Construction Beginning on Florence County Parking Deck

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by Matthew Christian

Construction is set to begin soon on the parking deck to be located behind the Florence County Complex.

The area between the Florence County Complex and the county magistrate’s office has been fenced off, and equipment has been moved in to begin construction on the parking deck.

Normally, the county would have a groundbreaking to mark start of construction on the parking deck. However, due to the threat of spreading COVID-19 and limits on the number of people that can gather in one location, no groundbreaking will be held.

The Florence County Council voted unanimously in January to authorize County Administrator K.G. “Rusty” Smith Jr. to proceed with the parking garage and surface renovations in the lot behind the County Complex.

The project is estimated to cost $13.991 million. The cost is broken into two pieces: $12.983 million to construct the parking garage and $1.008 million for construction administration, special inspections, insurance and contingencies.

The cost will be funded from a combination of $11.1 million from a 2017 general obligation bond issuance to construct the garage and $3.775 million from savings in section 12 of the projects in the Capital Project Sales Tax II.

The council also approved the use of the $3.775 million in savings.

The contract to construct the parking garage was awarded to Thompson Turner Construction of Sumter in March 2019. Since then, the company has been working with Transystems, an engineering firm, to finalize the design of the project and soliciting bids from subcontractors.

Thompson Turner presented the county with a maximum guaranteed price of $12.983 million.

Once complete, the parking deck will be one of three in the downtown area.

The city of Florence has approved a bill approving a conditional grant and development agreement with a developer partly to construct a parking deck across from the City Center on West Evans Street.

There is already a city-owned parking deck at the Emerson apartments.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

Pee Dee State Farmers Market Makes Improvements, Plans Future Changes

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by Matthew Robertson

Change is coming to the Pee Dee State Farmers Market, and that’s a good thing.

It’s an even better thing that they come as the market plays an integral role in supplying food during the time of COVID-19 and as farmers markets nationwide are transitioning away from the traditional format.

“We got an additional allocation this year from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture to do some improvements,” said Bob Sager, the market manager.

That money was used to build a deck outside the main shed on the U.S. 52 end, replace some light panels in the roof and install some 30-foot industrial fans to keep the air moving on hot, humid days, Sager said.

A new digital sign greets visitors as they pull in off of U.S. 52.

“No matter what the message is on the sign, the real message is we’re alive and well and in the 21st century,” Sager said.

The bathrooms were also cleaned up and modernized.

Segar said the future of farmers markets will be more along the lines of those in Raleigh and Asheville – which are enclosed and offer a wider variety of vendors, a restaurant and a passel of produce purveyors.

Part of what is driving the change toward a more diverse collection of vendors is the falling number of businesses that want to commit long term to selling produce at market, Sager said.

The demographics of who shops at farmers markets isn’t changing, and that will be a challenge down the road.

“Part of our mission was to change the demographic. A lot of the customers are the ones who have been coming for years. We don’t see a lot of young, family types coming,” Sager said. “We’re trying to create a more diverse offering and change the demographic.”

The Pee Dee State Farmers Market has a jump on several areas and just needs to build around them, Sager said.

“The restaurant is an integral part of it,” said Sager of Julia Belle’s Restaurant. “I think it’s a positive thing that they’re here, and they’re going to be staying here.”

The market currently has several vegetable vendors on site – Lamb’s, Southern Produce and Shelly Hickson. Wilson’s will be back, he said, and McLeod Farms is there in season.

There are several plant vendors on site, a winery and two statuary vendors.

“I think that’s going to be our core and mainstay people as we work to surround them with other types of businesses,” Sager said.

The market is also working to pump up its event schedule so that it’s not just the spring and fall festivals. At least one event is scheduled every month, with an arts and crafts festival scheduled during the Christmas season and a family-style event for Independence Day.

And, while the virus has so many businesses closed, the market remains open and is the only drive-through market in the area – as in you can drive your car through the middle of the market from one end to the other.

Along the way vendors can shuttle produce to the car and customers can pay from the car.

“What I want to do is build on our track record of success,” Sager said. “We can start to show what the potential is by what we’ve already done. I’m not afraid to ask.”

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

Construction to Ramp Back Up on Downtown Save-A-Lot

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by Matthew Christian

Construction is expected to pick back up soon on the Save-A-Lot grocery store in downtown Florence.

Tim Waters, the owner of the future store, said Tuesday evening that the community would see a lot of progress on it in the next 60 to 90 days. The store will on the northeast corner of the North Dargan and Darlington Street intersection directly across East Darlington Street from the Ideal Funeral Parlor.

Waters hinted of problems with the builders of the project, saying that there  had been quite a few issues with the team and that after some reevaluating of the members of the team, construction would soon ramp up again.

When the project was announced, the store was expected to be completed and open by mid-2018. Site preparation was expected to start in early November 2017 with construction beginning in December 2017.

The store is expected to be roughly 15,530 square feet and create around 30 jobs and will result in an investment of $1.6 million in the city’s downtown.

Save A Lot Food Stores is a discount grocery store chain, headquartered in Saint Louis. The company is a subsidiary of Onex Corporation. There are about 1,300 stores across 36 states in the United States with a total of over $4 billion in annual sales.

The project was originally designated with the code name “Project Leopard Orchid” as it made its way through the approval process of the city of Florence in 2017.

The city provided an incentive package of $300,000 for the project.

Waters also received a $500,000 loan from the South Carolina Community Loan Fund as he is an entrepreneur seeking to bring healthy eating options to a food desert.

Food deserts are areas that have limited access to fresh, healthy food.

In 2017, Waters said he had been working since 1997 to bring a neighborhood market to the north Florence community. Waters added that he had been turned down by over 20 banks as he sought to build in the north Florence community. However, he eventually partnered with the city, the Housing Authority of Florence, and Save-A-Lot. The partnership arose out of Waters’ enrollment in the North Dargan Innovation Center program.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

FMU’s Business School Earns International Accreditation

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From Staff Reports

AACSB International, the world’s premier accrediting agency for college and university business programs, has extended the accreditation for the Francis Marion University School of Business through 2024.

The extension means that the FMU School of Business once again has met Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International’s high standards. Schools accredited by AACSB undergo an extensive review process every five years.

AACSB is a global nonprofit association that connects business educators, students, and businesses around the world around the common goal of preparing the next generation of business leaders. AACSB was founded in 1916. It has offices in the United States, in the Netherlands and in Singapore.

Just 840 college and university business programs around the country are accredited by AACSB.

Dr. Hari Rajagoplan, dean of the FMU School of Business, said the AACSB accreditation affirms the long-standing emphasis on high professional standards.

“We’re pleased to be extended by AACSB International for another five years,” said Rajagoplan. “The FMU School of Business is well known for graduating highly competent students with a distinctive, entrepreneurial mindset. That’s been our tradition for a long time. We work hard every day to maintain that.”

Dr. Fred Carter, FMU’s president, praised Rajagoplan and the School of Business faculty for their hard work in earning the accreditation extension.

“This is a well-deserved honor for Hari and the business faculty,” said Carter. “The effort they put year in and year out is reflected in the quality of our graduates. It really is a world class faculty — as the AACSB International accreditation attests.”

The FMU School of Business offers multiple undergraduate degrees in an array of business disciplines. It also offers a master of business of administration and a master of business administration in health care executive management.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

Darlington to Host NASCAR Race Weekend of May 17

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by Scott Chancey

NASCAR’s season will resume the weekend of May 17 at Darlington Raceway without fans, although some details are pending, according to sources.

It’s uncertain whether just the NASCAR Cup series race will run or if it will be a full weekend that includes the Xfinity Series.

According to sources, NASCAR teams need to be in their shops to set up cars by May 1 in order to have enough time to get ready. That was not certain until Thursday when North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said they can do just that as an essential business, as long as there’s social distancing.

Also on Thursday, South Carolina tourism chief Duane Parrish told The State newspaper that NASCAR would come to Darlington after the season returns.

The mid-May race will take the place of the all-star race that was scheduled for May 16 at Charlotte. The status of that event is not clear.

It’s unclear if the mid-May race will count as the Southern 500 weekend. Or, if this would be a regular race weekend, and NASCAR would return to Darlington during Sept. 4-6 for the Southern 500 weekend – NASCAR’s official throwback celebration. This year’s 71st running of the Southern 500 was scheduled before the season to start at 6 p.m. Sept. 6 on NBCSN is also scheduled to start the NASCAR playoffs.

NASCAR had last raced in May at Darlington from 2005 until 2013, on either Mother’s Day Weekend or Mother’s Day. In 2014, it was an April Sunday race before the Southern 500 moved back to Labor Day Weekend in 2015. If NASCAR allows Darlington to also race in September, it would mark the first time since 2004 that the track hosted two NASCAR weekends in the same year.

Now, it’s happening.

After the spring Darlington race, Charlotte Motor Speedway will host on May 24 the Coca-Cola 600. According to the Sports Business Journal, teams preferred a race the week before that at a track within a relatively close driving distance.

Darlington meets that criteria.

Also according to the Sports Business Journal, NASCAR is developing a COVID-19 testing regimen for racing team members and anyone else at races, wherever the season resumes. Also, according to the article, the motorsports sanctioning body probably would limit the number of people at the track overall. Other possibilities could include shorter races and/or no live pit stops.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR had halted this season after four races with the goal to make up the events that were not held on their original dates.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

Senator Tim Scott, SC Chamber Take Questions from Business Owners About Economic Stimulus Package

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by Cameron Crowe

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce held a teleconference to answer questions from state business owners on the economic relief package passed last week in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

A big topic Scott discussed was the paycheck protection program, which is an SBA loan that is in place to help businesses keep their workforce employed during the crisis.

Mike Reichenbach, owner of Reichenbach Ford and Lincoln in Florence, said businesses were told they could begin applying for the loans April 3. However, as of Friday morning, many banks were unable to process the loans.

Scott said this is an issue that they are working with financial institutions on, and they hope to have it fixed as soon as possible.

With $358 billion available, Reichenbach said every business owner he knows is eager to take advantage of the program.

“This is very different than a hurricane because it is not going to be over in a few days or maybe weeks or maybe months, so the name of the game is really cash retention so that businesses and my peers can stay open if this situation goes on longer than we thought,” said Reichenbach.

Harriet Hobbs, President of the Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce, said she was thankful for Scott speaking with the chambers to provide them with more information on the stimulus package. She has also reached out to the senator’s office about having a town hall meeting with Darlington and surrounding counties.

Hobbs said her businesses did not have enough time to submit their questions ahead of Friday’s meeting. She would like to see a town hall meeting where the businesses she supports can have an opportunity to have their specific questions answered.

“I want my people to be able to sit in front of their computers and have a day or two to think, let their gerbil run on its wheel and think of the questions they want to ask him,” said Hobbs.

Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce President Mike Miller believes that Scott was able to address some concerns and make things clearer for local businesses.

Miller said Scott provided the information in a way that businesses could easily understand. He added that it was important the senator addressed several issues in the original relief proposals and explained how the money was being allocated.

Miller said while he is proud of Scott for playing such a huge role in passing this bill, he does believe there will be a need for additional legislation in the future.

“There is going to be a mad rush right now early on. With the early filers trying to get the money as soon as possible to keep themselves going, but from a funding standpoint I think everyone is well convinced there is going to have to be additional funds,” said Miller.

Miller said while he believes there are some details leaders are working to iron out, the communication as to how the programs are supposed to work has improved.

Copyright 2020 WMBF. All rights reserved.

To read the full story and watch the video on WMBF, click here.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

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The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocated $350 billion to help small businesses keep workers employed amid the pandemic and economic downturn. Known as the Paycheck Protection Program, the initiative provides 100% federally guaranteed loans to small businesses.Importantly, these loans may be forgiven if borrowers maintain their payrolls during the crisis or restore their payrolls afterward. Click here for full details.

 

Pee Dee Regional Transit Authority to Discontinue Bus Service to Myrtle Beach Due to Covid-19 Threat

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by WMBF News Staff

Members of the Pee Dee Regional Transit Authority will discontinue its bus service to the Grand Strand in light of the threat from the coronavirus.

“Due to the effects of the COVID-19 virus on the hospitality industry in Horry County, PDRTA believes it prudent to discontinue bus service between both Marion and Lake City to Myrtle Beach indefinitely,” according to a press release.

The PDRTA plans to stop the bus service at 6 p.m. Monday.

At this time, all other PDRTA services remain in operation. Call (843) 665-2227, ext. 2, or check out the website for updates and additional information.

Copyright 2020 WMBF. All rights reserved.

To see the video and read the full article on WMBF, click here.

 

Florence Chamber of Commerce Urges People to Support Small Businesses

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by Cameron Crowe

The Florence Chamber of Commerce is urging people to support small businesses during this uncertain time.

The President of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Mike Miller spoke about Florence’s small businesses and some of the government assistance they need.

The U.S. Small Business Administration approved Governor McMaster’s request Friday morning to offer disaster assistance to the state’s small businesses.

Miller believes that several businesses will likely take advantage of small business loans, but he is not sure yet to what degree since it is unknown what the total economic damage will be or how long this crisis will last.

He said that all assistance from the federal and state governments will be critical in helping small businesses in Florence.

“The one thing we have to keep in mind, is all resources that are available and the ones yet to be announced are going to be critical because these small businesses are again the backbone of our community and we want to come out of this when it wanes and this slows down, we want them there,” Miller said.

Miller is also urging the public to support local businesses in the Pee Dee however they can. He said over 50% of the local economy is made up of small businesses. Restaurants are now take-out only and the city has designated locations throughout Florence for curbside pick-up.

Many restaurants are using delivery services such as WAITR to give customers the ability to receive meals without having to leave their homes.

Miller said people can support retailers by shopping online or purchasing gift cards. He also said the community needs to support our non-profit organizations at this time as they are in need of food and other household items that are getting bought out of stores.

“What we should all be looking for is an opportunity to continue to do business with them in the best way possible during these times. The restaurants have adapted somewhat to it by offering take out and delivery services and that is something we need to take advantage of,” Miller said.

Miller said he and the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce stand with all small businesses in the Pee Dee and look forward to patronizing them as soon as possible.

Copyright 2020 WMBF. All rights reserved.

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Gov Henry McMaster Allowing Curbside Sale of Beer and Wine by Restaurants During COVID-19 Closures

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WMBF News Staff

In an effort to help restaurants hit hardest by the shutdowns imposed amid concerns surrounding the coronavirus, the Palmetto State is relaxing regulations surrounding alcohol sales.

Gov. Henry McMaster made the announcement Saturday, issuing an executive order “which directs the Department of Revenue to waive additional regulations in order to allow restaurants to include sealed containers of beer and wine for curbside pickup or “to-go” orders only.’

McMaster also extended the state’s income tax filing deadline to July 15.

The full release can be read below in it’s entirety:

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster took additional actions today to enhance the state’s response to COVID-19’s continued impact to South Carolina.

“Team South Carolina is constantly reviewing the COVID 19 situation, and all plans and contingencies to contain this virus remain on the table,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “That includes “shelter-in-place,” a drastic action that other states with larger population centers have taken. It is my hope that this will not be necessary here, and I believe it to be much less likely, as long as South Carolinians follow official instructions and take recommended precautions now.”

The governor has asked construction contractors and others in the skilled trade industry to donate whatever personal protective equipment they can spare to healthcare professionals and state agencies in the greatest need, including respirator masks commonly used in construction settings. Those willing to make donations can contact Mary Louise Resch of Habitat for Humanity for logistical coordination via email at mlresch@habitatsc.org.

The governor has also issued Executive Order 2020-12, which directs the Department of Revenue to waive additional regulations in order to allow restaurants to include sealed containers of beer and wine for curbside pickup or “to-go” orders only. This waiver does not authorize or apply to open containers or delivery services.

The governor also directed the Department of Revenue to conform the state’s income tax deadline to July 15th, which is the new federal income tax deadline. Other state taxes will remain delayed until June 1st, as previously ordered.

On Thursday, Governor McMaster issued Executive Order 2020-11, to ensure that critical state government services remained available to the public and to prevent potential exposure to the COVID 19 virus.

As of Friday afternoon, the Department of Administration reports that for 52 of 74 state agencies there were 13,902 state employees working from home or taking leave. There were 11,411 state employees at work. As remaining agencies report to the Department, these numbers will be updated.

Copyright 2020 WMBF. All rights reserved.

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