September 2022 Council Highlights

  • The City of Sumter is conducting a smoke test of its sanitary sewer system in the following Subdivisions, starting today, September 20, 2022:
    • Stafford Meadows
    • Patriot Parkway (Constitution St)
    • Loringwood
    • Landmark Point

A “SMOKE TEST” survey will assist our inspection crews in locating breaks and defects in our sewer system. The smoke you see coming from the vent stacks on houses or holes in the ground is NON-TOXIC, NON-STAINING, HAS NO ODOR, WHITE TO GRAY IN COLOR AND CREATES NO FIRE HAZARD. The smoke should not enter your home unless you have defective plumbing or dried-up drain traps. If smoke enters your home there is good reason to assume that dangerous sewer gases may also be entering your home or business. You should evacuate immediately and contact a licensed plumber to evaluate your sewer plumbing issue. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact City of Sumter Public Services at 803-436-2558.

  • The City has several projects ongoing right now, including:
    • We are replacing the water lines along Pine Street, from Church Street to Main Street.
    • We are currently clearing or soon to begin clearing Sanitary Sewer Right-of-ways at 10 locations:
      • Ashton Mill
      • Bagnal Drive
      • Bowen Drive
      • Community Street
      • Corporate Way
      • Kolb Road
      • Mason Road
      • South Pike West
      • Waycross Circle
      • Wilson Hall Road
    • We are about to start the rehabilitation of the parking lot at corner of Hampton Street and Harvin Street. Working with private owners we will resurface the area and designate spaces to maximize parking availability, provide handicap parking and landscaping to keep with the aesthetics of our current downtown development.
    • The City (c) and state DOT (s) have 12 different road resurfacing projects starting at:
      • Althea Circle (c)
      • Corbett Street (s)
      • Love Street (s)
      • Manchester Circle (c)
      • Midway Street (c)
      • Pine Street (s)
      • South Magnolia Street (s)
      • Second Avenue (s)
      • West Bee Street (s)
      • Ashbrook Subdivision (c)
      • Deerfield Subdivision (c)
      • Idlewild Subdivision (c)
  • Council also approved the purchase of new equipment, due to the age of some existing equipment, maintenance has become more frequent and expensive and new vehicles are necessary to keep our fleet and services consistently moving throughout the city:
    • Rear Load Garbage Truck
    • Front Load Garbage Truck
    • Mini Excavator
  • The Municipal Association of South Carolina has opened a grant opportunity for the city to install additional art. This grant funding is specific to project types, so not all projects or programs are eligible. If the grant is awarded to the City it will go towards installing 12 small bronze Swan Sculptures in the Downtown Sumter area. This installation will be used in conjunction with other art projects to encourage more visitors to the area, which stimulates the local economy and attracts private investments.
  • We want to remind everyone that the City administrative offices will be closed on Monday, October 10 in observance of Columbus Day.
  • While more events are listed on our website calendar at sumtersc.gov. Some highlights to the current community calendar are:
  • The season’s last Fourth Fridays outdoor concert in Downtown Sumter will be held this Friday, September 23rd at 6:30 pm. This is an outdoor concert held on Main Street in front of the Opera House. Attendance is free. Bring a chair, but no coolers, please. Food and beverage vendors will be available onsite. For more information, visit DowntownSumter.org. The last concert of the season will be on September 23 with the band Second Nature.
  • The Sumter County Museum is hosting a Made in Sumter Craft Fair on September 24th at 122 N. Washington Street. Handmade crafts, merchandise, food trucks, and a community connect space will be available. Event time is 9AM – 3PM. Vendor fees start at $30, and are available online to purchase at sumtercountymuseum.org, and admission for attendees is free.
  • The Sumter Opera House a lot of activities to entertain and thrill a variety of audiences. Tickets range for all shows are typically $20 and up and are available online at sumteroperahouse.com or at the box office at 21 N. Main Street. Here are a couple of upcoming shows:
  • Blue Dogs, Friday, September 30. The Blue Dogs meld bluegrass and country-rock music, with feel-good original songs, and upbeat shows. Tickets to this show range from: $24-35
  • Gina Chavez, Friday, October 7. An activist, philanthropist, and award-winning independent musician. She is a 2020 Latin Grammy nominee for Best Pop/Rock Album. Tickets to this show range from: $23-35
  • Lightwire Theatre: Tortoise and Hare: The next adventure, Friday, October 14. We begin with Aesop's classic fable of The Tortoise and the Hare but continue the story which finds them 10 years down the road, now with children of their own and exploring modern-day distractions. Tickets to this show range from: $20-30
  • eSTEAM Festival, Saturday, October 1 from 10AM – 2PM. a family festival celebrating and bringing together enthusiasts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. The purpose is to expose festival participants to advances and opportunities in these ever-growing areas through interactive exhibits, fun-filled displays, and hands-on activities. The entertainment and STEAM adventure is sure to provide family fun to everyone. It brings together Educational Entities, Industries, Economic and Community Developers, and STEM Organizations. For more info visitesteamsumter.com.
  • Saturday, October 1st is also Oktoberfest in Downtown Sumter, starting with a 5K run that morning, starting at the brewery, then the party starts on Main Street at 5PM at La Piazza. The Mountain Top Polka Band will be the German band playing on Main Street until 9PM. DJ Howie D's Entertainment will continue the party afterward. The 5K is $25 and the evening party is $10 admission. Food and drink are available for purchase. More details at com.
  • Sumter County Museum’s Backcountry Harvest will be held on Saturday, October 8 from 10AM-4PM. This festival provides an opportunity for attendees to see how South Carolinians lived, worked, and played in the early 1800's backcountry. Costumed volunteers demonstrate hearth cooking, textile production, blacksmithing, woodworking, and many other activities. People are invited to play 19th-century games and to sample authentic recipes. The event is free. More info is available at sumtercountymuseum.org.
  • Sumter Green’s Food Trucks and Craft Beer Untapped event will be held on Saturday, October 15th at Veterans Park, beside Shaw Air Force Base on Broad Street. 11AM – 5:30PM. Admission is $5 per adult, children are free. Bring a chair or blanket and plan to stay all day to enjoy the entertainment by the band “Circle of Outsiders”. Tickets are available at Swan Lake Visitors Center and Carnivore Butcher & Bottle, or cash at the gate. Event sponsored by FTC and Yannis. More info is available at sumtergreen.org.
  • The Sumter Fair begins Tuesday, October 18, and runs through Sunday, October 23. Music, vendors, entertainment, Animals, rides, and more. Sponsored by the American Legion, Post 15, more info at sumterfair.com.
  • City Council meetings are held on the first Tuesday and third Tuesday of each month in the Sumter Opera House (enter through the back entrance off the parking lot). Public comments may also be submitted online anytime through our website at sumtersc.gov/council/meetings, or city citizens can contact the Mayor or their Council Representative any time prior to any meeting to discuss a concern or idea you may have for the City. For our regularly scheduled meetings, agendas are announced the Friday before each meeting on our website and include links to detailed agenda items as well as location and more. Our next regularly scheduled meetings are October 4th at 1 PM and October 18th at 5:30 PM.