WINNSBORO — Grants for infrastructure improvements and personnel issues dominated the agenda at the Tuesday Winnsboro Town Council meeting.
Connie Shackleford, community development/grant administrator, gave an update on the grant deadline for a S.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority Grant due Jan. 30, 2013. The grant will help pay to put in an 18-inch water line in Ridgeway on the Kirk pasture line, an area where storm water was causing water to back up in the 12-inch sewer line currently in place.
To receive the grant, $15,700 in funds are a required match for the town so it could receive $288,000. Engineering fees and DHEC fees must be paid by the town, so that is one reason for the amount of matching funds required of the grant. Council determined that to be a fair deal and voted unanimously to fund the grant proposal.
The issue with the sewer lines would need to be repaired regardless of the grant, according to council, and that repair would come from the town’s coffers if the grant does not come through.
There also was unanimous approval of a self referral grant Shackleford is working on. The grant determined updates needed to ensure 504 compliance for town buildings and properties. Shackleford said the assessment looked at barriers and solutions for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. This issue needed to be approved because a new policy needed to be in place to be in compliance with ADA.
Shackleford said the process revealed that upgrades mostly were confined to a need for handicapped bars in restrooms and handicap parking spaces needed at Fortune Springs Park.
The town has until July 2014 to be in compliance with ADA. Some creative methods are being used to keep costs down, such as workers at the town annex building carrying out a special table to assist patrons in a wheelchair instead of having to pay to have the desk height reduced.
Council also unanimously approved a capital request made by William Medlin for improvements to the Electric Warehouse and Streets and Sanitation facilities.
During executive session, council discussed legal and personnel matters. After executive session, council unanimously approved for Winnsboro Public Safety Chief Freddie Lorick to hire another officer to replace a member of his force that had left for a job in Richland County.
Retirement benefits and a revised town handbook will be addressed at the next town council meeting when a final edition of the handbook should be ready for council. Personnel Director Pattie Pope is working on the final version of that document.
Town Manager Don Wood and Town Attorney Creighton Coleman negotiated the termination of the contract with the Red Clay Company pertaining to ownership of the old Mt. Zion school.
The municipal association and the Central Midlands Council on Government suggested the town review its ordinances before it hired a code enforcement officer and according to Wood, the town is still waiting on the municipal association for input on the ordinance review.
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