.50. The difference between revenue and expenditures is $1,483,622.00.
  Piedmont Technical College is requesting $225,178. They are funded through millage and this request is not included in the above figures.
  Council approved the hiring of Holt Consulting Company for engineering and consulting services at the Saluda County Airport.
  At the recommendation of Financial Services Coordinator Regina Turner, Council voted to hire Briten Janitorial of Edgefield for janitorial services. Six businesses submitted quotes for the job. The contract includes cleaning and floor care.
  Council gave first reading to an ordinance authorizing the transfer of funds from reserve fund  to balance the 2019-2020 fiscal year budget. This is not to exceed $1,483,622.
  The hiring of a summer intern for the Saluda County Library was approved.
  Interim Library Director Russell Altman said this position would be paid through a First Steps grant, and would require no county funding.
  Council approved a departmental freeze on spending until the next fiscal year begins July 1. Only normal bills and necessary purchases to perform the job and safely operate equipment and vehicles will be allowed.

Piedmont Tech Graduate from Saluda Receives Countywide Award for Academic Achievement - At Piedmont Technical College’s recent spring commencement exercises, outstanding students from each of the college’s seven supporting counties were honored for academic achievement. Adam Matthews, who graduated with an associate in science degree, was the honoree from Saluda County. He is pictured here with PTC Area Commission Chairman George Piersol, right. 

Woman Pleads Guilty

Saluda Woman Pleads Guilty
to Filing False Tax Returns

  Columbia, South Carolina  - United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon said Brenda Rodgers, age 57, of Saluda, pled guilty to Filing a False Tax Return. 
  United States District Court Judge Timothy Cain, of Anderson, accepted the plea and will sentence Rodgers after receiving and reviewing a presentence report prepared by the United States Probation Office. 
  Evidence presented at the hearing established that from 2012 through 2016, Rodgers was an employee of a property and casualty insurance agency located in Columbia.  Rodgers embezzled by writing checks from a particular client’s account to herself and forging the name of her supervisor.  During the tax years 2012 through 2016, Rodgers wrote herself 325 checks totaling over $337,000.  Rodgers concealed her activity by making false entries in the accounting records and on check stubs.  She also removed pages from the bank statements that contained photocopies of the checks transferring funds into her bank account.  By creating false entries and removing bank records, Rodgers avoided reporting taxable income associated with her embezzlement.  As a result, she avoided tax payments totaling $78,892 for the years 2012 through 2016.  As for Count 4 of the Indictment, to which she pleaded guilty, the additional tax she owed that year was at least $27,222.
  Rodgers confessed to deputies of the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, explaining that she used the money to pay bills, make car payments, and pay off her mortgage.
  The maximum penalty Rodgers faces is three years in federal prison and a fine of $100,000. 
  The United States Internal Revenue Service and the Richland County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.  Assistant United States Attorney Winston David Holliday, Jr., of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case.

Edgefield Woman Dies in
County Head-on Collision

  An Edgefield County woman died in a head-on collision in Saluda County, Fri,May 3.   According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Delphine Pickens Simpkins, 60, was driving west in a  2007 Pontiac  on Hwy. 378 a little before 3:30 p.m. when she crossed the center line and struck an eastbound 2015 Ford Truck head-on.
  Both Simpkins and the 28 year-old-driver of the truck were transported to Richland County Hospital. 
  Simpkins later died at the hospital from her injuries.   
 No charges are pending.

Two from Saluda Receive The
Charlie Foundation Scholarship

  Piedmont Technical College (PTC) recently held a Scholarship Luncheon to recognize student recipients of dozens of PTC Foundation scholarships for 2019. This year’s winners of The Charlie Foundation Scholarship are Olivia Evans and Craig McMillan, both of Saluda.
  The late Saluda County Council Chairman Don Hancock’s desire to leave a legacy that would benefit the residents of Saluda County led him to create The Charlie Foundation. The Charlie Foundation Scholarship was established in January 2018 and is available to Saluda County residents.
  Pictured from left:  Donor Representative Ann Hancock Coker, Craig McMillan, and Donor Representative Charlyn Hancock Staubes. Not pictured:  Olivia Evans.

Town Solar Project

Saluda Saves Money on Energy
Costs from Energy Efficiency
Upgrades and Solar Installation

  The Town of Saluda in South Carolina was overwhelmed with rising electricity rates. In order to maintain operating budgets, the Town understood the need to cut energy costs in its public buildings.
  Saluda identified its Town Hall as a potential building that would benefit from energy efficiency upgrades and underwent an energy audit, which resulted in the recommendation of a number of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures.
  In order to finance these upgrades, the Town of Saluda applied for a ConserFund Loan from the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff - Energy Office, which receives funding from the US Department of Energy’s State Energy Program. ConserFund provides funding for state agencies, public colleges, school districts, local governments, and 501(c)(3) organizations that are implementing energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy projects. Organizations that use this financing option are eligible to receive 100 percent of the project costs or up to $500,000 per fiscal year. The Town of Saluda was approved for a ConserFund Loan and used this financing to install LED lighting, occupancy sensors, and a rooftop solar photovoltaic array.
  Amelia Herlong, the Town of Saluda’s Mayor, reflected that, “the bills just keep getting higher and higher and it was important that we explore and see that we had this alternative for our people.” Through the following energy efficiency upgrades and solar installation, the Town of Saluda will save over $13,000 per year in energy costs:
  LED Lighting - The Town Hall received LED lighting upgrades throughout the facility. Exit signs, wall packs, and outdoor lighting were all retrofitted or replaced with LED lights, reducing the operation costs for the Town Hall. Additionally, the fire station and sanitation facilities received funds to replace lighting fixtures with LEDs.
 Occupancy Sensors - Infrared occupancy sensors – sensors that turn off lights when they detect the absence of people – were installed in infrequently used rooms such as break and meeting rooms to reduce lighting use when rooms were unoccupied. People frequently forget to shut off lights in the work place, and the occupancy sensors eliminate this human error to reduce lighting use.
   Solar Installation - In order to increase energy independence, a 26 kW rooftop solar array was installed on the Town Hall, making the Town of Saluda one of the first municipalities in South Carolina to install solar panels. The Town was able to take advantage of a bill credit incentive with the local utility, SCE&G, and receive $0.22 for every kWh of solar-generated electricity put onto the grid from the Town Hall solar array for the next 10 years. This results in the rooftop solar having an expected payback period of 3.5 years.
  The US Department of Energy’s State Energy Program provides funding and technical assistance to states, territories, and the District of Columbia to enhance energy security, advance state-led energy initiatives, and maximize the benefits of decreasing energy waste. The State Energy Program emphasizes the state’s role as the decision-maker and administrator for program activities tailored to their unique resources, delivery capacity, and energy goals.   The Town of Saluda in South Carolina was overwhelmed with rising electricity rates. In order to maintain operating budgets, the Town understood the need to cut energy costs in its public buildings.
  Saluda identified its Town Hall as a potential building that would benefit from energy efficiency upgrades and underwent an energy audit, which resulted in the recommendation of a number of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures.
  In order to finance these upgrades, the Town of Saluda applied for a ConserFund Loan from the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff - Energy Office, which receives funding from the US Department of Energy’s State Energy Program. ConserFund provides funding for state agencies, public colleges, school districts, local governments, and 501(c)(3) organizations that are implementing energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy projects. Organizations that use this financing option are eligible to receive 100 percent of the project costs or up to $500,000 per fiscal year. The Town of Saluda was approved for a ConserFund Loan and used this financing to install LED lighting, occupancy sensors, and a rooftop solar photovoltaic array.
  Amelia Herlong, the Town of Saluda’s Mayor, reflected that, “the bills just keep getting higher and higher and it was important that we explore and see that we had this alternative for our people.” Through the following energy efficiency upgrades and solar installation, the Town of Saluda will save over $13,000 per year in energy costs:
  LED Lighting - The Town Hall received LED lighting upgrades throughout the facility. Exit signs, wall packs, and outdoor lighting were all retrofitted or replaced with LED lights, reducing the operation costs for the Town Hall. Additionally, the fire station and sanitation facilities received funds to replace lighting fixtures with LEDs.
 Occupancy Sensors - Infrared occupancy sensors – sensors that turn off lights when they detect the absence of people – were installed in infrequently used rooms such as break and meeting rooms to reduce lighting use when rooms were unoccupied. People frequently forget to shut off lights in the work place, and the occupancy sensors eliminate this human error to reduce lighting use.
   Solar Installation - In order to increase energy independence, a 26 kW rooftop solar array was installed on the Town Hall, making the Town of Saluda one of the first municipalities in South Carolina to install solar panels. The Town was able to take advantage of a bill credit incentive with the local utility, SCE&G, and receive $0.22 for every kWh of solar-generated electricity put onto the grid from the Town Hall solar array for the next 10 years. This results in the rooftop solar having an expected payback period of 3.5 years.
  The US Department of Energy’s State Energy Program provides funding and technical assistance to states, territories, and the District of Columbia to enhance energy security, advance state-led energy initiatives, and maximize the benefits of decreasing energy waste. The State Energy Program emphasizes the state’s role as the decision-maker and administrator for program activities tailored to their unique resources, delivery capacity, and energy goals.

Emory School Open House

Open house was held at the recently renovated Emory School Sun., May 5. The renovation of the facility that was built in 1890, and graduated Saluda County’s only college class in 1896, was made possible by a bequest of the late Frontis Hawkins. Pictured above are, L to R, front row - House District 39 Rep. Cal Forrest; second row, Emory  Community Club board member Becky Clamp, board member Kim Porter, State Supt. of Education Molly M. Spearman, board member Betty Porter, Eagle Scout Fulton Winn, who led the “Pledge of Allegiance;” back row, County Councilman Justin Anderson, board member Randall Porter, board member Henry Clamp and board member Sherry Kirkland. (Standard-Sentinel photo)

EMORY SCHOOL ALUMNI - Several alumni were recognized at the open house at Emory School Sun., May 5.  Known alumni are Perry Black, Elizabeth Porter Camp, Helen Stoudemeyer Dasher, John Evans, Doris Porter Forrest, Ronald Porter, Donald Porter, Betty Easler Porter, Jimmy Rowe, Anne Shealy Thompson, Ruby Black Keisler, George Ray Metts. Many of the alumni are pictured above. Mrs. Thompson, 90, and Mrs. Dasher, 97, were the oldest former students to attend. (Standard-Sentinel photo)