Daily Archives: 09/21/2016
Boggs released as PHS coach
PICKENS — After a long week of rumors around the Pickens community, School District of Pickens County spokesman John Eby confirmed on Tuesday that Pickens High School head football coach John Boggs has been relieved of his coaching duties.
“This afternoon, Coach Boggs was released from his football coaching responsibilities, but will remain a faculty member as a math teacher at Pickens High School,” Eby told the Courier in an email on Tuesday. “Assistant coach Chad Seaborn will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Pickens High will begin a search for a new coach after the season.”
Eby had said on Friday that Boggs was “on leave from his duties” as Pickens football coach.
Eby gave no word on the reasoning behind the move.
Pickens-area school board member Alex Saitta told the Courier earlier in the day Tuesday that school district superintendent Danny Merck had said in an email that Boggs was “suspended until Saturday.”
“He didn’t say more than that in his email, and I have not talked to Dr. Merck yet,” Saitta said. “Unfortunately, long before I got on the board, the school board delegated all hiring of coaches to the superintendent. So the board knows little about the hiring, replacing or disciplining of coaches. I don’t agree with that, and I think the board should have some involvement in all things that affect students, parents and the community.”
After picking up their first win of the season against West-Oak two weeks ago before an open week last week, the Blue Flame will travel to Seneca to take on the Bobcats this Friday.
Seaborn, who served as head coach from 2010-14, prior to Boggs’ hiring, will be the interim head coach. Seaborn had another stint as interim coach when his predecessor, currently Liberty High School athletic director Brett Turner, had to miss a game.
Boggs, a former Shrine Bowl lineman at Pickens, was in his second season as head coach of his alma mater after going 4-7 last season. He was also the head coach at Walhalla before leading the football program at Westsidein 2012 and 2013.
County council questions cultural commission
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS COUNTY — County council members agreed Monday night that there is a place for the Pickens County Cultural Commission, one of its advisory boards.
But they’re not sure yet what the board will look like going forward.
Council members considered a recommendation from committee that the cultural commission be dissolved.
But that idea didn’t sit well with them.
The recommendation came after county officials were told by a cultural commissioner that the board had lost direction and that its recommendations were seldom listened to by staff.
Another cultural commissioner disputed those notions in letters to local media.
“I’m not in favor at this point in time of dissolving the cultural commission,” councilman Tom Ponder said. “The question I have is, what is their function?”
The commission’s function had been fundraising, he said.
“I think they’ve gotten away from that,” Ponder said. “There is a need for that type of thing, but I’m just not so sure that some of the people who’ve been serving in that capacity can serve in that capacity, based on their actions of the last couple of years.”
Boards and commissions are an arm of council, Ponder said.
“When it appears that these boards and commissions have a different agenda, move in a different direction, that doesn’t mean we don’t want to hear them,” he said. “But we sure don’t want to be attacked by them.”
One commissioner had said the commission’s opinion was not taken into account concerning the termination of a former museum director.
Orientation sessions for boards and commissions would be helpful, Ponder said.
“The board doesn’t have the authority to hire or fire anybody,” Ponder said. “They don’t have the authority to spend money. There are a lot of things they don’t have the authority to do. But sometimes these boards feel like they do have, and they expect us to answer to them.”
A former county administrator was known to tell council members not to overreach, to “stay in our lane,” Ponder said.
“We need to understand what our responsibility is and live up to our responsibility,” he said.
Council members suggested that staff meet with the commission.
“To see that there is a purpose and that they understand what their purpose is,” Ponder said. “With all the things going on in Pickens County, with the Hagood Mill property, and we need to do more with the museum, it might not be a good idea to dissolve the commission. It might be a good idea to look at what the commission’s function is to ensure that the people on the commission understand what its function is. If they can’t buy into the program, they need to go somewhere else.”
Councilman Trey Whitehurst also questioned dissolving the commission.
“People on a dysfunctional board can be replaced,” he said. “It was created for a purpose. There had to be a need. We have to figure out what that need was. Do we still need that need today? And if we do, does that board properly fulfill that need?”
Council chair Jennifer Willis agreed.
“Does the board have a proper function, or do we need to change the function of the board?” she said.
County administrator Gerald Wilson said staff members had met with the commission and are seeing “positive progress.”
The motion is dissolve the cultural commission failed unanimously. Councilman Neil Smith was absent from Monday’s meeting.
Plumbley arrested in Greenville after allegedly cutting ankle monitor
PICKENS COUNTY — The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office said Monday a former prisoner charged with sexual assault whose whereabouts were unknown after apparently cutting off his ankle monitor last week is now in jail in Greenville.
Chief Deputy Creed Hashe said last Friday the sheriff’s office received several inquiries seeking updated information on John Ancil Plumbley, 74, of Talley St. in Greenville. At the time, Hashe said the only information he could provide was a copy of Plumbley’s arrest warrant stemming from a 2015 Pickens County investigation, as well as his mug shot.
Plumbley was arrested and booked into the Pickens County Detention Center in March and released the following month after posting a $10,000 surety bond. An arrest warrant claims Plumbley engaged in sexual battery with an underage female between July 16 and Aug. 13, 2015.
The charge specifically issued against Plumbley was for second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor or attempt with a victim 11 to 14 years of age.
On Monday afternoon, Hashe said that after reviewing the “inmate search” screen for the Greenville County Detention Center, it appears Plumbley was arrested and placed into the facility Sunday.
“I do not have any information regarding that arrest, but their screen indicates that he has been served with two Greenville County charges of criminal sexual conduct with a minor,” Hashe said. “(Plumbley) remains inside their facility.”
Hashe added that the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office has placed a hold on Plumbley to be transferred back upon his release from Greenville County, with a general sessions bench warrant to be served on Plumbley to address the ankle monitor issue.
Easley council advances trail extension planning
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Easley is proceeding with plans to extend the Doodle Trail into the downtown area.
But officials want the public to know those plans aren’t set in stone and that there will plenty of opportunity for public input as the plans move forward.
City council members discussed the trail extension at their September meeting.
The plan calls for Wilbur Street to become a one-way street, allowing trail users to travel down that road. The trail would bring them down Wilbur Street and through the nearby cemetery to the sidewalk in front of the Easley Police Department.
The trail’s portion that would run through the cemetery would be closed during funerals, with trail users encouraged to use a detour route to access downtown during those times.
That proposed plan allows the trail to be extended without forcing users to cross railroad tracks.
City officials had looked at building a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks, but found the cost to be prohibitive. There was also no indication from railroad officials that they would allow a bridge to be constructed, city officials said.
City administrator Stephen Steese said the issue was put on the September council agenda to allow council to provide staff with guidance.
“To see if council wants to move forward with that plan, whether you want myself to move ahead and prepare a bid package to go out to bid,” Steese said.
During their August meeting, council members heard a presentation from Blake Sanders with Alta Planning and Design regarding the Wilbur Street proposal. Steese said he wanted to hear from council members now that they’ve had time to digest the presentation.
The project will not just “automatically happen,” councilman Chris Mann said. “We’re going to take input.” Steese agreed. “This isn’t going to be a one-step project,” he said.
Even as the design-bid process moves forward, there will be ample opportunity for resident input.
“Looking at closing and going to one-way streets, there’s ordinances that have to go into place to get those done,” Steese said.
Those ordinances would have to go through the planning commission, building official Tommy Holcombe said.
“There’s steps in the process that would be going on at the same time while we’re trying to get everything out to bid to bring back to council,” Steese said. “What’s on the agenda tonight is to say this is what council wants to move forward with? Because if it is, there’s a lot of steps we’re going to have to get in place and lined up to get a timeframe together to start operating with the goal of trying to get it done sometime within the next six months or so.”
“We’re not voting on anything to make changes yet,” Mann said. “Because, honestly, those plans may change after some public input. We’re not voting to approve anything tonight — it’s more or less the blessing of council to begin the process.”
Councilman Thomas Wright wants the city to disseminate information to residents who might be impacted by the proposed street change.
Mann said he hopes those residents would attend the public meetings.
“We want to look at how we get information to them,” Mann said. “Get the word to the citizens, let them know there’s a meeting. We’re hoping that they would show up. If that’s not the case, we’ll address that. We definitely want to get the word to them. They are the ones most directly affected by what we may do.”
Holcombe said the planning commission would host the meeting and signage would be placed alerting residents to the meeting beforehand.
“It’s all a public, transparent process,” Sanders said. “It’s engaging the citizens, meeting with your constituents in that area. Showing them the proposed changes — rather than a pretty picture before and after, it’s actually showing them construction drawings, what it will look like. Being able to answer the questions of how will fire (fighters) access my home differently than it does now, how will EMS access, all of those certain situations and predicaments that homeowners will be in will be answered. Being able to answer those questions and work through those details.
Once work begins on the extension project, which is estimated to cost about $400,000, the work should be completed in three months.
City awards bid for Doodle Park
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — The city of Easley’s newest park is moving forward.
City council members voted last Monday during their September meeting to award a construction contract to J. Davis Construction of Westminster.
“We only received one bid,” mayor Larry Bagwell said.
During the meeting, city administrator Stephen Steese said the project was estimated to cost about $500,000. The city has received a $250,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission toward the project, which Easley will match dollar-for-dollar, he said.
The city’s portion of funding will come from proceeds from Easley’s hospitality tax. The park will be located off Fleetwood Drive. City officials hope the one-acre park will be ready for use by Memorial Day 2017.
The city is looking at cutting some costs for the project prior to moving forward with construction, as the bid came in over budget, Steese said.
“Part of the problem is we only have one bidder,” Steese said. “If they don’t reduce the cost down, we either have the choice to continue forward with them or go back out to bid.”
Options to bring the costs down could involve the train cars that officials plan to bring to the site to highlight the Doodle Trail’s former life as a railroad.
“This cost does not include the renovations of the train cars — that was a separate item,” he said. “But it does include the finishing of the train cars and placing them on site. So we may look at removing those items from the bid as a way to get the cost down, then look at maybe putting money in the budget for next year to move forward with getting the cars placed on site.”
That option would require some tweaking of the site plans, as one of the railroad cars was going to house the park’s restrooms, Steese said.
“We would have to look at some other options,” he said. “Look to see if there’s something cheaper, whether it’s building something that looks like a train depot and then moving the train car in later or look at something temporary until we have more funds.”
Renovating the two train cars would cost nearly $100,000, Steese said.
Council members want the project to stay on schedule, but expressed concern about the train cars.
“That’s going to be the showcase of the park,” councilman Kent Dykes said.
“I think the city of Pickens is ready for us to move them,” Bagwell said. “Pickens has been very nice to us. When you’re in a joint project like this, you need to make sure that everybody is happy.”
Another cost-cutting option is taking the public shelter out of the plans until more funding is available.
“We might could get the footings poured and then come back later and put the building in there,” Steese said. “That’s some of the items we’re going to talk with them about … to get an idea of what is the least impactful that will get us down closer to within the budget of what the grant was.”
The contract will include the grading, the crossings, a parking area, a playground, a public building and an exercise area, Steese said.
“Most of the cost is tied up in the grading and the parking lot,” he said.
Council members questioned why the resolution was before them when options and tweaks were still under discussion.
“I don’t quite understand why we brought this to light tonight,” Bagwell said.
Steese said the resolution allowed the project to be awarded.
“If we do not have this, then we cannot award for another month,” he said.
Councilman Jim Robinson asked if there was a time frame to use the grant money. Steese said negotiations should not impact use of grant funds.
The goal is to get the project within that original $500,000 estimate, he said.
Council voted unanimously to award the contract.
Friend, father of Howard’s Rock vandal plead guilty
By Eric Sprott
Courtesy The Journal
esprott@upstatetoday.com
CLEMSON — In a news release Monday, 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins said two men pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of giving false information to police in relation to the vandalism of Howard’s Rock more than three years ago.
In pleading guilty, Michael J. Rogers, 49, and Alden J. Gainey, 20, admitted they attempted to cover up Micah Rogers’ vandalism of the storied piece of Clemson University history in June of 2013. Micah, Michael’s son, was convicted at trial last summer of malicious injury to property for vandalizing the rock and was allowed to serve 25 days of community service to avoid 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
According to the news release, evidence presented at the plea hearing by assistant solicitor Baker Cleveland established that on June 20, 2013, Michael had a meeting at his home in North Carolina with his son, Alden Gainey and Xavia Wynn to discuss surveillance video of Micah’s truck and the three boys in the vicinity of Howard’s Rock at Memorial Stadium the night the vandalism took place.
According to Wynn, Michael urged the boys to “stick to the story” that they did not damage the rock, and that they were just there to take pictures.
On June 24, 2013, all four traveled to Pickens to meet with law enforcement. Gainey, who was present the night Micah damaged the rock, gave the fabricated version of events to police, but Wynn came clean, informing officers Micah had indeed damaged the rock.
Subsequent investigation revealed Michael’s role in fabricating the story. The large piece that Micah chipped off the rock — which Clemson football players have rubbed upon entering the stadium since 1967 — after breaking its protective case has still not been recovered.
According to the Associated Press, court records show Michael J. Rogers and Gainey can choose to pay $200 fines or spend 30 days in jail.
Pickens Middle coupon books now available
PICKENS — The new 2016-17 Pickens Middle School restaurant coupon books are now available at the office of Pickens Middle School.
The coupon books are the school’s biggest fundraiser and are available for $10 each. The books offer coupons for discounts at many area restaurants and also includes some new ones this year.
The best time to purchase books is Monday-Fridays from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. All profits will be used for classroom supplies, activities and equipment.
Students visit Cornell
On Sept. 9, 23 students on the Pickens Elementary School robotics teams took a field trip to Cornell Dubilier Electronics. They got to tour the plant, observe and learn how
A life well lived
Bob Stanford was born June 23, 1937, in New Haven, Conn. He graduated from West Haven High School in 1954. That same year he enlisted in the Navy. He was stationed at Norfolk, Va. He served in the Navy for three years and took Mediterranean cruises on the destroyer ship, The Vessel. He said they sailed to France, Italy, Portugal and Greece. He was discharged in 1957. His rank was third class petty officer.
Bob and Josephine Viglione married Feb. 20, 1957. They have one son and two daughters. They also have three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Josephine died in 1995. Their son, Robert, died in 2001.
Bob owned a boat he named Fino. He enjoyed fishing at Long Island Sound, Conn.
For 35 years, Bob worked at New Haven Art Fabricators. He built sculptures made from aluminum, steel and bronze. He also painted the sculptures.
Carol Baker/Courier
Bob Stanford worked for 35 years building metal sculptures at New Haven Art Fabricators in Connecticut.
One of the sculptures Bob built is placed at the Juilliard School of Music, one is at Center Park in New York City and one is at the John D Rockefeller estate. Bob said when the sculpture was placed at the Rockefeller estate, he directed the pilot of a helicopter to hover down low enough so the sculpture could be placed in the right spot. He said some of the sculptures he built are on university campuses all over the East Coast from Maine to Florida. Some are located in Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia and Africa.
In 1999, Bob retired and moved to Pickens. One of his sisters, Taffy Ebel, lives in Pickens. She comes to the Pickens Senior Center every weekday to play pool. His other sister lives in Walhalla.
For a short time, Bob was the custodian at the Easley Senior Center. Al Parsons, who was the director of Pickens County Seniors Unlimited, asked Bob to become the manager there. He accepted the position and worked there for five years. The center was located in the old Alice Elementary School building. When the center closed down, Bob was transferred to the Liberty Senior Center. He worked there for two years.
Carol Baker/Courier
After stints working at the Easley Senior Center and Liberty Senior Center, Bob Stanford now volunteers at the Pickens Senior Center every weekday.
Now he does volunteer work at the Pickens Senior Center. He comes there every weekday and helps collect the money the seniors pay for their lunches.
Seven years ago, Bob was diagnosed with lung cancer. Part of one of his lungs had to be surgically removed. He had small cancer cells in his other lung and took chemotherapy treatments for one year. During that time, he kept a positive attitude. Now he is cancer free and thankful for every day.
Bob has always enjoyed building things. He said when he lived in Connecticut ,he remodeled the house he and his wife lived in. He also painted cars. He said he did that just to make a little bit of extra money.
Bob used to love to go dancing. He went three or four times a week, but he is no longer able to do that. He has severe arthritis in both of his hips. He said now he spends a lot of time watching television.
Easley resident Carol Baker highlights interesting local residents and helps us get to know more about the fascinating people who call Pickens County home. If you have someone somewhere who you think people should know about, contact us at news@
thepccourier.com.
Pickens Rec Report
By Cheri Anthony
Pickens Recreation Director
canthony@pickenscity.com
This Saturday is the annual Football Super Saturday celebration hosted by the Pickens Recreation Department. Games will be held at the new Pickens High School football stadium. Listed below is a schedule with a brief description of the events for the day. Super Saturday serves as one of our largest fundraising drives. Please support the Recreation Department by giving your time and by participating in these events. In case of inclement weather (lightning, field too wet), games will be cancelled.
Gate admission is $1 for everyone. Coaches, players and cheerleaders have free admission.
There will be an open grill during the day serving hot dogs. We need baked goods! If you can donate an item, please deliver it to the Recreation Department by 3 p.m. on Friday or bring it to the field with you on Saturday. If you would like to work the concession area, please call Heidi at (864) 878-2296.
Cheerleaders participating in our Spirit Queen contest will be recognized during intermission (approximately noon), and all participants and escorts (who are not playing/cheering) need to meet on the track at 11:30 a.m.
SCHEDULE
9 a.m.: Pickens Blue 7-8 (Sowell) vs Easley White
10:30 a.m.: Pickens White 7-8 (Proffitt) vs Westminster
Noon: Announcement of Spirit Queen participants and winners
1 p.m.: Pickens White 9-10 (Medlin) vs. Westminster
2:30 p.m.: Pickens Blue 9-10 (Harris) vs. Easley Silver
4 p.m.: Pickens Blue 11-12 (Bentley) vs. Easley White
5:30 p.m.: Punt, Pass and Kick local competition
