COUNTY — Filing is no open for three seats on the Pickens County School Board that will be up for grabs in the November election.

Filing for districts 1, 3 and 5 opened at noon Monday and will run through noon Aug. 15.

District 3 trustee Alex Saitta will be the only incumbent trying to retain his school board seat, as District 5 trustee Judy Edwards has announced she will not seek re-election and longtime District 1 trustee Dr. Herb Cooper passed away on Tuesday after a battle with cancer.

After losing in the Republican primary runoff in a bid for a Pickens County Council seat, Saitta announced he will seek re-election to the school board.

As of early Tuesday afternoon, the only candidate who had filed to run for one of the three seats was Pickens resident Shannon Haskett, who will challenge Saitta for the District 3 seat.

Former Easley High School principal Betty Garrison has also announced her intention to run for the District 5 seat being vacated by Edwards.

The election, set for Nov. 8, will be nonpartisan.

Those looking to declare their candidacy for the school board races must do so at the Pickens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections office at 222 McDaniel Ave. in Pickens during normal business hours.

A $120 filing fee applies, and candidates must complete a Statement of Candidacy Form.

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

SIX MILE — A tragic accident claimed the lives of a young Six Mile woman and her newborn daughter last week.

According to a release from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were notified at 9:45 p.m. on Friday, July 22, that a pedestrian had been struck by a bicycle on Mount Olivet Road in Six Mile.

Both the sheriff’s office and the South Carolina Highway Patrol responded to the scene.

A 24-year-old woman and her boyfriend, 27, were walking on Mount Olivet Road when the woman was struck by a bicyclist, the release said.

The woman, Rose Marie Higgins, was flown to Greenville Memorial Hospital.

The bicyclist was treated at the scene for injuries, the release said. Higgins’ boyfriend was not injured.

Higgins was 28 weeks pregnant at the time of the accident.

Sources close to the family reported that Higgins’ child was delivered by emergency cesarean section at 2:12 a.m. July 23.

The infant, Charissa Faith, died on Monday, July 25.

Higgins passed away on July 26.

A prayer vigil was held for the family Thursday.

A fundraising campaign has been set up to help with funeral expenses for both Higgins and her infant daughter, as well as to help Higgins’ two little boys. For more information, visit https://www.gofundme.com/rjkmhk.

The investigation determined that the collision was accidental.

“The sheriff’s office, along with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, determined at the scene that the incident was not indicative of any foul play and there was no evidence that the collision was intentionally motivated,” the release stated.

Condolences for the family may be left on the Dillard Funeral Home and Hillcrest Memorial Park website.

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — County officials say recent media reports about the finances of the Pickens County Museum of Art and History are misleading.

A statement released by Pickens County tourism and marketing director Helen Hockwalt said a recent news story claimed that the State Law Enforcement Division has a pending inquiry into the finances of the museum.

The county’s statement said that the former executive director of the museum, Allen Coleman, contacted SLED some time after he was terminated by the county for inappropriate conduct.

“We were contacted by SLED last month and we provided them with all information they requested,” the statement reads. “We also referred them to our external auditing firm for an outside perspective on the county’s financial management practices, both generally and as it pertains to the museum.”

The preliminary contact from SLED was only made “to determine if sufficient information exists to warrant an actual investigation,” the statement said.

“This is a routine step when a citizen complaint is received,” Hockwalt continued. “There are no financial irregularities or monies transferred from designated accounts into the County’s General Fund as alleged.”

The statement disputes the story’s assertion that more than $70,000 was drawn out of museum accounts.

“This assertion is completely without a factual basis,” the statement said. “Records that are readily available to the public from the Finance Office show a fund balance in the contingency account for the Museum of $73,318.00 as of (July 27), with any and all revenues and expenditures accurately recorded. Much of this information is also available on the County website.”

Pickens County is audited annually by an independent external auditing firm.

“In our most recent audit, this firm noted that there were no material weaknesses, significant deficiencies, or noncompliance with financial statements noted,” Hockwalt’s statement said. “In fact, Pickens County has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association for 11 consecutive years.”

A member of the Pickens County Cultural Commission recently shared her concerns about the museum with county council.

Gilda Hendricks spoke before council members at their June meeting, stating that the administration of the museum “currently is off-kilter.”

“The function of the commission is no longer clear, nor its purpose or mission being met,” Hendricks said.

She said the county tourism department currently running the museum is “either unwilling or unable to meet the requirements of the cultural commission, and its operations are ineffective.”

“The museum has no director, according to the current budget,” she said.

She said the commission is no longer being provided accurate treasurer reports and other reports and is no longer being allowed to “serve in the planning and functioning of the museum.”

“This should be rectified,” Hendricks said. “It is the acting director’s responsibility to see that this commission or board is tended to.”

“Both the museum and the Hagood Mill site were well-run and productive prior to the restructuring of the department a little over two years ago,” Hendricks said. “Since that time, things have begun to fade.”

She said the commission had no say in the decision to discharge Coleman.

The ordinance establishing the commission states that body shall assist county officials in selecting a museum director, subject to the right of the administrator to employ or discharge that position, she said.

“In spite of our voiced concerns about the way things were going, the interim administrator terminated the director with no consultation whatsoever,” Hendricks said. “Yes, it was the administrator’s right, but at that time we did not have a permanent administrator, so the interim making such a decision without board input was probably not in the best interests of the museum.”

She said there has been “a tremendous fall in museum attendance” and blamed it on “ill-advised directives.”

“Programs and exhibits are at an all-time minimum,” Hendricks said. “The current staff is simply not producing adequate programming and is failing to market what little is produced. Even the Facebook page for the museum is repetitive and is not up-to-date.”

She said in the past two years, the commission has experienced “a lack of appreciation for our past services and an implied silencing of our current advisory position.”

“When we make suggestions or voice concerns, we’re told that we’re only creating confusion,” Hendricks said. “With our small number and our silenced voice, we feel almost forbidden to work on any planning, fundraising, membership recruitment or other forms or support. Some of us feel like we’re just waiting to be told we’re no longer needed.”

She said the commission was concerned the tourism director was not making their questions and concerns known to council members.

“If that is not the case, then you are ignoring us,” Hendricks said.

She said her statements weren’t meant to air “personal grievances,”

“It is for you to know the conflicts that have been going on in the museum,” Hendricks said.

Hendricks said the county ordinance regarding the cultural commission needed to be revisited or updated.

“The adherence to Ordinance 184 seems to have been abandoned with no updated mission being created,” she said.

Hockwalt’s statement asserts the county’s continued support of the arts.

“It is correct that the County Museum is going through a transition in leadership,” the statement concludes. “But it is wildly inaccurate to suggest that the County is withdrawing support for the Museum or its mission. In fact, Pickens County Council is currently considering an additional $120,000 budget outlaw for repairs to the facility.”

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

LAURENS COUNTY — An Easley man was killed Saturday night in an accident during a race at the Ware Shoals Dragway.

Laurens County coroner Nick Nichols identified the deceased as Anthony Craig Owen, 38, of Easley.

Owen was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, according to the Associated Press.

Videos shot by eyewitnesses show Owen’s vehicle leaving the track, flipping several times and landing atop several vehicles along the track.

Another man was seriously injured and a child was taken to the hospital as a precaution, according to reports.

The Greenwood Index-Journal reported that a GoFundMe campaign has been set up for Jason Kelly, the man injured in the accident.

“He’s alive but has a long road to recovery ahead of him,” wrote Beverly Swartzentruber Kelly, the man’s sister-in-law.

The fundraising campaign had raised more than $2,500 of its $50,000 goal on Tuesday and can be found by searching “Jason Kelly” on gofundme.com

The Ware Shoals Dragway donated proceeds from Saturday’s race to Owen’s family, according to reports. A race to be held Sept. 11 at the Union County Dragway will also raise funds, WYFF 4 reported.

Proceeds from a Hot Rods and Happy Hour cruise-in later this month will go to Owen’s wife, organizers say.

The event will be held from 6-9 p.m. Aug. 21 at the Ruby Tuesday at 1113 Woodruff Road in Greenville. “In Memory” decals will be available at the event. Donations will also be accepted.

By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal

goliver@upstatetoday.com

PICKENS — Four new Pickens County Council members will take office in January, and they bring with them desire to improve council’s relationship with not only the community but also neighboring municipalities.

“We have an opportunity to work together, to mend fences,” said Roy Costner III of Liberty, a businessman who defeated incumbent Neil Smith in the June 28 runoff for council District 4. “We know we have a lot to do.”

Costner, along with Wes Hendricks, who won election to the Pickens area of District 3, new Easley-area District 5 councilman Chris Bowers and new District 6 representative Carl Hudson of the Dacusville area, met for breakfast last week with the Pickens County School Board.

The school board invited the newly elected council members to break in an effort to engage in open dialogue and forge a positive working relationship from the very beginning.

“We all have a passion for students and are anxious to begin (service),” Costner said.

Hendricks agrees, adding that he is a long time special education teacher at Pickens High School.

“I’m very passionate about education — it’s our greatest tool to fight poverty,” Hendricks said.

Bowers, who is a nurse at Baptist Easley Hospital and will take over the council seat being vacated by outgoing chairman Jennifer Willis, said council members should always remember they are elected to serve the community.

“We’re not in it for ourselves,” Bowers said.

The new council members-elect say they want to establish improved communication with the citizens of Pickens County as well as neighboring municipalities — something that has been a major complaint about county councils past and present.

“I think communication is critical as well as being transparent,” Hendricks said, adding he has been invited by the City of Clemson to speak at a municipal program this summer. “All of the new members are very good with social media, and it’s important to tell the whole truth and keep people informed. We also respect each other and people’s opinions as well.”

Bowers agreed, adding, “A lot of times, people feel left out when maybe it’s just finding another way to be connected.”

“It’s up to us as a group to get things out,” Bowers said. “I think communication between us is not the problem but communication with those throughout the county. I think sometimes things get done and people wonder why they did it. My goal is to let people know why we did it.”

Costner said he believes the more council gets in touch with the people, “the more they’re going to want to be involved.” That involvement not only consists of county council but also, Costner added, the school board and sheriff’s office as well.

“I think we have a great opportunity to do that — to not just know the people, but know the issues,” he said. “We all represent each of our areas but also have a county vision. We have a lot to learn and there’s a lot of issues going on here we’re just finding out about and want to find out as much as we can. We look forward to going out in the community.”

Hendricks said that while the new council members plan to use their strengths in social media for improved communication, they also plan to continue the old fashioned way of meeting and greeting people.

“We’re all visible to the public and aren’t hiding behind a computer screen,” Hendricks said.

Hudson, who is a retired deputy with 31 years of law enforcement experience and is assuming the council seat being vacated by Tom Ponder, said he thinks it is “a good thing” that the four newly elected county council members come from different backgrounds and bring something different to the table.

“Anytime you have a diverse group that is involved in several directions, it’s the group that has a better idea in making decisions,” Hudson said. “I feel good about it and think it’s going to be a positive thing.

“A long time ago, I worked for a municipality as a city police officer, so I think we will have a good relationship.”

Hudson said he is pleased that the county is in a strong financial position.

“Our county is in a good position right now and we want to build on that,” he said.

The four new council members will join the two remaining council members in vice chairman Trey Whitehurst, who represents the District 2 area of Central and Six Mile, and Ensley Feemster, who represents the Clemson area in District 1.

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — A Liberty man died after the golf cart he was driving was struck by an SUV on Saturday.

Pickens County coroner Kandy Kelley identified the victim as 70-year-old Carl Edward Williams.

The collision occurred at 9:50 a.m. on Griffin Mill Road, 3.5 miles east of Pickens, near the Pickens County Country Club, according to Trooper Joe Hovis of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The collision occurred as the 1998 Mercury SUV was traveling west on Griffin Mill Road. Williams’ golf cart was crossing the road on a cart path when it was struck by the SUV on the driver’s side, Hovis said.

The SUV’s driver, a 35-year-old Easley woman, was injured in the collision and transported by EMS to Greenville Memorial, he said.

The SUV had three teenage passengers, who were all injured and also transported to the hospital, Hovis said.

Everyone in the SUV was wearing a seatbelt, he said.

Williams was transported by helicopter to Greenville Memorial Hospital, Hovis said.

Kelley said Williams was pronounced dead of blunt-force trauma at the hospital.

No charges have been filed, according to Hovis.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is still investigating the collision.