Olar Fire Department receives $209,000 grant

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Writer

After years of working out of a building built in 1908, the Olar Fire Department will soon have a new home. County Fire Commissioner Brenna Hancock confirmed this week that the Olar Fire Department was awarded a $209,000 grant for the construction of a new fire station.

The funds for the new fire station will come from a new program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Assistance earmarked for fire station construction.

This is the first year the agency has awarded grants for fire station construction. Out of 6,000 applications only 100 grants were awarded. Before construction can begin on the new station the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) must do an environmental impact study, remove and dispose of any hazardous materials.

The fire department is hopeful the new station can be built by next spring with all new amenities such as; bathrooms, showers, a kitchen and meeting area and bays for each fire truck.

Olar Model-T’s

Jerry Durgan, Contributing Writer

More than a dozen gleaming Model-Ts, from Roadsters to flatbed trucks and sedans, from all over the region competed for prizes Saturday in Olar at the Model-T Festival.

The festival, a “community project,” began in honor of an early Olar resident, a businessman, C.F. Rizer. Rizer, with his business of selling farm supplies and equipment, saw well into the future of the automobile when Henry Ford's Model T car came along. Rizer's head turned toward a new and hopefully profitable enterprise. Within a year, he discontinued his line of buggies, wagons and harnesses and switched gears, to become Rizer's Auto Company of Olar. His franchise covered Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, Hampton and Allendale counties. According to records, Rizer had such confidence in Ford's automobiles he loaned Ford a “substantial amount of money” to expand his auto-manufacturing business.

$20 Million Q-Bonds

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Writer

Finance Director Rodney Anderson reported at District Two’s Monday night’s meeting that the date to apply for Q-Bonds has closed and was around the first week in September. “The window was open for a short period of time,” said Anderson.

Anderson stated that the district could consider an application for next year and plan for this date if it is something it really wanted to do. He suggested that the board hold a meeting to discuss information on the Q-Bonds. Trustee Alvin Maynor asked Anderson if the funds would be available next year and in the same dollar amount. Anderson said the funds would be available the next two years, this year and next year, statewide and in the same dollar amount. Trustee Helen Goodman asked Anderson of the $131.3 million how much would the district receive if approved. Anderson replied “$20 million.

Bamberg School District Two Superintendent Dr. Jake Sello announced that the district had received a $100,000 grant to Enhance Education Through Technology. Sello stated the district will be putting together a budget for the use of the funds.

Sello stated that the district applied for funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for ways the district could continue to conserve energy and retrofitting of its buildings. The district was allocated $82,239 through the (ARRA).

Community Church?

Nancy C. Hiers, Contributing Writer

Bamberg City Council met Monday October 12 to discuss a myriad of issues, including street paving requests, community activity funding requests, and the proposed startup of a new church to serve the Bamberg community.

Scott Hand and Michael Reid addressed Council regarding the use of the Civic Center for a term of one year to begin a “community-minded and ethnically diverse church” to serve the citizens of Bamberg, branching from the Cornerstone Community Church located in Orangeburg. Council tabled the discussion until regulations of the use of the Civic Center on a regular basis could be studied and a decision reached.

Carter Questions Contracts

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Writer

The Bamberg County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees gave its approval for the hospital to continue in its professional contracts for patient care with some outside vendors, but not before Board Chairman Lou Ann Carter expressed her concern that the facility might be served just as well by the firm that manages the hospital now (Stovall Management Services Inc.)

“What do I want to say,” Carter said searching for words; “I wouldn’t know and I majored in health care to a degree. Who would be a better contractor, you know, than who is here? To me, I find that putting it to the table and understanding that it’s what the administration wants us to do is give them our total support here. But at the same time, I feel a little bit like I wouldn’t know who would be a competitor more or less. I guess what we are doing is supporting the administration’s decision to go with these contractors, Carter said.”

Roy C. Vinson, Interim CEO presenting a request to the board for continued approval of professional contracts for patient care, said the matter had been approved by the medical staff but needed final board approval. Vinson said some of the contracts the hospital had included: Contracts with Hospitals, Radiologists, Anesthesiologists, Pathologists, contracts with the Red Cross for blood, and “a few in there with UHS Pruitt for food. “We request approval or questions on why we have certain contracts or recommendations on contracts we should seek certain bids on,” Vinson said.