This week is a busy one at Town Hall. We have the runoff elections on Tuesday as well as meetings for the Citizens Advisory Committee and Planning Commission. On Thursday afternoon at 5:00 pm the Chapin Arbor Day Foundation will meet at Town Hall. It is very exciting that we have several volunteer groups working together to better our town.
We’ve been getting a lot of questions about Amicks Ferry Road. Crews have been removing trees and brush along utility lines and making repairs to several patches of the roadway. In some instances, they have dug up to a foot of road and base to refill and stabilize the roadway. They are also extending the shoulder in certain areas to allow more room for disabled vehicles and prevent potential accidents. Once all the repairs to the base are made, the entire stretch of Amicks Ferry will be resurfaced. While residents will experience traffic delays, the road work should be completed by the end of August.
Last week the Greater Chapin Community Endowment presented $40,000 in grants and bonus funds to several Chapin area charities that participated in the recent Midlands Gives campaign. The 11 groups that were funded were the American Legion Post 193, Girls Empowered, Chapin We Care Center, Good Works, Power in Changing, the Freedom and Hope Foundation, the Justin Pepper Foundation, Chapin Theatre Company, Dutch Fork Chorale Society, Friends of the Lexington County Museum and Lifebridge. We appreciate each of these organizations for what they do to serve their clients and make a positive difference in our community.
In our council meeting last Tuesday, there was a good deal of confusion about the proposed rental registry ordinance, and it did not pass second reading. Local realtor Dan Douglas expressed concerns that he believed the ordinance duplicated requirements that were already on the books. The purpose of the rental registry ordinance is to collect valid contact information on the property owners who are renting residential property within the town limits so the town can communicate with those persons in a timely manner. In some cases, we have had issues where the information provided on the Secretary of State’s website or on the Lexington County property tax files is the name of a third party LLC with a PO Box. You cannot give a citation via mail to a PO Box. But given the discussion, Mr. Douglas has agreed to share his suggestions as how to modify the proposed ordinance so it’s less “cumbersome” and we plan to share that with council members at our July 19 meeting.
I want to bring to your attention an event that will take place next month in Chapin. There will be a Community Kickoff event on Saturday, July 30, here at Town Hall as Homes for Our Troops prepares to build a home for Army SGT Robert Barber and his family in Chapin. He was injured in 2012 when a suicide bomber set off an improvised explosive device, costing him his legs. Many of his unit members will be in attendance as well as representatives from the American Legion and other invited guests. The public is invited to attend as well. I hope you will join us as we welcome Robert Barber and his family to our town.
Next Monday is Independence Day, and Town Hall will be closed. I am so very thankful for the many freedoms we enjoy and for the service men and women, like Robert Barber, who put their life on the line every day to protect our country and democratic way of life. Happy Fourth to you and yours!
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