This week seems a good time to take a little break from historic ramblings and reflect on some of the things happening today in Kingstree. Mayor Darren Tisdale has recently released an open letter to the town's residents, giving an overview of the projects currently underway in town and a bit of a look at some other things that are waiting down the road. Here is the letter in its entirety:
Mayor Darren Tisdale
To the Citizens of Kingstree:
As 2018 comes to a close, big things are happening in the Town of Kingstree!
We are anticipating several construction projects that will begin soon. Hardee's, which has stood at the corner of Main and Longstreet since 1972, recently bulldozed its old building and will soon begin constructing a beautiful, new restaurant to serve residents and visitors to Kingstree. This new restaurant will join the recently completed Subway at the corner of Longstreet and Sumter Highway and the newly-renovated Pizza Hut on Longstreet St. We very much appreciate that these three companies have chosen to update their restaurants in the Town of Kingstree.
The new Subway on the corner of Longstreet and Sumter Highway.
In addition, two old buildings next to Town Hall were recently torn down to make way for a new combination fire and police station. When the Town built the current Town Hall on Longstreet after Hurricane Hugo, the police and fire stations were moved into the old South Carolina Department of Transportation buildings behind the new Town Hall. There were supposed to be temporary arrangements, which have, in reality, accommodated them for 29 years. However, we now have access to money from the one-cent Public Safety Capital Project Sales Tax, which will enable us to build new, joint facilities for both departments. The contract for site preparation work has been let, and as soon as that is completed, we will begin the design and build phase of the project. In addition, the Police Department will soon acquire three new vehicles. This is very exciting for all of us but particularly for our police officers and firefighters.
Site awaiting construction of the new police/fire station.
The town is also currently reworking and enlarging the downtown parking lot, which has served downtown businesses since the late 1950s. We will add much-needed lighting and security cameras to make it safer for citizens to use at night, as well as during the day. In addition, we are landscaping the lot with planters to make it more attractive. This is also exciting, as we feel that these improvements will help in building our economic base in the core commercial area of downtown Kingstree.
Area on Mill Street to be incorporated into the downtown parking lot.
In another forthcoming renovation project, the Town of Kingstree has partnered with Williamsburg County and the Williamsburgh Historical Society, which allows the Historical Society to secure a Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Grant of $250,000 to repair and renovate the building beside the Williamsburgh Historical Museum on Hampton Avenue. This building, known as the Museum Annex, was damaged by a microburst several years ago and has been used only for storage since then. The Historical Society is currently conducting a fund-raising drive to secure matching funds for this grant and for a $50,000 Rural Development Grant which would provide furniture and fixtures for the space when renovated. When completed the renovated building will house an interactive Civil Rights history exhibit, as well as exhibits on the development of both Santee Electric Cooperative and Farmers Telephone. Both of these cooperatives occupied the building during the early years of their operations.
The Museum Annex on Hampton Avenue.
The town is also engaged in a sewer line replacement project on East Main Street, east of the railroad tracks. Flooding from the canal damaged the old, clay sewer pipes, causing sewage to back up in some of the businesses on the north side of the street. Replacing the lines should alleviate some of these problems. The Town is also completing the Jennyville Water Project which has brought town water to approximately 55 customers in the Jennyville area, three miles west of Kingstree on the Sumter Highway. We are now doing the preliminary work on another potential water project in the county north of McClam Road. This would add an additional 50 to 60 customers to our water system.
Because so many areas of the Town of Kingstree have experienced flooding over the past few years, we have contracted with a Columbia engineering firm to conduct a townwide drainage study. We anticipate that the engineer will issue a report by the end of the year, which should pinpoint the causes of the flooding and what we need to do to alleviate it.
Railroad Avenue during the Flood of 2015.
We are also looking at expanding the recreation complex to include a travel ball field. This would allow us to extend our baseball program to older age groups, as well as give us an opportunity to host tournaments here in Kingstree. In addition, next year we will pursue funding to install a walking track around the perimeter of the recreation park.
The Kingstree Development Corporation has formed to assist the Town in working with property. Although separate from the Town, this 501(c)3 corporation, governed by a board of directors, has already been able to buy several downtown buildings. This will help in preserving historic building and renovating them for today's use without damaging the characteristics that make them unique. We are very positive that this organization will be instrumental in helping preserve the best of our beautiful little town.
This year the town also inaugurated its Main Street, Kingstree, program. This program, in association with Main Street, South Carolina, and Main Street America is devoted to the revitalization and development of the Town of Kingstree. The Main Street, Kingstree, office is located in the historic Kingstree Depot on Main Street. Its purpose is to work with businesses through the Town of Kingstree to provide a better business environment and to promote events and activities to draw citizens and visitors to our downtown. Main Street will also assist prospective business owners by providing information on what they need to start a business in the Town of Kingstree.
As a part of the Main Street effort, the Town has instituted a Facade Grant program which will provide grant funds to building owners who want to upgrade the fronts of their buildings. Building under consideration for a facade grant must be in compliance with all fire and building codes, and any changes must be approved by the town's Architectural Review Board.
Main Street, along with a number of corporate underwriters, sponsored a very successful concert series this past summer called Kingstree Live, and Main Street, along with our local merchants, also hosted several successful Sip and Shop events in our downtown over the past year.
Crowd enjoying Kingstree Live last summer.
Shoppers on Academy Street during the August Sip & Shop.
Committees are currently meeting to plan Main Street events for 2019. If you would like to serve on one of these committees are volunteer to help with Main Street projects, visit the Main Street office at the Kingstree Depot.
I particularly want to thank the members of the Kingstree Town Council for their support and interest in all these projects that are helping to revitalize the Town of Kingstree, and I would also like to thank Town Manager Richard Treme and the staff of the Town of Kingstree for their hard work and dedication, and the community volunteers who are always willing to pitch in when needed. These projects could not go forward without all of them
Sincerely,
Darren Tisdale
Mayor of Kingstree
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