The Bamberg Board of Public Works (BPW) transfers or donates $12,500 each month to the City of Bamberg, BPW Commissioners were informed at their October 6, meeting. Also, in this year’s BPW budget, the city of Bamberg has been approved to get an extra $50,000 (on a one time basis). “I’m just reminding ya’ll when you see that money out, you will know where it went,” BPW Manager Bruce Ellis said. Commissioner Matt Medlin wanted to know what the money went for. “We give them that $12,500 per month for what?” Medlin asked.

Ellis, in explaining the monthly contribution the BPW makes to the City of Bamberg explained if South Carolina Electric and Gas or Edisto Electric Cooperative were the City’s utility provider they would be giving back about 2.5 percent of their gross residential sales to the city.

“We’re doing more than that with ours, but that’s ok,” Ellis said, noting “we’ve looked at it a lot over the years. We also do a lot of in-kind. Commissioners agreed that they need to meet with members of Bamberg City Council so that “everyone will know” what is going on. “I think so people will understand they need to know,” Commissioner Medlin said.

Also during the meeting:

• BPW commissioners approved giving the City of Bamberg $1,500 toward the construction of four signs leading into the city designing Bamberg as the birth place of South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. The total cost of the signs is $3,000.

• Commissioners approved a motion to get with Danny Black of the Southern Carolina Alliance to discuss getting out the SCAT Park Agreement (entirely) as an alternative to granting a request from the city of Barnwell that the BPW do part of the agreement.

• In discussion of a “Drought Response Ordinance” Manager Ellis noted that despite the recent rain, South Carolina was still in a “moderate drought” condition, but, the city of Bamberg had a drought response plan in place and was setting on “plenty of water” with close to a million and a half gallons of water being used per day in the city.

• In a report on the department’s finances Ellis noted the BPW had to purchase materials such as wire and pipes to run water and rebuild wiring to the schools. However the “slight budget increase” still kept the company with “good rates.” “It (the rate increase) should put us back on track, everything is costing more,” Ellis said.

• In discussion of the “Industrial Pretreatment Program” it was noted federal law required that the BPW have in place an outline of how it monitors its industrial users. It was noted that the city’s two largest industrial users were Delavan and Roc lon. “If you see a notice in the paper it’s nothing serious,” Ellis noted, adding it’s something that must be done under federal law.

• Under “Ongoing Projects” Ellis noted the demolition of the empty water tank on Elm Street is on schedule with bids to be taken on October 20th and 21st. Ellis noted that “an empty water tank is dangerous.”

• The school sewer water main will start to be reversed, tied in, with flushing at one end next week. It was noted that for adequate fire protection the new school will require 1,000 gallons of water per minute of extra pressure.