By Ben Robinson

Staff Reporter

brobinson@thepccourier.com

LIBERTY — After a hearty discussion, Liberty City Council voted 4-3 not to name the city gym that the city received from the School District of Pickens County after county councilman Neil Smith.

Councilwoman Lisa Hunter first brought up the objection to the gym being named after Smith or anyone else who is still living.

“I feel that Neil has done a great job for the city of Liberty, but I do not agree with naming a building after anyone who is still living,” she said. “It isn’t smart.”

Mayor Eric Boughman brought the proposal before council, citing many things that Smith has done for the city of Liberty including seeing that the county donated the gym to the city, finding funding for restrooms at city athletic facilities, a dugout at the city’s baseball field bringing a magistrate’s office to the city and making the former Liberty High School the McKissick auditorium.

Boughman noted that Easley’s Larry Bagwell has a gym named after him, yet continues to serve as that city’s mayor.

Councilman Brain Petersen pointed out that much of what Smith has done for Liberty is simply part of his duties as a county councilman.

“It’s his job,” Petersen said. “I appreciate what he has done — they didn’t have to give us that facility — but naming a building after a living person can get you in trouble.”

Councilman Dwight Yates disagreed.

“He didn’t have to give us that facility, and I don’t see a problem with naming a building after him,” Yates said. “Several buildings have been named after someone.”

Councilman Josh Harrison noted that anything a council member does for a city also has to have support of his fellow council members.

“All of us vote on any action by the council,” Harrison said. “So other council members helped us by helping him.”

Council member Lavant Padgett suggested council should table the matter until council could come up with an agreement, but Brougham said “We’ve all had ample time to consider this,” and moved forward with the vote.

After the measure failed, Jamie Burns of the community enrichment project said council needs to give the facilities a name so her group would not have to refer to places as “the former Liberty High School stadium” or “the former Liberty Middle School gym.”

Hunter suggested the group could refer to the facility as the “Liberty Recreation Center Old Gym” or the football stadium “the old Liberty High School stadium,” because people would know where it is.

Councilman Chuck Powell suggested the city consider naming the stadium after the late Jim Beeson.

“He put his heart and soul into getting that stadium for Liberty,” Powell said.

Peterson said council should wait until its next work session to consider any naming of facilities.

In other business, Liberty Police Chief Adam Gilstrap reported that the city had issued tickets to 83 people in the past month.

“We try not to take people to jail unless they really need to go,” Gilstrap said.

During Christmas, the city police participated in a program in which officers sometimes offered gift cards for local merchants instead of tickets to promote good will among the citizens.

Council will meet again in a work session Feb. 1, and Boughman challenged council members to come with an idea of how to proceed in the search for a new city clerk and administrator.

Boughman said council would use the work session to discuss what to do about the recent controversy surrounding a proposed coal ash dump at the county landfill. The county planning commission suspended the land-use permit of the company in question on Monday.

“I don’t know what they are doing, but we’re not going to become a dumping ground,” Boughman said. “We need to encourage the people of Liberty that we don’t want that.”