Laurens County Council is moving forward a land sale at one of the gateway intersections into the City of Clinton, and also may reconsider an ordinance specific to shooting fireworks, which was voted down on first reading at the previous council meeting.
At its Sept. 9 meeting, the Council adopted on the second of three readings an ordinance that would sell to Project Act III 24.07 acres near Sterilite for $120,000. Council Member Diane Anderson abstained from the vote because the actual name of the company buying the land was not disclosed.
That is typical for an industrial prospect – withholding the name until third and final reading for competitive reasons – but Council Chairman Brown Patterson indicated this is not an industry. He said the business has not asked the Laurens County Development Corporation to submit a FILOT application (fee in lieu of taxes), so that would indicate it’s a commercial project and not entitled to industrial incentives and tax breaks.
It will be located near the Gary Street / Charlottes Road intersection – there is a railroad spur there under county maintenance – and Anderson said that is a “gateway” into the City of Clinton. Anderson said, “That’s a main road leading into Clinton, so I don’t want it to be just anything. I want it to be clean.”
The business has multiple locations in the Upstate, the council was told. The ordinance includes streetscaping and buffers for the site, the council was told.
After second reading approval, the project moves to third and final reading, and a public hearing.
In another discussion, council revived the prospect of adopting an ordinance specific to fireworks, and how people shooting fireworks near homes, farms and ranches could be fined. Council voted the ordinance down previously on first reading. Council Member Kemp Younts was a “no” vote so under parliamentary rules, he could offer the measure up again for reconsideration. Members who voted “no” generally said it’s a property rights issue and there are ordinances on the books now (noise, disorderly conduct) that could address shooting fireworks late into the evening or early in the morning.
Patterson said he would welcome input from the Sheriff’s Office on how a separate fireworks ordinance could be enforced; farm and ranch owners in Northern Laurens County, who are being crowded by subdivisions, complained to the council that July 4th was the worst for fireworks scaring and allegedly injuring horses. The matter was referred to the criminal justice and safety committee.
Council Vice-Chairman Jeff Carrol said, “The last fireworks ordinance was not ready for primetime. I voted ‘no’ because it seemed like we were not willing to negotiate. I’m looking forward to discussing the ordinance.”
Patterson said the Sheriff’s Office would be “prompt and firm” responding to safety issues within the community and “will do everything to protect children and people in Laurens County.”
The next regular council meeting will be Oct. 14. The council will have a called meeting Sept. 23 to discuss awarding local community grants – the county has received 26 applications for the $1.4 Million it has designated for the grants, and the applications range in dollars amounts from $2,500 to $800,000.
The applications have been made into booklets provided to each council member for review.
In other business, council discussed but took no action on a suggestion to establish a second community service-recognition award as an alternative to the Henry Laurens Award, the county’s highest award; gave third and final reading to a new Comprehensive Plan; conducted a public hearing and gave final reading to an ordinance assigning the former Watts Mill land, now annexed into the City of Laurens into an industrial/business park so it can be developed into a $50 Million residential development – this is an infrastructure agreement between Laurens County and CMP Watts Mill LLC and a master agreement governing the Downtown Laurens Multi-county Industrial or Business Park between Laurens County and Greenville County; and authorized improvements to Happy Valley Road and Durbin Road to facilitate greater traffic volume from the Durbin Meadows subdivision.
Council agreed to honor a request from the Town of Gray Court to terminate an agreement that has the county providing residential inspections, issuing building permits and doing building codes enforcement for the town. This allows the town to bring these functions “in-house,” council was told. Streets in the new Fox Bank subdivision, near Gray Court-Owings Elementary School, will remain under the county’s subdivision and roads ordinance.
