REGULAR MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL
ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2000 AT 5:15 P.M. AT CITY HALL

Mayor McCollum called the meeting to order and Mr. Sandifer gave the invocation. 

Clerk Watson took the roll with everyone being present except Ms. Vernessa Williams who was unable to attend due to an illness. 

Mr. Walker made the motion to approve the agenda as received. Mrs. Johnson made the second. All agreed. The motion carried. 

County Administrator Mathew Delk after informing Council of the County’s plan to design a fail safe, electronically controlled Salley Port which would need to utilize a strip of land for a road across the City of Bamberg’s property leading to Third Street, asked Council’s permission to pave a 18-20 foot section of road across the City lot leading to Third Street. 

Mayor McCollum informed Council that they had already agreed to let the County use this lot for court house parking. Mr. Sandifer  informed Council that minutes of  the Council meeting years ago reflect that Council agreed to give the County title to this lot so they could use it for parking with the agreement that the lot would be lighted by the County and could be used by the City for tennis court parking. 

Mr. Steadman asked Administrator Delk if the new addition of the jail would allow for the housing of female inmates. Mr. Delk told him that the new renovation would have two cells for female inmates. Mr. Steadman said he was in favor of transferring the strip of land to the County if their new facility could house female inmates and stop the transferring of females by Bamberg Officers to Orangeburg. 

Mr. Sandifer then made the motion to enter into an agreement with the County to transfer a 20 foot strip of land on the City lot on Third Street to Bamberg County to be used for a paved roadway for the county jail. Mrs. Johnson made the second. All agreed. The motion carried. 

Mrs. Jennifer Banks, on behalf of the residents of Brickle Street, informed Council that this area has flooded on three major occasions in which Mrs. Betty Walling and Mr. Willard Sandifer have had their homes damaged. She presented a list of eight questions to Council concerning the flooding problems along Brickle Street. 

Mayor McCollum informed the residents of procedures that have been taken and letters that have been addressed to the SCDOT asking them to address the Brickles Street flooding problems and also the problem of flooding and maintenance of Creekside Drive. Mayor McCollum listed letters that ranged from 1997 to October of 2000 which were written to SCDOT officials asking that Creekside Drive be brought into the State Highway System, asking for an easement for a ditch along the east side of the railroad bed for drainage, asking for drainage for Larry Cash, and asking for help with the flooding on Brickle Street, Felder Street and Main Street. 

Mayor McCollum informed the group that these letters were written to Gene Cooner Dean Campbell, Mrs. Mabry and Mr. Truluck of the SCDOT. He said that on October 10th he met with Mr. Cooner and Dean Campbell of the Highway Department who had been ordered by Mr. Truluck to have an engineer do a drainage assessment for the City of Bamberg. Mayor McCollum informed the group that they were awaiting the assessment in order to move forward to address these problems. 

Mr. Sandifer voiced that these citizens have been getting the run around from the SCDOT and the City has only been getting promises from the SCDOT. He said the City needed to write Senator Mathews and Representative Rhoad to get them involved. He sited the problems on Brickle Street as being caused by the ditch behind the Sandifer’s home and the piping that travels through Mr. Thrailkill’s yard  which should have been addressed by now. 

Mayor McCollum informed the group that he would be meeting with Senator Mathews next week. In response to the questions asked by Mrs. Banks, the Mayor answered that these questions would have to be addressed by the SCDOT officials and that he has met with SCDOT officials and was awaiting their assessment results. Mrs. Banks asked to be notified of the assessment results. Mayor McCollum assured her that she would be notified. 

Mrs. Nellie Roberson of Creekside Drive informed Council that she was here tonight on behalf of the citizens of Creekside Drive to discuss flooding, drainage, sewer, and road maintenance problems on Creekside Drive. She presented Council with a letter from the Mayor, a deed in which Creekside Drive was deeded to the City of Bamberg, a report from the Soil Conservation Service saying the drainage was not adequate, a DHEC report on fecal levels, and several news paper articles concerning the Creekside Drive problems. She wanted these entered for the record. Mrs. Roberson voiced that Mrs. Beckey Swindell who was the land owner and who was also serving on the Housing Authority and Mayor Hicks who was the developer of  Creekside Drive should have never been allowed to use federal funds in the development of this road and area. She voiced that they should be held accountable for these problems. She said that Merle Diem of the Soil Conservation Service surveyed the drainage and said the drainage ditch and piping should have been made larger. Mrs. Roberson wanted to know who was responsible for the flood damage that occurred in September and voiced that they were tired of getting the run around. 

Mayor McCollum informed the group that on January 3, 1997 he  made a request for Creekside Drive to be brought into the State Highway System. He informed them that he had met with Dean Campbell and Mr. Gene Cooner two weeks ago and informed them that the City’s first request of the SCDOT was to address the drainage problem and secondly to address getting Creekside Drive brought into the State Highway System. 

Mrs. Roberson asked Council to write a letter to Congressman Clyburn, Senator Mathews, Representative Rhoad, Virgil Hicks and other Highway Department officials to set a meeting to discuss these problems. Mayor McCollum informed her that he felt the problems would be solved if the SCDOT brought Creekside Drive into the State Highway System. He asked her to wait and see what the assessment would point out. 

Mayor McCollum thanked Mrs. Banks and Mrs. Roberson for coming and presenting their concerns to Council. He assured them that these problems are being addressed. 

Mr. Ray Hayes asked Council to please consider donating $1,000.00 to Scout Troop 17 this year. After Mr. Hayes had given Council a breakdown of expenses for the previous year, Mrs. Johnson made the motion to donate $500.00 to Troop 17. Mrs. Walker  made the second. All agreed. The motion carried. 

Mr. Sandifer explained to Mr. Haze that the budget process only allowed $500.00 donations per group per year. 

Mrs. Johnson made the motion to approve the minutes of the October 9, 2000 meeting as received. Mrs. Walker made the second. All agreed. The motion carried. 

Mrs. Kemmerlin made the motion to approve the Budget and Finance Report as received. Mr. Steadman made the second. All agreed. The motion carried. 

Under Commission Reports. 

Mr. Sandifer informed Council that a small mini park which includes picnic tables and basketball goals has been created on a vacant lot owned by Virgil Hicks on Log Branch Road. He thanked Mr. and Mrs. Bamberg for looking after the park. 

Mr. Sandifer informed Council that Mrs. Jenkins would like to donate property to the City for the use of another park on Weimer Street. He told Council that Mr. Walker and Mrs. Johnson have agreed to talk to the residents of  the Weimer Street area to receive their input. 

Mrs. Johnson reported that she had attended a Rural  Housing Meeting sponsored by the Lower Savannah Council of Governments on November 3^rd. 

Mrs. Johnson informed Council that Troop 441 wanted to adopt the railroad bed as a litter control project for each weekend and would like a sign placed to recognize their efforts. Mrs. Kemmerlin made the motion to let Troop 441 adopt the railroad bed.  Mr. Sandifer made the second. All agreed. The motion carried. 

Mrs. Johnson informed Council that the Light of the World Baptist Church wanted to have a flea market on their property where the General Food Store use to be located. After some discussion, Mr. Steadman made the motion to allow them to have a regularly scheduled  flea market on the property as long as no permanent stalls are built. Mrs. Kemmerlin made the second. All agreed. The motion carried. 

Mr. Walker asked Clerk Watson if OSHA had shown up yet. Clerk Watson answered that he has not seen them yet. 

Mrs. Kemmerlin reported that the Sanitation Department has been busy with regular work requirements and that the City’s Annual Employee Christmas Dinner would be held on Friday, December 1st at 6:30 p.m. at Frye’s Restaurant. 

Mrs. Kemmerlin reported that the Chamber of Commerce has three new board members and that their Annual Awards Banquet would be held tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at  Still Water Farms. She reminded Council that the County’s Carol Lighting Service would be held at the court house on December 3^rd at 6:30 p.m. 

Mr. Sandifer reported that the Fire Department has order and received several budgeted items. He informed Council that everything is going well in the Fire Department. 

Under New Business. 

Clerk Watson informed Council that he has been in touch with Columbia, Aiken, Charleston and Greenville officials to find out who they use to codify their ordinances. He informed Council that all of them used the Municipal Code Corporation in Florida. Clerk Watson told Council that he has talked to the Municipal Code Corporation which gave an estimated cost of $7,500.00 to $9,500.00 and also Book Publishing Company to receive their cost estimate. He explained that most cities view these companies and their lawyers as professionals and forego the bidding process. Clerk Watson asked council how they wished to proceed. Council after some discussion, agreed to wait to hear from Book Publishing Company before they decide on how to proceed. 

During questions from the press and audience, Phyllis Overstreet asked if Council was mainly waiting for the SCDOT engineering assessment report before they began to address the citizens’ complaints. Mayor McCollum informed her that this was correct. 

Mr. Bob McCully told Council he was concerned with the citizens’ complaints and hoped Council would not allow developers to build just any types of roads without first meeting certain specifications. 

Mr. McCully, saying that the drainage problem needed to be addressed, urged the City and Board of Public Works to begin maintaining ditches and roads within the City by implementing crews to do this type of work. 

With no further business, Mr. Walker made the motion to adjourn. Mrs. Kemmerlin made the second. All agreed. The motion carried.