Fort Mill explores building a water plant

While the price of water is increasing, Fort Mill isn’t sitting around to wait for the price hike.  When the town of Fort Mill received the terms of the new contract with the current water/sewer provider, Rock Hill, with a significant increase in pricing, they knew it was time to evaluate other options. Fort Mill’s contract expires in 2014. 

“It is our responsibility to make sure we are making the best decision for the tax payers and water customers,” says Guynn Savage, Councilwoman and Chairman of the Water and Sewer Committee. “Fort Mill’s decision to build its own plant is based on several factors, including financial. It would have been negligent not to evaluate other options.”

The end of the Rock Hill contract and legislation moving through the statehouse that will likely prolong the time it takes to secure permitting escalated the process.  “The water plant’s a big issue for us,” said Mayor Danny Funderburk. “It certainly is very important and it’s on top of our priority list.”

Building a new water facility isn’t the only option the Fort Mill Town council has evaluated. The city is continuing to keep the lines of communication open with Rock Hill regarding the terms of the new contract, while evaluating other options, including purchasing water from other entities, such as Charlotte-Mecklenburg. While purchasing water from Charlotte-Mecklenburg doesn’t appear to be a viable option, due to infrastructure the city would need to purchase, it was part of the evaluation process to ensure the lowest cost solution to Fort Mill residents. “We performed due-diligence to provide long-term, reliable, lowest cost service to our customers,” says Savage.

In effort to fully understand the costs associated with this solution, Fort Mill has obtained a water permit, hired an engineer to propose the plant’s design, begun evaluation of financing options and explored real estate opportunities. Currently, the most likely location is off of business 21, between Fort Mill and the Catawba River.

While final decisions have not been made, it appears that the best option is for Fort Mill to build its’ own plant. “It gives us a window of management for the long-term,” says Savage. “Twenty years from now we won’t be looking for new contract with new terms.

Building a water plant in Fort Mill is an investment that will benefit generations to come. When asked what is the most important thing for Fort Mill residents to know about this initiative, Savage reiterated that Fort Mill is still in the midst of this massive undertaking to evaluate every viable option to ensure the community has a reliable source of water for years to come at a competitive cost. “The decision is not being made lightly,” says Savage. “But residents can be assured that the decision will reflect what is in the best financial interests of our taxpayers and water customers.”

By Stacy Cacciatore, for My Carolina Town

The Beginnings of Fort Mill and Tega Cay

Before Fort Mill was the town it is known today, it was located in the backwoods section of South Carolina, an area of hardwood forests and prairies where buffalo, deer and wild turkeys roamed freely and inhabited by the Catawba Indian Nation.  The main section of the Catawba Village, Navausse, was located a few hundred yards south of the current Fort Mill High School.

Invited by the Catawba Indians, Thomas “Kanawha” Spratt, a Scots-Irish Presbyterian, was the first white settler in 1765.  He was born in 1731 aboard ship, while crossing the Atlantic. Spratt’s family followed the Great Wagon Road to the Rocky River area of present day Mecklenburg County in the 1740s. He left the home of his father in Charlotte to settle in Fort Mill.

The area was deemed part of the Camden District in 1769, York County was formed in 1790, and Fort Mill was officially established as a town in 1873. The allure of the area was the Catawba Reservation, the Catawba Path, commonly known as Nation Ford Road or the Great Wagon Road, the mill that was built on Steele Creek, along with the close proximity of the Catawba River. 

Fort Mill got its name from the fort that the white men built to protect the Indian women and children from the hostile Indians in the area.  Isaac Garrison built a mill on Steele Creek, which was operated by Thomas Webb and is known today as Webb’s Gristmill, located inside Anne Springs Close Greenway.  Beautiful Antebellum homes were built on plantations during the 1800s.

Traveling South from Virginia, during the final days of the Civil War, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet spent the night on April 26, 1865 at The White Homestead, home of William Elliott White, and Springfield, home of Andrew Baxter Springs.  On April 27, 1865, the cabinet held its last meeting on the front lawn of The White Homestead.  It was there that G.A. Trenholm, Secretary of the Treasury resigned and Postmaster General John H. Reagan was appointed in his place.  While the group continued south, trying to reach the west side of the Mississippi River, President Davis was captured near Irwinville, Georgia on May 10, 1865.  He was released May of 1867. 

Confederate President Davis was born in Kentucky and grew up on a cotton plantation in Mississippi. He was an 1828 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and is believed had a good chance of becoming President of the United States if the Southern states hadn’t succeeded from the Union.  His first wife, Sarah Knox Taylor died shortly after their marriage, after contracting malaria during their honeymoon in 1835. After grieving for years over his loss, he married Varina Howell in 1845 and the couple had six children and remained happily married until Varina’s death in 1905.     

The Railroad was introduced in 1852 with 12 to 16 passenger trains passing through each day. Caption Samuel White founded the Fort Mill Manufacturing Company in 1887. It was at one time the largest cotton mill in the world.  Elliott White Springs became president in 1931 and at the time of his death in 1959, he had changed five obsolete mills, worth about 8 million into a modern organization worth more than 114 million.  The success and generosity of the White and Springs families has molded Fort Mill into the successful and hospitable town of today.

The close-knit community of Tega Cay was formed in the early 1970s, and Connie Iwinski, recently celebrating her 81^st birthday, has lived in Tega Cay longer than any other resident.  Connie and her late husband, Bud, moved to the neighborhood in 1971. “We moved here when our daughter was 16 years old.  She is now a grandmother of three,” Iwinski said.

In the beginning, Tega Cay was divided into four sections with a neighborhood association and a section leader in each section.  “We bought the first lot on Koala Circle and built our house there in the original Section 4. Our house was the 14^th in Tega Cay,” said Iwinski.

Living in Nashville, the Iwinski family was in the process of finding a house in Charlotte. Bud first visited Tega Cay during a sales call for the construction equipment company where he worked and fell in love with the neighborhood immediately. 

Iwinski described how different Tega Cay was at the start.  There was a guard shack in the center of the street, close to where the police station is now and each car would be stopped and the party they were visiting would be called to ask permission to allow their visitor inside. 

The 10-party line phone system made it difficult to find an open line. “If you needed to make a call to someone in the neighborhood, you just got in the car and went because you could never get the phone.  My daughter was a teenager when we moved here and she and the teenager down the street fought over the phone all the time.   It was very interesting in the beginning,” said Iwinski.  All the years we lived here, I never felt the need to take a vacation. We had tennis and golf and our second house was on the lake,” said Iwinski.  “The developer charged each household $35 a month for all the amenities.  “Everything was free. They cut our grass and had a daycare center where the police station is now. Tennis and golf were free, except for the golf cart,” said Iwinski.  “It was like a resort.”

Just like today, there was great camaraderie and a strong sense of neighborhood and taking care of your neighbor. When a new family moved in, there was a party and everyone was invited.  The residents were very close and looked after each other.  Connie has always been a very active part of the community, playing croquet, being a member of the Women’s Club, Book Club, Garden Club, Beautification Committee, and Tega Cay Neighbors Helping Neighbors organization. She was surprised last spring with a special longest member in the Garden Club certificate and was asked to be Grand Marshall at the land parade last July.  “All the activities and committees make Tega Cay such a wonderful place to live,” Connie remarked.

In their tenure, the Iwinski’s built three different houses in Tega Cay and Connie has lived in her current and favorite house for 16 years.  In all the times of being alone, while her husband was traveling and after their daughter moved out, Connie has never felt afraid.

“The people have made Tega Cay. It has always been a safe and caring community,” Connie said.  “What’s life without helping your neighbor?”

Anne Springs Close, daughter of Elliott White Springs was troubled by the rapidly diminishing countryside in Fort Mill and wanted to save as much farmland as possible in Fort Mill.  “I originally wanted to save the farm land.  There was a lot of farmland being gobbled up in the area. Pineville just sort of disappeared.  I got in touch with an organization called American Farmland Trust, who had been very successful in saving land,” said Close.  “I then met Pat Noonan, former head of the Nature Conservancy, at a recreation conference.  I talked to him and found he and the head of the American Farmland Trust were friends.  They came down and looked at what was here.  I don’t own one acre of this.  My eight children own about 6,000 acres and the expert group recommended that we do a study of all the land and decide what we wanted to save.”

The study took about two years and the final recommendation was to save the land of the Steele Creek watershed, which starts at the north end of Fort Mill and runs into Sugar Creek.  That area had a lot of potential, with habitat, woodland, and streams.  “We had to convince all eight children to agree. They owned it with undivided interest.  It took a unanimous agreement and they gave up over 2,000 acres to make this happen,” said Close.   “They agreed.  We signed all the papers for the greenway by candlelight because it was after Hurricane Hugo.  The greenway had also been devastated, so the next two years were spent cleaning up.”

After the cleanup, three additional years were spent building the trails and draining Lake Haigler to remove the silt.   Retaining pools were added to catch the silt after the pond was refilled and the pool walls double as part of the trail around the lake.   

“We opened in 1995 on Earth Day, and featured the nature walk that is about a mile around the lake.   Every year on Earth Day we try to have something new.  The second year, we got a grant from Ice Tea to build a handicap trail down to the lake.  We opened the Diary Barn one year and the Gristmill a couple years ago,” said Close.

The area of the greenway is filled with valuable history.  It contains about a six mile section of the Nation Ford Road, formerly the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road. A couple of old log cabins were moved to the greenway land, including the home of Billy Graham’s grandfather that has a donated complete set of blacksmith tools on exhibit. The other cabin is the Nature Center that has interactive kiosks of animals, birds and plants and other educational materials.

The Anne Springs Close Greenway has regular events each year, such as the Earth Day Celebration, Bluegrass BBQ Festival, Fall Festival with the Corn Maze, the Therapeutic Riding Program, a horse show, cross country team events and biking events.  The greenway is also home to about 100 horses, with around 60 of them boarders.

 “We have some volunteers who help maintain the trails. Anyone can volunteer on the trails or around the horse barn.  We have 14 miles of horse trails, 14 miles of hiking trails and bikes trails in the east end,” said Close.  “We get every grant we possibly can to be able to keep our events free and our costs way down.” Close added, “I walk my dogs every day on the greenway.  People walk their dogs on it a lot.”

The 2300-acres Greenway is a very generous and special gift provided by the Springs family.  Its natural resources and history should be enjoyed every opportunity possible.  For more information on the Anne Springs Close Greenway or its activities, please contact the Greenway Headquarters at 803-548-7252.  

Written by Lynn Nations for My Carolina Town

 

 

Anarchy in the Suburbs

That’s what it feels like when the phone rings in my house anyway.  I look at it, and I want to see who it is, but I dare not.  If I do, then I may be prompted to pick it up and say hello, and that will cause total chaos in my house.  Ever noticed that, Moms?  You find five seconds to do something (like write a blog post), and the moment your behind hits your desk chair a little person is right behind her staring, or pulling your arms asking for food, or juice, or telling you they pooped their pants.  Really?  You can’t do this when I am doing dishes, or folding laundry?  Oh, that’s right, you do, but because I hate those chores, its not as noticeable (HA).  Seriously, back to the phone.  I don’t talk to anyone, not unless I know its pretty important.  But if I make the choice to answer, I also make the choice to deal with whatever crazy mess my kids make while on the phone.  For example, after my youngest sister had her first baby, I got some calls from her for advice.  On one call in particular, I watched my two sons go upstairs unsuprvised and I interrupted her to let her know the following, “MaryLou, I am watching Harrison and Logan go upstairs alone.  I have 10 minutes tops to talk before I have to see what they are doing, and I am more than sure it will be something that I will need the biessel to clean up.  Now, go ahead with your questions.”  She laughed.  Ten minutes later I checked on the boys.  They were in my bathroom, covered in my make-up, using my “free gift” bags from various make-up counters as purses and announced to me, “We’re getting ready to go to the city!”  Oh, and they did look pretty.  Nothing says “ready for the city” like a purple glitter stick smeared all over your mouth and chin, or mascara brushed on your eyebrows.  I told MaryLou just what I was looking at, and I am pretty sure she peed herself with laughter that time.  I hung up, took photos, then cleaned up the mascara that was all over the shower door and in the carpet (See, I knew I would need the bissel).  So, if you call me, and I don’t answer it isn’t because I’m screening my calls.  Its because I can not afford to let four kids go wild while we catch up.  In five years, call me during the day and I’ll be able to talk.  Until then, text, or e-mail, or take me on vacation.  Then we can chat.

The Lip Sweaters have been Shaved!

December 19th was the final meeting of those growing mustaches for Love for Libby.  The turnout was great, and the mustaches were even better.   There was a pirate, Magnum PI, Michael Chiklas, a man in a top hat and tails, and the three wolf moon shirt even made an appearance.  The men had a mustache pageant of sorts, answering questions about how their mustaches could end world hunger and seeing whose lip sweater could hold the most beer foam.  In the end, it was the Pirate that won the title of most awesome mustache, and he was given the honor of presenting the Kern Family with the check revealing the amount raised by these amazing men.  As of December 19th (because some donations are still coming in!), the mustache men had raised $13,717 for the Kern Family.  What a truely amazing evening and Month it has been.  I followed up with Shawn Lydon after the event to get his take on how it went and what to expect next year.

MCT: What was your opinion on all the men growing mustaches?

SHAWN: We definitely had all walks of life covered.  We also had men from outside of the Carolinas raising money for Libby.  Heartwarming to say the least.  From the few guys I recruited to participate, I barely knew them.  I just spent a few weeks at work with Libby’s pic on the desk, and everyone that came in got a few words about Libby.  These guys jumped at the chance to participate, and did so with no reservations.  I was proud of all of our mustache growers, who all went above and beyond to help their “neighbors” in need.

MCT: Did you meet your goals for this fundraiser?  were your expectations met/exceeded?

SHAWN: We absolutely met our goals for this fundraiser.  My goal (which I thought was unreachable) was $500 a person. Considering we raised almost $14,000, we blew our goal out of the water.  A secondary goal was to promote the cause and the event for future years, considering Libby will need help for the next 7 years minimum.  Talking to several of the growers, they are on board for next year, so I feel good about that.

MCT: What kinds of things can we look forward to next year with this event?

SHAWN: For next years event, I am looking for people to help organize and manage the fundraiser.  This was thrown together somewhat “last second” and while it was fun and successful, I would like it to be more organized.  I think people can expect the same camaraderie and sense of community, but with more involved, fun mini-events.  We want people to participate and support Libby, even if they can’t contribute money.  Like this years mini-events, they should be family friendly, free, and should encourage participation.  From a strictly fundraising perspective, I know Libby’s dad, Kevin, is working on establishing a non-profit designation, which could help with donations from companies who would potentially match what the growers raise.

MCT: How would/could local businesses get involved?

SHAWN: Local businesses could really help out in two ways.  We could use gift certificates and free schwag to give away at our mini events to the growers (as a thank you, and as prizes).  Second, and more importantly, local businesses can solicit their customers and employees to participate as growers.  I believe that the benefits of getting involved in our fundraiser will help build loyalty even amongst their own customers and clients.  Everybody likes to see those that can, help those who cant, especially when it benefits your own community.

A big “THANK YOU” goes out to everyone that helped put this fundraiser together, those who participated, and especially those who donated.

And they’re off!

So, as you can see, with just one weeks growth under their belts, its hard to tell that these guys are growing mustaches for a good cause, but they are! Last night at Beef O’Brady’s all those participating in this great event got to meet Libby and her family and then entertained everyone by sucking at Corn Hole. Ok, maybe I speak for myself when I say I sucked at corn hole. But it was still so fun and I really enjoyed meeting all these great guys! If you want to donate, please feel free to contact me directly with questions!

Next week we’ll see who is looking more like Magnum P.I. and less like a middle schooler!

Go to www.loveforlibby.com for more info on Libby and her fight.

Stay safe this holiday!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  Families reconnect, kitchens smell great, and soon it will be time to shop for the holidays.  It won’t be long before there’s a count on how many shopping days left until Christmas.  Whether you’re shopping for Christmas, Hanukkah, or any special occasion, there’s no denying that crime increases during this season every year.  Shopper awareness needs to increase as well. 

Lieutenant Ray Dixon of the Fort Mill Police Department says there are 3- A’s to crime prevention:

1. Be Aware of your surroundings at all times
2. Be Alert to suspicious people and vehicles
3. Avoid dangerous situations

More specifically, awareness becomes more crucial during the holiday season.  Whether out shopping in a mall or outdoor strip center, in a parking lot, driving around or returning home with purchases, there are safety tips Dixon suggests to keep in mind. 

While out shopping:

1. Stay alert and be aware of what’s going on around you at all times
2. Park in well-lit areas, be sure to lock your car, close the windows and place all shopping bags and gifts in the trunk.
3. Avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Pay with a check or credit card whenever possible.
4. Pay attention to people walking in front and behind you. Be particularly observant in more crowded areas. 

Protect your vehicle:

1. Always lock your car, check it before you walk away and store all valuable items out of sight.
2. If you take packages to the car, but plan to return to the store or mall, drive to a new location.  Criminals can be on the lookout for unsuspecting shoppers who simply drop their purchases into the trunk and then return to keep shopping.
3. When returning to your vehicle, or home, have your keys in your hand ready to open the door. A few seconds may keep you from becoming a victim of crime.
4. Most vehicles are equipped with factory car alarms. If you become startled or someone approaches, push your vehicle’s panic alarm. It may also prevent you from becoming a victim of crime. 

Protect your home:

1. The holidays are an excellent time to update or create your home inventory. Take photos or make videos of items, and list descriptions and serial numbers. Keep the photos or video in a secure place for future reference. If your home is burglarized, having a detailed inventory can help identify stolen items and make insurance claims easier to file.
2. Make sure that items like TVs, DVDs, VCRs, stereo equipment, cameras, camcorders, sports equipment, jewelry, silver, computers, home office equipment and power tools are on the list.
3. Don’t place boxes with pictures of expensive items, such as a big-screened television, out with your garbage.  You’re advertising what valuables might be inside your home.  Try to break down any large boxes or drive trash to a public dumpster or recycling center.

 

Written by Shari Bramlett and Lt. Ray Dixon, Fort Mill Police Department

Giving thanks for our food…really.

Growing up, Thanksgiving was a time to be thankful for the health of our family and friends, celebrated with a turkey dinner.  The feast was a reward for watching my brothers’ tackling skills during the Thanksgiving Day High School football game with frozen toes.   After recently having tackled creating my own small organic vegetable garden, I realized our reasons for being thankful have changed drastically from the first Thanksgiving. 

The first Thanksgiving was a three-day feast honoring the Pokanoket Indian tribe for helping the Pilgrims survive their first year in America.  After half of the Pilgrims died from disease and starvation over the winter, the Native Americans taught them how to farm, hunt and to be frugal. They learned about the importance of soil quality, planting based on weather conditions, protecting against insects and fungi and usingfish as food and fertilizer.  After months of working in the fields, the Pilgrims were truly thankful for their harvest. 

Organic farms are cared for today nearly the same as how the Native Americans taught the Pilgrims nearly 400 years ago.  Animal and vegetative “waste” is composted and reused as fertilizer, giving back nutrients to the soil.  Natural composters, pollinatorsand predators such as worms, honeybees and ladybugs and birds are also used.  New Town Farms in Waxhaw, NC grows organic produce in the same manner, but they also rely on optimal timing.  Owner Sammy Koenigsberg plants his seeds during prime weather conditions and seasons that  will avoid specific insects that damage a particular crop. 

Conventional farmers typically do not take these measures since they use genetically modified plants and heavy pesticides that kill insects, fung, and weedsthat leave the soil lifeless.  The organic method of fertilizing soil provides all nutrition necessary for a healthy plant naturally, but requires effortand Knowledge.

This holiday season I have a new appreciation for the array of food on our table. Eating predominantly organic and minimally processed vegetables, along with a free-range turkey, I thank those organic farmers who care enough about our families and the environment to farm their land as the Native Americans did. 

 

Written by Michele Bick, for My Carolina Town Magazine