October 2019 Council Highlights

  • Council held three public hearings this month, to receive public comments on the following:
    • The adoption of the Sumter 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The “Comp” Plan is the product of an extensive public process, and is intended to be an important tool for guiding growth and development in the Sumter community for the next 20 years. The purpose of this plan is to help the City of Sumter, its citizens and elected officials alike, make informed decisions about development issues in the best interest of both property owners and the broader community.
    • To amend Sumter’s zoning and development standards, to include an updated definition of the word “Family” and remove Nursing and Personal Care, Adult Care/Adult Day Car, Individual and Family Care, Residential Care Facilities, Rooming and Boarding houses and Organizational Hotels and Lodging facilities from the list of conditional uses in residential R-6 and R-9 districts.
  • Council approved the final draft of the Downtown Sumter Master Plan. The plan has numerous recommendations; however, it primarily focuses on strategic property acquisition to allow for increased residential units, continue working on streetscape improvements on Harvin and Washington while also providing for more street parking and the addition of a large civic green area for public recreation.

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • Sumter Census and our local Complete Count Committee continue efforts to spread the word about the importance of the 2020 Census. The group has a goal to reach out to 100% of the entire city and county and have been actively participating in numerous community events and speaking engagements. Information has also been disseminated in Back-to-School Info Packets as well as the School District’s Welcome Guide. If any group or organization has availability, our committee would welcome the opportunity to speak to your members and guests to help answer questions regarding Census.
    • Important Census safety note: Census workers are already out and about in the Sumter Community canvassing addresses as the first major field operation of the upcoming Census. Address canvassing improves and refines the Census Bureau’s address list of households nationwide, which is necessary to deliver invitations to respond to the Census. The address list plays a vital role in ensuring a complete and accurate count of everyone living in the United States. Census employees will have badges identifying their affiliation with the Census Bureau and some may be carrying briefcases. They will knock on doors and ask a few simple questions to verify the address and any additional living quarters on the property for inclusion in the Census. Employees will introduce themselves as a Census Bureau employee, show their official government ID badge and explain the purpose of their visit. Residents can and should ask for a photo ID from another source to confirm the person’s identity matches that from their Census ID.
    • For more info or to request a speaker for your event, please visit SumterCensus.com.
  • New public art installations will be going in around Sumter soon. Kicking off the trend will be seven large scale butterflies, six painted by local artists and one by area youth. These butterflies will be installed and placed around the central business district by Spring 2020. Additionally, in the Downtown Sumter area a large-scale butterfly mural is in the making. This is make for wonderful photos for residents and visitors alike to share online, as many other cities have found positive feedback from. The Sumter Opera House has begun a “Take pART” piano project, where kids and artists will decorate full size pianos. These pianos will then be placed around the downtown area for the public to play and enjoy throughout the year. This project kicked off at the eSTEAM event two weeks ago and was very popular. The Sumter County Cultural Center is also exploring decorated large-scale Swans throughout the entire Sumter community, but that project is still in the planning stages. The downtown art projects were ideas that came from public input throughout the Downtown Master Plan process. We always look forward to ideas generated from our community.
  • Saturday, October 26 is Make a Difference Day in Sumter. On this day, we encourage the residents of Sumter to consider joining in on the fun and helping to make a difference in our community. Volunteer by cleaning up litter in your neighborhood, edge a sidewalk or helping pick weeks in your neighbor’s yard, assist your family and neighbors in recycling, visit with senior citizens or shut-ins, read to children, prepare meals for homeless or donate food, toiletries, gloves, hats and coats and more to our local pantries and shelters. You are even invited to create your own project, but let us know what you are doing! Our Sumter Volunteers office is keeping a log of all community projects, call 803-775-7423.
  • Free public events for Halloween, October 31:
    • Sumter’s Super Heroes (Police, Sheriff, Fire, EMS) will host a Halloween Trunk or Treat at Crosswell Park at 6-8 PM
    • Trick or Treat in the Backcountry at the Sumter County Museum at 6-7:30 PM
    • CCTC’s Trunk or Treat, Main Campus Parking Lot, 5:30-7 PM
  • The Sumter Veteran’s Day Parade, Ceremony and Meet & Greet is coming up on Monday, November 11. The day begins with a parade at 10 AM, lineup at 9AM. Followed by a ceremony and Meet & Greet on the front lawn of the historic Sumter County Courthouse at 11 AM. The parade grand marshal and guest speaker this year is Lieutenant General Terry Ferrell"Lucky 6" of U.S. Army Central, located at Shaw Air Force Base.
  • The city will be hosting a public hearing on Tuesday, November 19 to discuss and vote upon the recommendations from the community on the use of federal dollars from the Community Development Block Grant. Historically, the city has used these funds to youth employment programs, housing rehabilitation, blight removal, and YMCA youth programs, United Ministries Home Build program and more.
  • Shower Shaw with Cookies (handmade cards and letters accepted too). Drop off date is Wednesday, December 4, from 9AM-2PM at The Meeting House at Memorial Park. Please let Mrs. JoAnn Morris know if you plan to participate. Anyone from the community is welcoming to bake cookies or candy. All Christmas goodies should be packed in boxes, plastic or tin disposable containers and number on the outside of the box how many homemade dozen are on the inside. For more info call 803-775-7423.
  • Save the Date:
    • Sumter Sip & Scream, Friday, November 1, in Downtown Sumter. Costumes are Tickets prices range from $10-$30 and they are limited and can be purchased online at sumtersipandstroll.org.
    • Tom Garrity Firefighters BBQ Challenge, Saturday, November 23, USC Sumter Nettles Bldg
    • Fantasy of Lights Opening Ceremony is December 1 at 6 PM at the Heath Pavilion. Santa’s Village will also be setup the first two weekends of the month, December 6 & 7 and 13 & 14 from 6-8 PM at the Heath Pavilion.
    • Untapped Food Truck & Craft Beer, March 7, Fairgrounds
    • Boys Scouts Annual BBQ, March 27 & 28, Fairgrounds
  • 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 October 1 at 1 PM and October 15 at 5:30 PM.