Investment Youth Forum

Jerry Durgan, Contributing Writer

Meeting in the Job Corps Center’s cafeteria, representatives from Bamberg County DSS, Bamberg County First Steps, South Carolina State College Small Business Development Center, Orangeburg-Workforce Center WIA Program, Lower Savannah Workforce Investment Act, Janeth Walker, Councilwoman for the City of Bamberg, and The Advertizer-Herald worked with One on One Counseling Staff of the Bamberg Job Corps Center to explore job and job placement opportunities for Job Corps graduates.

Special focus was made on WIA, (Workforce Investment Act), a federally-funded, national legislation that was passed in 1998 to help consolidate and provide services to people who need intensive assistance in becoming self-sufficient wage earners. The Act seeks to provide job readiness services though the One-Stop Workforce or Career Centers throughout the nation.

Chicken farm burns

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Writer

Jason Still could not believe what he found when he arrived on the scene of his poultry breeding business Wednesday morning August 5.

Still, who is majority owner of Columbia Farms Vintage Acres Breeder Farm with his father in-law Alfred Bazzle of Ehrhardt, arrived on the scene of the business located approximately six miles South of Denmark, SC. on Honey Ford Road at approximately 6:45, AM, to discover that four large poultry breeding houses (40ft. by 500 ft. structures) had been completely destroyed by fire over night.

He stated that when he arrived at the business before checking on his cows he found that the four poultry houses had been pretty much destroyed. Fortunately, the business that has been in operation since December of 2006 did not have any chickens on the premises at the time of the fire. The fire was thought to have started some time after 12:00 AM Wednesday morning. However, Still said that the company was expecting a shipment of 50,000 birds in the next two weeks.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was on the scene and as of Wednesday morning had not determined the cause of the fire. They are focusing on a possible malfunction of equipment.

Robotics Institute

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Writer

The Industrial & Related Technologies department at Denmark Technical College just completed five weeks of a Summer Robotics Institute. This camp was designed for middle and high school students. Approximately 65 students were in attendance.

Dr. Ambrish Lavania, Dean of Industrial & Related Technologies and Camp Director, said that the students learned how to build their own robots which walked, talked, played sounds and responded to their commands by a controlled motor that could sense the environment with a variety of sensors. The robots were programmed by the students to perform simple & complex tasks.

Proposed changes

Nancy C. Hiers, Contributing Writer

The August 10 City Council meeting included several topics of discussion and an update to the Master Plan for the proposed new improvements to the downtown Bamberg area.

Harry Crissy, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Institute, and the Urban Land Institute presented Council with a proposal for changes to Main Street to include a revised truck route. This would limit traffic through Main Street in an effort to make shopping downtown more walking-friendly to pedestrians and shoppers.

Crissy described proposed parallel parking on both sides of Main Street, composite brick crosswalks, landscaping, and the removal and possible relocation of the wrought-iron fencing currently installed along the sidewalks. The on street parking and more accessible sidewalks would work with the elimination of truck traffic to encourage pedestrian and shopper activity in the downtown area.

Also included in the suggestions was the inclusion of a pavilion/park area with the chimney of the Bamberg Textile Mill as a focal point, and several ideas for bicycle paths as well. The proposal will be revised as necessary with a hopeful conclusion date for the planning stages by Thanksgiving according to Crissy.