December 2019 Council Highlights

Council approved several resolutions for authorizing projects with City property:

  • Repairing the elevator at Swan Lake Iris Gardens, which was damaged in the 2015 flood. Since that date we done small repairs when it would go down but we’ve waited until we could get full insurance reimbursement for the full replacement parts, which we have now received.
  • Replacement of the sewer line along Mathis Street, from Lemmon Street to Allen Drive and Sanders Drive to Hynes Street. 
  • Replacement of the water line along Keels Road, from the north entrance to Sequoia Drive to the South entrance to Sequoia Drive.
  • Purchasing a new 10 item Recycling Collection Truck that will replace an aging truck in the fleet. This new truck will allow both driver and passenger employees to enter and exit the truck safely to work both sides of the street during the work day.
  • Council approved lease of property, located at 36 Artillery Drive, to United Ministries to further expand their programs and services.
  • Council approved the permanent closure of a portion of Brown Street, between Stark Street and West College Street, and a transfer of that property to Morris College to help future expansion to their campus.
  • Council approved the final draft of the Sumter 2040 Comprehensive Plan. This plan has been two years in the making with input from a cross section of community residents and businesses. It highlights community needs and helps guide Council and many other organizations on what projects and areas we should focus on for the future growth and development of the Sumter community.

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

2019 also marks the 6th anniversary of the City of Sumter Mayor’s Christmas Card Contest. Students in Elementary and Middle School across the Sumter School District submit their artwork for consideration. One student per grade is awarded a prize for their submission and two are chosen from that list to be showcased on the 2019 City of Sumter Christmas Card. This year’s winners, we are proud to announce are: 

  • Garrison Spencer, Kindergarten, Alice Drive Elementary
  • Lily Dawes, 1st grade, Alice Drive Elementary
  • Channing Blasssengale, 2nd grade, Kingsbury Elementary
  • Kaygan Rhames, 2nd grade, Kingsbury Elementary
  • Nazarie Johnson, 3rd grade, Lemira Elementary
  • Kristine Mosneaguta, 5th grade, Alice Drive Elementary
  • Nikol Epps, 7th grade, Alice Drive Middle
  • Olin Towery, 8th grade, Alice Drive Middle 

Congratulations to Kaylee Mickens, 6th grade at Alice Drive Middle and Nelly Bahena, 4th grade at Lemira Elementary – these two were chosen as the top two overall winners and their drawings have been showcased on the Mayor’s 2019 Christmas Card, which can be viewed in the visitor’s center at Swan Lake throughout the month of December. On behalf of Mayor McElveen and the entire City we want to extend a special Thank you to our partners on this contest, the Sumter School District and FTC. Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to all of these very talented artists!

The Sumter Urban Area Transportation Study Policy Committee (SUATS) has selected five upcoming transportation improvement projects, four of which are among the most dangerous intersections in Sumter. The selected projects include:

  • Broad Street at Loring Mill Road
  • Guignard Drive at Liberty Street
  • Broad Street at Robert Dinkins Road
  • Broad Street at N. St. Paul’s Church Road
  • Lafayette Drive (US-15) from the Robert E. Graham Freeway (US-378 Bypass) to South Guignard Drive (US-521)

SUATS has committed $100,000 to each project for initial feasibility studies to be completed during 2020 in partnership with SCDOT. Once the feasibility studies are complete and specific project details are determined, SUATS will consider allocating full construction funding to each project. To fund these transportation improvement projects, SUATS will rely on a $2.5 million annual “Guideshare” allocation SUATS receives from the Federal Highways Administration and SCDOT.

At the meeting, the Policy Committee also received updates on transportation projects underway throughout Sumter:

  • Proposed intersection improvements at Pinewood Road and McCray’s Mill Road are expected to be advertised for construction bid in late spring of 2020;
  • Construction is underway on the “Lafayette Diamond” project at S. Pike Road, N. Main Street, and Lafayette Drive.  Completion is expected in fall of 2020;
  • The Shot Pouch Greenway project to connect Dillon Park and Swan Lake via a paved multiuse path is expected to be advertised for construction bid in spring of 2020;
  • Intersection improvements for N. Washington Street at Calhoun Street, Hampton Avenue, and Liberty Street are in the right-of-way acquisition phase;
  • Revitalization of the Manning Avenue Corridor is in the right-of-way acquisition phase, and is expected to be advertised for construction bid in late spring of 2021;
  • Revitalization of the North Main Street Corridor is in the right-of-way acquisition phase, and is expected to be advertised for construction bid in late spring of 2021;
  • Replacement of the Manning Avenue Bridge is in the early design stages, and is expected to be advertised for construction bid in late spring of 2023;
  • Replacement of the US-378 Bypass bridges over US-15 and US-76 is in the early design stages, and is expected to be advertised for construction bid in late spring of 2022.

Each December City Council recognizes city employees who have reached milestones in their employment. This year we recognized 51 employees ranging from 10 years to 40 years of service. The total combined years of experience for these employees is 825 years. Retaining talent is key to improving any organizations performance and keeps our costs lower. Congratulations and thank to you all of our employees.

Residents with Wednesday Garbage and Recycling Service – In observance of Christmas, the City of Sumter will not collect household garbage or recyclables on Christmas Day. Instead, your garbage and recyclables will be collected on Saturday, December 28, 2019. Residents are asked to have their roll cart and recycling bin at the curb by 7:00 a.m. for collection. The City of Sumter will collect household garbage and recyclables on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2020. Please call (803) 436-2558 with questions. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the City of Sumter Sanitation Department!

City of Sumter administrative offices will be closed Tuesday, December 24, Wednesday, December 25 and Thursday, December 26 as well as Wednesday, January 1 for the holidays.

Regular City Council meetings are held in the Council Chambers on the 4th floor of the Opera House. City residents are encouraged to attend. Next month our meetings will be on January 7 at 1 PM and January 21 at 5:30 PM.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MEETINGS, EVENTS AND MORE, VISIT WWW.SUMTERSC.GOV.