County to Catalog Land, Resources for Economic Development

On Monday night Anderson County Council set in motion a cooperative effort to make sure all available buildings, water lines, are cataloged and listed in a database which can be updated and made available locally and at the at the South Carolina Commerce Department in Columbia.  To this end, an Anderson County Economic Development Exposition has been scheduled at the Anderson County Civic Center Oct. 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to bring together realtors and other business and civic groups to seek to remedy the problem.

“It’s pretty shocking to find we don’t have all the properties and infrastructure available in writing in a database for prospective businesses (looking at Anderson County),” said Anderson County Council Member Cindy Wilson. Wilson said after the meeting that pulling together such a list should not take very long.

Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday night to explore turning the current Anderson County Animal Shelter into a Spay and Neuter Clinic upon completion of the county’s new animal shelter. The county will begin discussions with non-profit groups which are interested in the operation of the clinic, and there are no current plans to use county funds for the project.

In a relatively quiet meeting, council rejected by a 6-1 vote, an ordinance by Councilmember Gracie Floyd which would have amended an early ordinance and would have prohibited acquaintances and business associates of former council members from profiting from financial gain as a result of information gained from former council members.

Council members also approved, in a 4-3 split vote, paying $15,306 for furnishings for the Broadway Lake Community Center.

In other news, Councilman Tom Allen said he had been contacted by the National Rifle Association in regard to gun/shooting safety in the county, and that consideration is now being given to public shooting ranges and other ideas to reduce problems.

Council also heard a report from Bob Gabbard, a Partnership Specialist with the United States Census Bureau, which encouraged the county to improve the state’s response to the upcoming 2010 U.S. Census. Ten years ago South Carolina boasted the 49^th worst response of any state to the census. Census figures are used, among other things to determine congressional apportionment and access to federal funds and grants. Council will nominate citizens for a census committee to look for ways to increase participation in the 2010 Census.

Council also approved on third reading ordinances which approved a pair of land swaps and land sales in the southern part of Anderson County; and the debt service of the partnership project between the town of Pendleton and the City of Clemson, which in essence gives the county solid waste capacity on Clemson Boulevard.