The City of Bamberg Recreation Commission can now proceed with the upgrades to the basketball courts at the Ness Sports Complex. Bamberg City Council members approved at the February 13th meeting a request from the commission that they spend $3,625 or half of a 25 percent match, required to secure a $29,000 PARD Grant the commission received. The other half of the required match ($ 3,625) will come out of the Recreation Commission’s own account bringing the total award to $36,250.

“Our committee is pretty excited,” Nancy Foster, City of Bamberg Parks and Recreation Committee Chair said before the final voted was taken by the full Council. “We’ve gotten what we asked for. We got the funds to do it all,” she stated, adding the full court could now be extended to 90 x 100 feet.

Foster first made the announcement of the PARD Grant to Recreation Commission members at the February 6, commission meeting. “We’ve been working long and hard on that,” Foster said. It was noted during the meeting that the $29,000 PARD Grant plus the $7,250 match would bring the total grant to $36,250, which would allow the basketball courts which would be made of a versa covering to extended to 90 feet by 100 feet (with the basketball goals moved by 10 feet) and would allow for some landscaping and water fountain to be put in. Foster noted that the next step to receiving the grant would be to ask Bamberg City Council to fund half of the matching funds with the other half coming out of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission budget, which was done Monday night.

Commission members Buck Fralick and Cynthia Summers thanked Chair Nancy Foster for all the hard work she put in soliciting bids and working to get the grant for the basketball courts. Councilman Bo Griffin and council members also expressed their gratitude to Foster for her efforts in securing the funds for the basketball courts.

Also during the meeting:

• Police Commissioner Bo Griffin reported that the commission has made recommendations for a new School Resource Officer (SRO) and asked Police Chief George Morris if he was ready make the announcement of the new officer at this time. Chief Morris acknowledged that the selection of a new SRO has been made, but he would rather not give the person’s name at this time: “We’re in the process of taking care of that situation,” the Chief said, adding “I’d rather not say too much as that person hasn’t come on board yet. We’re in the process of filling that slot.”

• On a recommendation by Fire Chief Timmie Taylor at an earlier meeting, that the City of Bamberg adopt an ordinance against burning in its city limits; Fire Commissioner Buck Fralick reported that the committee to study an ordinance on burning in the city of Bamberg met last Thursday and came to the conclusion some backing was needed for a burning permit and having some laws on the books saying that if someone does burn and it gets out of control or becomes a nuisance, there is really nothing the police department can really do. “So we’re looking at that,” Fralick said, the fire commission will have another meeting this week and should bring a recommendation to council at the next meeting.