Last Updated on 5/30/2012

Published on 2/20/2012

ANDREWS S.C. — The Town of Andrews administrative issues, along with Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), which assist local government in developing, applying and administering grants, were hot topics Thursday at the town’s monthly council meeting.
Jessica Walker, CDBG case manager, told attendees the organization helps local government tackle issues like neighborhood revitalization, economic development and improving community facilities. It also provides input from the public on what monies can be spent.
“As you know there is a fire truck being purchased and part of that money that we’re talking about tonight, as well as sewer station upgrades, comes from the CDBG,” Walker said. “It can also be used for housing and water projects.”
She pointed out April 16 is the deadline for the application to be filed.
Mayor Rodney Giles emphasized parks are already getting funds from the state over the coming years.
“We need to think about things that need attention, like housing for the elderly but we also need to concentrate on things like the infrastructure,” he said. “The county has put in over $20 million for parks over eight years. We’ve got a lot of things coming but we need to keep our infrastructure updated.”
The mayor said the town has received $250,000 for street improvements and another $1.2 million from the Department of Transportation.
Andrews resident Winston Altman told the council he lives at Park and Elmwood, where there is a water and hydrant problem that has been there for several years and needs to be fixed.
“Our concern is if there’s a fire on that street, are we going to have water pressure?” he said. “The pressure will be real low.”
The council said it plans to look into the issue right away.
Andrews resident Sudha Patel suggested neighborhood revitalization in the downtown area to “beautify the town.”
“I think it is essential to really uplift the downtown, what I call the historic district, not just for the people who live in Andrews but for those passing through,” she said.
She also mentioned another project, Central Park, which is located by Martin Luther King Drive.
“It could serve the entire community, children, families and create exciting outdoor space,” Patel said. “It’s already been started. That would be a good project to use the funds for.”
Roland Windham, Andrews Administrator, said there were several items of discussion, some good, some not so good.
“The first is relatively good news, we have finally secured the dredge from Berkeley Sewer Authority and will pick it up Tuesday to pump sludge out of our lagoon,” he said. “We have needed to do this for a long time.”
Windham told council members the plan is to buy some additional hoses to pump the sludge into geo tubes, which are long synthetic tubes that the sludge can be pumped into. The water will drain out of the tubes and they will leave the sludge which can be transported to the land fill for disposal.
“This is by far the cheapest way we are going to clean out that lagoon,” he said.
He also talked about conditions of the buildings owned by the town of Andrews and said “we reached a point where if we don’t take some drastic action in regard to some major maintenance, or discuss long term plans for new buildings, we’ll continue to have costly problems.”
According to Windham, warranty repairs on the new component for the jet vac system include for repairs 90 day warranty and for a new part there is a one year warranty. It was suggested $3,000 for repair and $9,000 for new, a $6,000 difference.
Accountant Wanda Charping, CPA was not in attendance and budgetary issues had to be deferred for the time being.
Mayor Giles then introduced Eagle Scout Ben Cohen who told attendees he is a member of Boy Scout Troop 329 in Andrews. For his Eagle project he plans to make a memorial that will include stepping stones with gravel around them and plants on each side.
“This will lead up to a plaque with the names of the men and women of the Andrews unit who have served in Operation Freedom,” he said. “There are 49 names.”
Cohen said the location will be the median on Martin Luther King Road and by South Farr Avenue. He told the council members there is an estimated cost of $683 for this project and he has to raise this money on his own.
To get this project started, Cohen said he’d like about a $200 donation as he has raised the balance of the money needed for the project.
The Mayor recommended he put the amount in writing and submit it to the council. “We will take care of it,” Mayor Giles said. Cohen thanked the mayor and the council for their help.
On a lighter note, Thomas Alford told the Council Members in an effort to spruce up the downtown, the Lion’s Club will be putting up flags on Saturday evening and taking them down on Monday, following the President’s Day holiday.
Council members Sid Ackerman, Thomas Alford, Angela Anderson, Mattie McGee, David Tisdale and Patricia Greene were in attendance.

By Barbara Gengler
For The Times