Daily Archives: 06/03/2016
Honoring our Heroes
Pickens County joined the country in celebrating Memorial Day on Monday. Ceremonies honoring those who have lost their lives in defense of our country were held at Sunrise Cemetery in Pickens, left, Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, above, and the Scroll of Honor in Clemson, below, among other sites around the county.
Photos by Rocky Nimmons and John Bolton
Vision for multipurpose trail takes shape
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — Imagine a bike ride that would take you from Southern Wesleyan University, through downtown Central, through Clemson, up to the trails of the Clemson Experimental Forest — and all points between.
A project in the works would create numerous opportunities for biking and walking in a portion of Pickens County.
If fully realized, the Green Crescent Trail project could place more than 35 miles of trail in the Clemson and Central areas.
The Friends of the Green Crescent Trail and Alta Planning shared a draft recommendation, the results of a recent feasibility study, at a meeting held at Southern Wesleyan University last Thursday evening.
Chad Carson with the nonprofit group The Friends of the Green Crescent Trail said the group raised some funds to hire Alta Planning and Design to conduct the feasibility study.
Carson said the trail idea began with a group of community members all interested in seeing a pedestrian/biking trail in Central and Clemson, similar to the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville and Travelers Rest and the Doodle Trail in Easley and Pickens.
“To connect different locations in our communities,” Carson said.
He said the trail project is spurred by “quality of life.”
“There are a lot of benefits to the community in a lot of different ways — if you can connect town centers, downtown, parks, green spaces, all sorts of places in a town, all of those places will benefit,” Carson said.
A trail will attract more small businesses to town, he said.
“There’s economic benefits,” Carson said. “There’s social benefits. There’s community benefits. It’s pretty well documented how popular and helpful it’s been, because it’s happening all around the country.”
John Cock, vice president of Alta Planning and Design, said the project would “build on the great community strengths and partnerships that you already have.”
“This is a long-term vision,” Cock said. “There’s something in here for everyone.”
In addition to creating new trails, the project also seeks to improve the safety and comfort of existing walking and biking routes.
The Green Crescent Trail is an ambitious project, planners acknowledge.
“How do you eat the elephant? One bite at a time,” Alta associate Blake Sanders said.
Planners have broken the trail project down into phases, with both short- and long-term recommendations and priority recommendations.
The two priority recommendations are connecting the City of Central’s downtown with Southern Wesleyan University and a phase that would see a portion of the trail placed in Clemson along 18 Mile Creek.
Sanders acknowledged the two priority projects have hefty price tags, but he said planners were confident partners and sponsors could be found for the project.
Building a 1.4-mile on- and off-street trail connecting the SWU campus to Central’s business district is estimated to cost $3,097,000.
Spokes could be made tying into Central Elementary School and across the railroad tracks, Sanders said.
“Those things can happen,” he said.
Next steps for this phase include obtaining easements from property owners, construction fundraising, engineering/permitting, improving all road crossings and installing way-finding signage.
Building a 4.7-mile off-street trail in Clemson along 18 Mile Creek is estimated to cost $7,016,000.
“It is all new construction,” Sanders said. “That’s a long-term investment and a long-term goal.”
Next steps for this phase include obtaining easements from property owners, construction fundraising, engineering/permitting, installing a bridge over 18 Mile Creek and improving the crossing at Issaqueena Trail.
If everything comes together for this phase, a natural surface trail could open for use by the public within the next 12-18 months, with an asphalt trail opening 12-24 months after that.
Some of the short- and long-term recommendations presented in the study are running a path from Central’s downtown area to the Central Wal-Mart shopping center, a trail from Central toward Clemson along Highway 93, a corridor along Berkeley Drive in Clemson and a trail leading from the City of Clemson to the northern portion of the Experimental Forest.
Sanders said many of these smaller phases would involve re-striping lanes, making use of extra width built into some of the roads instead of eliminating lanes.
“How do we take the existing space that we have and make it work?” he said. “We’re not changing the road, but the way people use the road.”
The group will be making formal presentations to city officials in Central and Clemson this summer.
“We hope that they buy into it,” Sanders said. “We hope that they see that this is something that can be inserted into their comprehensive plan. That, as money becomes available for them, they think about this project.”
He encouraged those attending the presentation to be “trail advocates.”
“It’s about being involved (and) it’s about staying involved,” Sanders said.
Planners say a final comprehensive feasibility study will be completed by June 30. The study presented at the meeting can be viewed at http://www.greencrescenttrail.org/feasibility-study/.
Victim in jail attack sues sheriff, county
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS COUNTY — A man is suing Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and Pickens County, alleging that overcrowding conditions led to him being injured in an attack while incarcerated.
The lawsuit was filed by attorney Howard W. Anderson III on May 18 on behalf of Jonathan Ledbetter. According to county records, Ledbetter was booked on April 1 for probation violation.
The suit alleges that a group of inmates “savagely beat” Ledbetter on April 22, “while the Detention Center was again housing more inmates than its maximum-rated capacity.”
“The attack on Plantiff Ledbetter would not have occurred and/or would have been broken up sooner if the Detention Center had not been so overcrowded,” the lawsuit alleges.
The suit alleges that “Sheriff Clark has repeatedly asked for funds to remedy the overcrowding situation, but Pickens County has not appropriated sufficient funds to him.”
“By allowing chronic and significant overcrowding of the Detention Center, the Defendants, under color of law, have been recklessly indifferent to Mr. Ledbetter’s rights,” the lawsuit alleges.
The suit alleges negligence on the part of detention center staff with respect to the conditions “leading up to and/or the response to the attack on Plantiff Ledbetter.”
Ledbetter was still an inmate in the detention center when the suit was filed on May 18. According to records, he was released on May 26.
The lawsuit seeks damages, a declaratory judgment acknowledging that Ledbetter’s rights were violated due to overcrowding at the detention center, an award that would preclude further violations of his rights, attorney fees and reimbursement for the cost of filing the lawsuit.
Eight inmates were charged after the attack on Ledbetter and another inmate on April 22.
A media release issued by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office on April 28 announcing those charges stated that the incident occurred in the pod, “an open area by design,” typically used for general population.
The pod’s rated capacity is 32, but on the day of the event there were approximately 65 inmates assigned to that area “due to issues associated with overcrowding,” the release stated.
The rated capacity for the entire facility is 93, but on the date of the assault, the total population was 226 inmates, according to the release.
“We routinely see that confrontations among inmates tend to rise during periods where the jail population grows well over 200,” Clark said in the release. “Our officers work diligently to make the environment as safe as possible but with the number of people in such a small area of square footage it is a huge challenge. I am encouraged by council’s movement to investigate potential solutions to this issue and it is my hope that appropriate measures will continue to be taken to minimize the risks and hazards exposed to our detention personnel and to the inmates that are detained within the facility.”
County officials discussed the overcrowding issues at the May 2 county council meeting. Interim county administrator Tom Hendricks told council he’d recently met with an architect to explore options for a new jail.
“Spending millions of dollars is not going to stop a bunch of people from doing what they normally do,” Hendricks said.
He said to solve the problem, cooperation from multiple bodies would be needed.
“The magistrates, the solicitor’s office, the judges,” Hendricks said at that meeting. “We’ve got to do something with the system — and the people in that system have to help.”
28 arrested in county drug sweep
PICKENS — Pickens County Sheriff’s Office officials announced 28 recent arrests in a drug sweep throughout the county at a news conference last Thursday.
The arrests are a result of the second phase of “Operation Community Response,” which builds on last year’s operation that resulted in the arrest of 56 people on 79 charges of various drug violations.
The goal of the operations is to identify and target people involved in the illegal possession or distribution of illicit drugs, predominantly methamphetamine, within Pickens County through the use of undercover agents and various surveillance techniques — from the users all the way up to the suppliers.
In phase two, 66 charges have been filed against 38 people, and 38 of those charges are specifically related to the distribution or possession of a quantity of drugs that a seller of methamphetamine would typically have, according to a news release from PCSO chief deputy Creed Hashe.
Of the 28 people arrested, five were still in jail as of last Thursday morning. Ten of the 38 were still at large and being sought by law enforcement authorities.
As a result of a coordinated effort with other law enforcement colleagues and most importantly the community, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office has charged 110 people and made 192 charges since the first operation began in 2014, the release said.
The following arrests were announced by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office. All addresses and charges are according to warrants obtained by the sheriff’s office.
Danyelle Brenda Yvonne Atkinson, 26, of 108 Pickens Drive, Apt 14, Pickens, faces three charges of distribution of methamphetamine and two charges of distribution of methamphetamine near a school. She was arrested on May 10 and remained in jail last Thursday on a combined $25,000 surety bond.
Kelli Nicole Atkinson, 36, of 181 Parkins Lane, Liberty, faces one charge of trafficking in methamphetamine. She was arrested on May 10 and released on a $10,000 surety bond May 11.
Randy Barnes, 54, of 427 Finley Road, Easley, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine, second offense. He was arrested on May 10 and released on a $5,000 surety bond May 11.
Michel Paul Blythe, 38, of 8 Natick Drive, Piedmont, faces one charge of distribution of cocaine, one charge of possession of a controlled substance (alprazolam), second offense, one charge of possession of cocaine, third offense, one charge of possession of crack cocaine, third offense, and one charge of possession of methamphetamine, third offense. He was arrested on May 10 and released on a combined $100,000 surety bond May 14.
Kayla Dale Capps, 27, of 126 McGaha Drive, Easley, faces one charge of possession of a controlled substance (Xanax). She was arrested and released on a $2,000 personal recognizance bond May 23.
Zachary Channing Dupler, 26, of 103 Yellow Plum Drive, Liberty, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine. He was arrested and released on a $3,000 personal recognizance bond May 23.
Seth Ligon Caleb Durham, 25, of 114 Merganser Court, Liberty, faces one charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He was arrested on May 24 and released on a $2,500 surety bond May 25.
Mikell D. Fairey, 29, of 240 Sitton Shoals Road, Seneca, faces one charge of distribution of marijuana, two charges of distribution of MDMA and one charge of trafficking in MDMA. He was arrested on May 10 and released on a combined $50,000 surety bond May 11.
Edna Pauline Fowler, 45, of 247 Courtney Drive, Easley, faces one charge of furnishing contraband to the county jail (heroin). She was arrested and released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond May 24.
Jonathan Eli Galloway, 28, of 826 Ruhamah Road, Liberty, faces two charges of distribution of methamphetamine, second offense. He was arrested on May 11 and released on a combined $40,000 surety bond May 13.
Darran Edens Gantt, 46, of 193 Gantt Springs Road, Liberty, faces one charge of trafficking in methamphetamine, third offense, one charge of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, one charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (alprazolam) and one charge of trafficking in methamphetamine, third offense. He was arrested and released on a combined $50,000 surety bond May 9.
Shawn Aaron Grassel, 28, of 105 Pine Forest Court, Easley, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine and one charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (oxycodone). He was arrested and released on a combined $5,000 personal recognizance bond May 23.
Heather Brewer Guy, 29, of 170 Roanoke Road, Liberty, faces one charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. She was arrested on May 11 and released on a $10,000 surety bond May 12.
Ashley Renee Hatton, 27, of 113 Rabbit Trail, Easley, faces three charges of distribution of marijuana. She was arrested on May 10 and released on a combined $10,000 surety bond May 11.
Joshua Dale Lesley, 33, of 656 Anthony Road, Easley, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine. He was arrested and released on a $3,000 personal recognizance bond May 23.
Dennis Whitfield Lewis, 49, of 122 Boundary Drive, Pickens, faces one charge of distribution of a controlled substance (alprazolam). He was arrested on May 10 and released on a $5,000 surety bond May 11.
Johnny Cecil Marcengill, 57, of 103 New Court Lane, Easley, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine. He was arrested on May 26 and remained in jail and has not yet been arraigned.
Machelle Rai McGaha, 40, of 120 Highside Drive, Central, faces one charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (amphetamine) and one charge of possession of methamphetamine. She was arrested and released on a combined $7,000 personal recognizance bond May 10.
Taylor Brooke Mulvey, 19, of 826 Ruhamah Road, Liberty, faces one charge of distribution of methamphetamine. He was arrested on May 11 and released on a $10,000 surety bond May 13.
Joshua Arthur Neuville, 23, of 250 Elm St., Apt. 706, Clemson, faces one charge of distribution of cocaine and one charge of distribution of cocaine near a school (Clemson University). He was arrested and released on a combined $15,000 surety bond May 11.
Tyler Brock Oliver, 19, of 461 Childress Road, Easley, faces one charge of distribution of cocaine and one charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (alprazolam). He was arrested on May 10 and released on a combined $10,000 surety bond May 12.
Jonathan Fred Riddle, 62, of 204 Diamond Drive, Liberty, faces one charge of trafficking in methamphetamine. He was arrested on May 10 and released on a $25,000 surety bond May 11.
Jackson Quaid Rowland, 20, of 106A Fox Hollow Trail, Central, faces one charge of distribution of cocaine. He was arrested on May 10 and released on a $10,000 surety bond May 11.
Jamie Dale Smith, 28, of 243 Laurenwood Drive, Pickens, faces three charges of distribution of methamphetamine, two charges of distribution of methamphetamine near a school (Pickens Elementary) and one charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was arrested on May 24 and remained in jail last Thursday on a combined $50,000 surety bond.
Andrea Machelle Stewart, 50, of 414 S. Florida Ave., Greenville, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine. She was arrested on May 24 and remained in jail last Thursday on a $3,000 surety bond.
Kimberly Nichole Turner, 30, of 107 Shelby Drive, Pickens, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine. She was arrested and released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond May 10.
Donald Lewis White, 56, of 840 Ridge Road, Easley, faces two charges of distribution of methamphetamine. He was arrested on May 14 and released on a $15,000 surety bond May 16.
Gabrielle Annette Whitmire, 34, of 108 Woodview Court, Easley, faces one charge of trafficking in methamphetamine. She was arrested on May 22 and remained in jail last Thursday on bond.
The following suspects are still at large.
Matthew Paul Ferguson, 32, of 629 Earls Bridge Road, Easley, faces one charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance second offense (alprazolam).
Caitlyn Danielle Gray, 20, of 200 Patterson Road, Liberty, faces one charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (alprazolam).
Joshua Anthony Hicks, 30, of 703 Cove Creek Road, Pickens, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine.
Mitchell Wayne Hughes, 43, of 103 Yellow Plum Drive, Liberty, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine.
Jennifer Page McConnell, 31, of 192 Diane Drive, Easley, faces one charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (morphine sulfate — ER).
Brittany Leann Miller, 23, of 125 Bridwell Road, Six Mile, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine.
Allen Paul Morgan, 55, of 201 Lee St., Liberty, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine.
Joshua Eugene Seawright, 24, of 223 Sunny Ln., Pickens, faces two charges of possession of methamphetamine, second offense.
Chad Ross Sluder, 20, of 180 Grace Ln., Liberty, faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine.
Richard Edgar Thompson, 28, of 107 Pickens St., Easley, faces one charge of trafficking in methamphetamine.
New chamber director: ‘This place sells itself’
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Her new role as the executive director of the Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce allows Kim Smagala to draw on her background and skills set.
Smagala was serving on the chamber board when former director Mike Parrott announced his plans to retire.
Board members asked Smagala if she’d be interested in serving as chamber director in a part-time capacity. After speaking with her family, she decided to accept.
“Only in a part-time capacity — I could never handle full-time with everything else I have on my plate,” Smagala said. “If it gets to the point where they need a full-time person, I’ll help with the transition.”
Smagala was previously the director of marketing and communications for the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce.
“I planned all their special events and managed all their programs,” she said.
That chamber had a staff of around a dozen.
“It was pretty active,” Smagala said. “It was pretty busy. Things move at a slower pace here. It’ll be easier to maintain and not get burned out.”
She says one advantage Pickens has over other areas is the existence of a seperate entity — the Pickens Revitalization Association — “fully focused on downtown.”
She said that allows the chamber to be fully focus on “attracting new businesses, advocating for current businesses, bringing value to the current membership.”
“It’s nice, instead of the chamber having to do all of it,” Smagala said. “The PRA is pretty active. They really will go hand-in-hand.”
Smagala attended Winthrop University and went on to graduate school at American University, studying marketing and management.
She ran pro bono campaigns for the Humane Society.
After that, she ran a shared-office center called Office Start.
She’s glad to be back in the Upstate, where she grew up.
“That’s when I started working with the chamber of commerce,” Smagala said. “It was fun to be able to use all of my background — special events and marketing — there.”
“It’s fun to be back in an area that I couldn’t wait to leave — the small town — after living so many different places, then realizing we had everything you ever needed right here,” she said. “You’ve got the small town feel, the mountains and the lakes and rivers. I think I took it for granted growing up. Now, this place sells itself. It’s so gorgeous. The cost of living’s so low. It’s a great area to start a business in.”
She said the city “really is business friendly.”
“I love the leadership here,” Smagala said. “You can sit down with the mayor and talk to him. You don’t get that in a lot of places.”
“There’s only room to grow,” Smagala said. “We might not have all the right answers on how to grow the city, but we’ve got the right people to sit down and collaborate together.”
She said the chamber’s board of directors is “phenomenal.”
“We’ve got really a good group of visionaries, and they all bring really good skills and backgrounds to the table,” Smagala said.
She said officials have worked really hard to maintain Pickens’ essence.
“We’re not trying to be a highbrow area,” Smagala said.
Parrott would often walk the streets, stopping into businesses.
“Everyone knew him,” Smagala said. “I think that’s a plus. In a lot of cities, you lose that connectivity. You get so big, you don’t have that interface with all your businesses. I think it’s something we never want to lose. I think they’ve done that really well.”
One of the challenges ahead is getting face-to-face time with all the businesses and “meeting everyone’s needs in a part-time capacity,” Smagala said.
She said she’s enjoying getting her feet wet.
“I think I can embrace it, no problem,” she said. “Everyone’s been super supportive. I think it’s going to work out really well.”
She’d like to do surveys of chamber membership, to find out the types of services they would like to see the chamber provide.
“I’m excited,” Smagala said. “It’s going to be fun.”
Clemson Farmers Market to celebrate ‘First Friday’
CLEMSON — The Clemson Farmers Market will celebrate “First Friday” at the market this Friday from 3-6 p.m. at the Patrick Square Village Green at 578 Issaqueena Trail in Clemson.
The market is open rain or shine and will feature more than 30 vendors offering fresh, local produce, farm products, specialty foods items and unique handmade arts and crafts.
In addition to market vendors, a variety of free family-friendly activities is also planned.
There will be market vendors demonstrating their skills and offering product sampling and free market shopping bags compliments of AgSouth Farm Credit (as long as supplies last).
The event will also feature music at the Village Green Pavilion featuring singer/songwriter Rob Seel. Kids can also enjoy free giant inflatable provided by Patrick Square.
Market partners include the City of Clemson, Patrick Square and the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce. Market sponsors are AgSouth Farm Credit, Baptist Easley Hospital, Clemson Area Transit (CAT), Clemson Downs, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute – Clemson (OLLI), and Rick Erwin’s – Clemson.
For a 2016 market schedule, vendor information and directions, visit clemsonfarmersmarket.org./.
Steppin’ It Up Coalition schedules next meeting
LIBERTY — The Steppin’ It Up Coalition will hold its next monthly meeting on June 13 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Pickens County Airport (Board Room) at 240 Airport Road in Liberty.
Meetings are open to all members of our community who are interested in educating our youth on the dangers and health implications of alcohol, tobacco and drug exposure and use. The Steppin’ It Up Coalition of Pickens County targets youth, parents and other adults who impact where youth get access to drugs and alcohol, & how, why, and when they choose to use.
For more information about the Steppin’ It Up Coalition, contact Cathy Breazeale at (864) 898-5800. If you plan to attend, RSVP to Barbara Moss at (864) 898-5800.
PPCCDC golf tourney planned for June 10
PICKENS — Pickens Presbyterian Church Child Development Center’s fifth annual golf tournament will be held on Friday, June 10, at the Pickens Country Club.
Registration is set for 9 a.m., with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start. The Pickens Country Club is located at 1018 Country Club Road in Pickens. Breakfast will be provided by Bojangles’, and lunch will be provided by Larry Looper’s BBQ after the tournament.
There will be cash prizes awarded for first through third-place finishes. Awards will also be given for closest to the pin, white tees, senior tees and ladies tees, as well as men’s and women’s longest drive and a putting contest.
Entry fee is $100 per player, or $400 per team. The proceeds from the event will help the Pickens Presbyterian Church Child Development Center better serve all children, including children with special needs. For more than 30 years, the center has been a place where children with all abilities can play and learn together. Any donation made will greatly benefit the children in the center’s care, and donations are tax-deductible.
Courier Letters to the Editor 6-1-16
Advertising along the Doodle Trail
Dear Editor,
Perhaps our Easley and Pickens city councils could look into the increasing placement of advertising signs on our beautiful Doodle Trail.
I think trail users enjoy getting away from the near-constant barrage of advertising in our lives, and don’t want the Doodle to become another advertising venue akin to billboards along the highways.
On Friday, I saw signs advertising food, drink, garbage disposal, roofing, job offers and church activities, among others. I also saw at least one political advertisement chalked on the trail’s pavement. Perhaps the “rules” signs posted along the trail should include “commercial uses, including advertising signs, are prohibited.”
Don Youngblood
Easley
Election a chance to come together
As you ride around this county, you see signs everywhere (literally) that an election is looming.
You see advertisements and see Facebook posts promoting new ideas, change and things that need to be improved.
I applaud every candidate who has put himself out there and done more than just “talk,” but filed to run for a political office and try to make a difference.
Back in 2013, I ran for mayor, and I told folks I don’t have any idea what a mayor does or what all the job entails, but I loved Liberty and I wanted to make a difference. After I got elected, I quickly realized I knew even less than nothing about being a mayor and everything that goes along with it.
It is much more than proclamations, ribbon-cuttings and council meetings. It is constant phone calls with department heads, handling citizen complaints, speaking at various events, making decisions that impact today and the future and not only council meetings, but meeting after meeting after meeting — and the list goes on and on.
It is a thankless job with many hours and little pay — you do this because you have a servant’s heart, not because you will get paid handsomely to do it.
Basically, what I am trying to say is that the world of politics is difficult and the wheels turn very slowly. You can see something that needs to be done, know how to do it, but guess what — you can’t just do it. You need approvals, and then jump through 12 hoops — and then MAYBE it gets done.
I may run again in 2017, or I may not. I ran in 2013 because I knew God had that planned for my life, and if He wants me to run again I certainly will.
I just want to encourage the public to educate themselves on how this works. Attend city council meetings, county council meetings and communicate with our state leaders.
There are bad politicians, just as there are bad folks in all walks of life, but sometimes it is not as cut and dry as it may appear. We need now more than ever before to come together and get out of our little groups that promote individual agendas and get behind and support our elected leaders in office currently and any who go in after this election.
Just my two cents!
Eric Boughman has been the mayor of Liberty since his election in 2013.
