Chair, FOMZI

Steering Committee

The Herald Independent editor and publisher have graciously offered the Friends of Mount Zion Institute (FOMZI) the opportunity to report directly to its readers, saving them staff time covering our meetings and giving us the chance to more fully share what we’re doing and where we’re heading. The committee group welcomes that; after all, this effort is on behalf of Fairfield residents, we need your help, and there’s much you need to know. A committee report appeared in last week’s online edition, recapping our first few meetings and describing the approach we’re taking. Parts of that report are repeated here for those who depend on the print edition. We don’t want to miss anyone.

The first few meetings were spent establishing committees and familiarizing ourselves with terms related to rehabbing old buildings, funding, and all the other issues surrounding an endeavor such as this. At that meeting, it was agreed that a number of our functions would have to move concurrently due to the time frame of the six-month delay in demolition of Mount Zion. We spent considerable time refining our goals and discussing how best to relate what we’re doing and what we’re learning, first to the governmental entities that will play an important part in realizing this vision and, second, to the residents of Winnsboro and Fairfield County. Even as we prepare to ask for full public support, we realize that, for every one question that’s been asked or issue discussed in meetings, there are multiples of you asking the same thing. We’ll attempt to share some of our discoveries in the weeks ahead.

The group is particularly mindful of the necessity that whatever may come of this effort will not be successful unless it’s sustainable over the long haul. The fact that we’re concentrating on a primarily educational use, with Midlands Tech as a major tenant rather than, say, private development of residential or retail nature, means we’ll be looking harder at the numbers and looking further down the road.

While there’s a good cross-section of knowledge and experience within the group already, we’re also seeking out the involvement of others with specific insight into the various areas of concern.

FOMZI continues to meet weekly and has accomplished a number of important initial steps on the road to saving the school buildings from demolition and adapting it for reuse as an upper-level educational facility. To save valuable time that would have otherwise been spent getting established as a non-profit organization (though that is still in the plans), the steering committee voted to request affiliation with the original Mount Zion Society for the purpose of using their non-profit, tax exempt status under Federal 501c3 rules for our incoming donations and other funds. The Society agreed and an earmarked account has been established. Thank you Mount Zion Society!

Negotiations with Midlands Technical College also continue and, while nothing is firm at this time, a liaison has been assigned to us, by way of Bill McMaster, to assess the college’s space and layout needs and help us mesh them with plans for the renovation for the building. At this time, they are interested in the full lower floor of the main building to start. Talks are also underway with Dru Blair, of Blair School of Art in Raleigh, NC, who has expressed strong interest in relocating to the Mount Zion building. Blair’s art school draws students from across the nation and internationally, and he indicates that his requirements would likely encompass both the main and upper floors of the building. The committee is excited at the prospect of a full house in the classroom building but must stress that these are preliminary talks in light of the tasks yet ahead of us, that of raising funds, negotiating with the town and county, and beginning the actual renovation.

We have also received “feelers” from museum interests about housing several extensive collections in Mount Zion. This would, of course, tie in nicely with our focus on educational venues, and we will be investigating those avenues as well.

The publicity subcommittee will be moving on with its mission of getting the word out to former students and building public interest. The database is growing and anyone can be a FOMZI too! Now’s the time to let us hear from you … again, we need your support if we are to accomplish what we’ve set out to do. Contact information can be found at the end of this report.

To begin sharing some of the things we’re learning in this process, we’ll take a look at the many positives involved in acquiring post-secondary educational facilities in Fairfield County. Starting with technical education, the most obvious is the convenience of having such a school available right here for Fairfield citizens, making travel unnecessary for the 300 or so students currently commuting to campuses across the midlands. More than that, though, is the economic impact that technical colleges have been proven to have on their local communities. They stimulate the local economy through their direct spending, their employment and salaries, the encouragement of new businesses and industries who are drawn by the prospect of a skilled, locally trained workforce, and by their contribution to an increased earning potential for residents who spend their money primarily in-county. To highlight a few examples: in 2006, York Technical College in Rock Hill was estimated to have a cumulative economic impact of $192 million annually on its three-county service area; Greenwood’s Piedmont Technical College, in 2004, had an impact of over $143 million on the seven rural counties it serves; and Tri-County Technical College, with three campuses in Pendleton, Anderson and Seneca, has been credited with a $296 million increase in business sales and a $124 million increase in labor income due to its operations.

The statistics are staggering and the reports consistent. Consider one more bit we uncovered in the U.S. Federal News regarding Piedmont: “For every $1 of state and county funds provided to PTC, the area receives $9.50 in additional benefits.” Could Fairfield stand that? FOMZI thinks so!

We’ll continue to look at other aspects of the Mount Zion initiative as we go along, not just this Plan A but other alternatives as well.

What would a specialty school, like Blair’s, contribute to our community? How could a specific collection museum enhance our tourism efforts?

One thing’s for sure … the historic nature of our town and the property that is Mount Zion is an attractive draw to those we’re hearing from, and that fact alone makes this effort seem more worthwhile every day.

To become a part of it, call 635-4041, ext. 112, or check out our new web site, www.mtzioninstitute.com ! You can sign on there and find much more information.

We’ll also keep you posted in the Herald Independent!