Townsend Resigns

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

After 17-months on the job as the 10th president of Denmark Technical College, Dr. Michael M. Townsend submitted his letter of resignation to the members of the DTC Area Commission on Tuesday, June 21, 2011. According to Area Commission Chair Dr. James Hayes of Barnwell member of the DTC Area Commission accepted Townsend’s resignation immediately and voted to offer the job of interim president to Dr. Joanna Boyd Scotland, who previous held the position of president at the college. Boyd is expected to assume the interim job on Wednesday morning.

Townsend, who came to DTC from Milwaukee Area Technical College and who began his duties formerly on January 18, 2010 was embroiled along with other college officials in a special financial review of the college’s use of the S.C. Purchasing Card and other financial matters conducted by the South Carolina State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education.

The review for DTC was conducted on March 28, 2011. The review covered expenditures reported from July 2010 through February 2011.

BCMH Trustees Approve Chapter 9 Filing

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

The Bamberg County Memorial Hospital took another step closer to becoming part of a regional health care system last week. On Thursday, June 16, in a special called meeting of the hospital’s board of trustees, held in the administrative conference room at the hospital, board members gave authorization for the hospital’s attorneys’ to file a petition under Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code.

Chapter 9 Bankruptcy was explained as “a process by which the hospital can restructure is debt.” The filing is in keeping with a May 2, 2011 letter of agreement which sets forth the terms on which Healthcare Management Partners, LLC (HMP) shall provide general management and oversight services for Bamberg County Hospital and manage the restructuring of the hospital through reorganization under Chapter 9 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and, together with the Allendale and Barnwell hospitals become a part of the tri-county restructuring.

The letter of agreement further notes that the BCMH has determined to pursue the restructuring of the hospital through reorganization under Chapter 9 and a resulting sale of assets to an entity affiliated with HMP and/or Dobbs Equity Partners, LLC (such entity being herein called The Tri-County Regional Health System (TCRHS). It is contemplated that after and as a result of the Tri-County Restructuring, Allendale, Barnwell and Bamberg will be combined into a regional health system (Tri-County Regional Health System) that will operate as a unified entity.

Bamberg Job Corps

Jerry Durgan, Contributing Writer

Center director Eric Jones announced that the Bamberg Job Corps Center has been ranked 28th of 122 Job Corps Centers throughout the country. “The reality,’ he explained, “is that we are number one in the DOL Atlanta Region. There are four Job Corps Centers in Georgia, three in North Carolina, five in Florida, seven in Kentucky, but only one in South Carolina. Of all of these we have been ranked as number one. “The ranking is dependent upon the success of our students,” he said. “For example, our students are required to provide 350 hours of community service in their trade area.”

Williams Awarded Scholarship

Charlone Williams was named the 2011 recipient of the St. Clair P. Guess, Jr. Scholarship at Denmark-Olar High School.

Miss Williams was selected to receive the award based on her demonstrated abilities in leadership and her commitment to the pursuit of higher education.

She served in the JROTC Program at D-O High School for four years, reaching the rank of Battalion Commander.

Additionally, Miss Williams has chosen to develop her skills in organization through service in school government. She was Freshman Class Vice President and Junior Class President at Denmark-Olar and served as Secretary, Vice President and President of the student body government in the Voorhees Upward Bound program.

Miss Williams maintained a G.P.A. of 3.78 and graduated 8th in her class but, more important, she was willing to take responsibility for her future and the future of her community by seeking to be a better citizen.