December 2018 Council Highlights

  • Councilman Thomas “Bubba” Lowery was elected by the City Council to serve as Mayor Pro Tem, who will act in the absence of the Mayor, if needed.
  • Council recognized over 60 employees this month that have been with the City for 10 years or more., including 14 of those who have been with us for 25 years or more (five in the fire department, four in police department, one in utility billing, one in each: wastewater, water & sewer, sanitation and administration). Congratulations on your service anniversary! We know you have worked hard for this accomplishment and we truly appreciate your dedication to the City.
  • Council gave first reading for the 2019-2020 Community Development Block Grant funding. The fiscal year funding, estimated at $297,301, is intended to support the following city programs: demolition, housing repair, and youth employment as well as the YMCA Youth Services and the United Ministries Construction Program.
  • Council held a public hearing to received input on a request to rezone 21.76 acres along West Oakland, from residential 15 to residential 6, a include a new townhouse development. This same property was approved at our meeting to be annexed into the city, meeting planning staff’s recommendations.
  • Council approved a resolution to relocate stormwater drainage in the Sunway Knolls area of the City. This project will be on Clematis Trail and Rolling Hill and will tie directly into the surrounding swamp. The project is expected to start in late winter 2019.
  • Council updated some guidelines on land and facility usage at the Shaw-Sumter Farm, located on Stamey Livestock Road. This is approximately 1000 acres and now a beautiful new Welcome Center, paid for through funds provided through the Sumter Legislative Delegation. This property was purchased several years ago to help prevent encroachment around Shaw Air Force Base. The updated guidelines state that the new welcome center can be used for meetings and events that encourage base retention and economic development and educational purposes. The property is not intended for private functions or rentals. If you would like to read the complete guidelines, please contact the City Clerk and request a copy of the “Shaw-Sumter Buffer Property Use Guidelines”.

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • Administrative Offices will be closed December 24-26 and January 1. Sanitation will not pick up Christmas Day, but will make up the day on Saturday, December 29.
  • Council approved their meeting schedule for 2019, while we normally meet twice per month. We will not have a meeting on the first Tuesday in January and July of 2019, due to the holiday schedule.
  • The City is currently soliciting for sealed bids for seven (7) demolition projects, in conjunction with our Sumter Pride program. Projects listed as part of this bid are located on Laurel Street, Lincoln Street, Shannon Street, Walsh Grove, Reese Street, S. Main Street and Dingle Street. Bids must be received by 2 PM on January 2, 2019. Complete details and how to bid can be found on our Purchasing Department’s page on our website at www.sumtersc.gov. 
  • Annually, the city hosts the Mayor’s Christmas Card Contest. We want to extend a special thank you to our partners on 2018 contest - the Sumter School District and Farmer’s Telephone Cooperative. Students in elementary and middle schools from across the entire school district entered the contest and one winner was chosen from each grade level. Congratulations to: 
    • Sophia Coughlin and Brianna Riley, Cherryvale Elementary
    • Aiden Tolson and Abbigail Grossman, Kingsbury Elementary
    • Ebony Osborne, Rafting Creek Elementary
    • McKayla Mouradjian, Wilder Elementary
    • Murrin Reed, Benjamin Morrow and Kali Katz, Alice Drive Middle
  • The top awards were given to Kali Katz and Murrin Reed, as the two overall winners. Their drawings have been showcased on the Mayor’s 2018 Christmas card. Each student took home a framed image of their submission and a small gift from the city. The top two winners received an Apple iPad from Farmer’s Telephone. Thank you again to all who entered and congratulations to all of these talented artists!
  • Sumter Tourism and WIS TV have partnered up to create “Visit Sumter” on the Palmetto Weekend website. Check out some of the first videos at www.palmettoweekend.com. 
  • Upcoming shows at the Sumter Opera House:
    • Bellamy Brothers, January 11
    • Pirate School, January 17 (Youth Education Series)
    • Joshua Lozoff, January 25 (Youth Education Series)
    • Delbert McClinton, February 2
    • The Platters, February 15
  • When we invest in our kids and our community, we make the future brighter for everyone. The Sumter Opera House's Youth Education Scholarship [YES] Fund covers costs associated with attending a live performance for students who might not otherwise be able to afford a ticket. Help us continue the YES Fund and its positive impact. Support this program, by making a donation today at www.sumteroperahouse.com.  
  • Who will you vote for in the Battle of the Badges Blood Drive Competition... Police, Fire, Sheriff, EMS, SP? January 4 from 10 AM to 4 PM give blood and support our first responders. Each donor will receive a FREE t-shirt. For an appointment, please visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: BattleBadgesSumter. Event will take place at the Sumter County Library, located at 111 N. Harvin Street. 
  • The annual MLK Dream Walk will be held on Monday, January 21, 2019. Registration starts at 8:30 AM, Walk at 9:30 AM and Program at 11 AM at the Nettles Building at USC Sumter. Presented by Central Carolina Technical College, Morris College and the University of South Carolina Sumter.
  • Join Team Sumter at the annual Chamber of Commerce Retreat in Hilton Head January 18-20. This year’s event will “Celebrate Sumter” and Sumter will be presenting on retail and hospitality growth, current and future projects in the City and County as well as the upcoming 2020 Census and why it’s so important for our community to have complete counts of our entire population, including how it effects our funding on programs and services.
  • Another Sumter Green Untapped Food Truck and Craft Beer event is coming on Saturday, March 2. Save the date and your appetite, as food trucks will return from SC, NC and GA! Advance tickets will go on sale in February 2019 at the Visitors Center and online.
  • City Council meetings are Regular City Council meetings are held on the first Tuesday in the Council Chambers on the 4th floor of the Opera House. City residents are encouraged to attend. There will only be one meeting in January, as the first falls on a holiday, so our next meeting will be on January 15th at 5:30 PM.

For more information on these events and more, visit our online calendar of events at www.sumtersc.gov 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the City of Sumter!