PICKENS — In just a couple of weeks, site preparation at the new Pickens High location will be winding down and construction will begin on the county’s first new high school.
The guaranteed maximum price for the project was approved by the school board Monday night for $36,407,800, a figure $5 million less than was projected during initial discussions.
The construction contract was awarded to Trehel/Balfour Beatty Construction. and the scheduled date of completion is August 2011, when the school will be ready for occupancy.
Controversy and change has dogged school construction planning from start to finish. Almost every step has encountered obstacles, including major changes in leadership for the school district.
Planning for new schools began when Mendel Stewart was nearing the end of service as the superintendent of education. Initial plans were largely for expansion and renovation of aging buildings and to eliminate portable classrooms, but a bond issue to fund projects failed to pass. Upon Stewart’s retirement, Lee D’Andrea became superintendent, the controversial installment purchase funding method was approved and the projected costs for school construction more than tripled.
Upon D’Andrea’s departure, Stewart returned to the helm temporarily to finish out the school year while a search for a new superintendent was held.
Board member Alex Saitta said that it was during this period the board first learned that there were only $365 million dollars available to complete $450 million worth of construction projects.
“We stood in the dark,” Saitta said.
The board hired Henry Hunt, the former assistant superintendent during Stewart’s tenure, as the new superintendent.
Board chair Jim Shelton credited board members, the construction management team, district administrators and architects in working together during the transition to whittle costs without sacrificing function to bring the project within budget.

EASLEY — A Greenville woman was arrested last Friday after a police chase that started in Easley and went through two counties, ending in Clemson.
Jodi Crenshaw Turner, 28, of 209 Gethsemane Drive in Greenville, was arrested on multiple charges, including failure to stop for a blue light, possession of cocaine, possession of a controlled substance and possession of burglary tools.
Easley police say they spotted and attempted to pull over a Ford Explorer pulling a trailer carrying a green-colored Gator-type ATV and lawn equipment.
According to reports, the vehicle was driving erratically near Brushy Creek Road in Easley. Officers say they followed the vehicle and watched it make a left-hand turn with no signal. Police say that when officers turned on their blue lights to stop the truck, it sped up recklessly.
The chase continued into Anderson County on Powdersville Road. The pursuit continued for several minutes, headed toward U.S. 178 and S.C. 93. Officers claim during the chase the driver made several attempts to strike oncoming traffic by driving into the opposite lane.
According to the report, the SUV continued down S.C. 93 into the Clemson area, ultimately turning left onto the grass at the Clemson Police Department, where it then traveled into a vacant lot and struck a building.
Officers say when they approached the vehicle, Turner was the lone occupant. They said Turner told officers the Explorer’s driver had fled the scene. Police say they did not see anyone leave the vehicle, and following a search of the vicinity, officers were unable to locate anyone else. Turner was then arrested and later charged.
Police say the equipment in the trailer was later identified as equipment stolen in Greenville County.
Greenville County is also investigating the case and more charges are expected to filed.

PUMPKINTOWN — A captive bear at a home near Pumpkintown attacked a 21-year old woman last Wednesday, biting her arm and shaking it, according to Department of Natural Resources Lt. Robert McCullough.
McCullough told the Courier that the woman, who has not been identified, has been hospitalized and underwent surgery following the incident.
“The family was having a family get-together when the incident occurred,” McCullough said. “The woman, a family member who did not live at the house on Joni Lane, attended the get-together. She apparently went alone down to the area where the bear was kept. We are still investigating how the incident occurred.”
McCullough said that the family had two black bears in captivity, each around 200 pounds.
“The bears are well taken care of,” he said.
To date, no charges have been filed in the incident, which is still under investigation by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Under state law, special permits are required to keep black bears in captivity on private land.

Deborah Brinson performs period music at the Hagood-Mauldin House last Wednesday for a group of Pickens County historical tourists.

COUNTY — The Teacher and Employee Retirement Incentive program (TERI) allows eligible state workers to retire and defer their retirement benefits while continuing employment at full salary for no more than five years.
TERI began in South Carolina to keep experienced teachers in classrooms in the face of a teacher shortage. Lawmakers later extended the program to include all state employees, which many say has blocked the entry of younger workers into the work force and limited their advancement once there.
The school board of Pickens County, in a push to cut expenses following deep state budget cuts, told TERI teachers last May that they could return in the fall if they’d accept entry level salaries.
Many left the system at that time.
Monday evening, the board voted to make an exception to its previous decision by rehiring a TERI employee to fill an undisclosed position at full salary.
The split vote (five to three) was preceded by statements from board members Alex Saitta and June Edwards, who opposed the decision.
Saitta said he felt it sent the wrong message and that the decision showed that the board is inconsistent in doing what it agreed to do..
“I’m concerned we’re treating one group one way and another group another way,” he said.
Edwards said she was also opposed to the action.
Following the vote, board member Oscar Thorsland said that in some cases the decision to rehire a TERI worker came about when no qualified person could be found to replace a teacher in a particular field, such as physics.
A state bill to close the TERI program to new participants is in committee now.
State budget reviews indicate eliminating the program could save as much as $22 million a year.