CPW asks residents to allow annexation

District 50 wants new Northside Middle in city limits

September 21, 2005

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

Sixteen property owners along Newcastle Road are being asked by the Commissioners of Public Works to accept annexation of a portion of their properties into the Greenwood city limits.
If they accept, School District 50 will be able to have the tract of the new Northside Middle School annexed into the city limits, potentially saving the district money on CPW utilities.
A district official said the annexation also would enhance the fire and police protection available to the school site and make Northside consistent with the annexations of the Westview and Brewer middle school sites.
The annexation of a 10-foot-wide strip of land would connect the North Side Baptist Church property — which is inside the city limits — with the south corner of the Northside Middle property.
That land is at the corner of Newcastle and Deadfall roads.
Greenwood City Manager Steve Brown vowed that the city would never seek to annex more land unless petitioned for annexation by a property owner.
The affected property owners were invited by CPW to a meeting Tuesday at North Side Baptist where annexation options were explained. They were told that this week a CPW official would seek individual meetings to gauge their interest.
“It’s a good thing from a parent’s point of view,” said Lisa Parker, one of the property owners invited to the meeting. “That little strip of land will not hurt the whole (property). I would say we probably would go with the annexation.”
Parker said her daughter likely will be one of the first students to attend the new Northside Middle, to be constructed next year. It will replace a middle school that she said is deteriorating.
District 50 already has replaced the former Southside Middle with the new Westview Middle School and opened the new Brewer Middle School in August.
Westview and Brewer are connected to the city limits the same way the new Northside is envisioned to be connected. But that 10-foot connection does not open the door for wholesale annexation of properties by the City of Greenwood, Brown said.
“We would not be here tonight talking to you about annexation if not for their (District 50) need to be in the city limits,” he said.
Even if the city wanted more land, it is prohibited by state law from “taking” someone’s property through annexation, Brown said. Only through an annexation petition to city council would the rest of a person’s property come into the city limits, he said.
Even then, the city would assess its costs in providing service to a property before agreeing to annex it. Brown said the city has the resources to provide fire and law enforcement services to all the middle school sites.
To District 50, that’s a major advantage, said Gary Johnson, assistant superintendent for business and operations.
“The sheriff’s office has a huge area they patrol, with a longer response time. The advantage of being in the city, there is a small (patrol) area, by comparison,” he said. “They can provide a lot of law enforcement personnel in a short period of time.”
Being under city fire protection would qualify the school for a lower insurance rate, he said.
In addition, the district would negotiate electricity costs with CPW at what Johnson said would be a significantly lower rate than electricity from Duke Power, which would be the service provider if the school site is not annexed.
Based on electrical costs negotiated two years ago for Westview, the savings over the 40-50-year life of the school would be $1 million, Johnson said.
“That’s over a million dollars of your money,” he said. “That’s over six mills of tax.”
CPW Director of Engineering Mark Amick said the 10-foot-wide strip of land asked of the property owners might not be needed for a utility connection to the new Northside site. Transmission lines could be placed on Duke Power poles, he said.
But if the transmission to the new school site cannot be accomplished that way, the annexation strip would be an option, he said.
As the hour-and-a-half meeting concluded, property owners talked among themselves in small groups, weighing their options. CPW, District 50 and City of Greenwood officials had gone through their presentation twice because of a mix-up about the time of the meeting.
A Sept. 12 letter from CPW to the affected property owners announced the meeting for 6 p.m. But fliers were circulated in the area mistakenly announcing the meeting for 7. Fifteen people were in the 6 p.m. audience and 13 came at 7 p.m., and both sets of residents were given the chance to learn about the annexation options and ask questions.
Amick said CPW probably would not have another meeting on the issue for all homeowners in the Idlewood subdivision.
He said just the 16 people being asked to consent to the annexation are directly affected, not the entire subdivision.
“This is the first time we’ve decided to write a letter and bring people together like this,” he said. “Most of the time (when negotiating land arrangements), we go house to house.”

Rachel Knight Adkins

MARIETTA, SC — Rachel Knight Adkins, 79, of 103 Ellen Street, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday morning, September 20, 2005.
Born in southern Greenville County, she was a daughter of the late James Edward and Bessie Gaines Knight. Mrs. Adkins was retired from JP Stevens Slater Plant Personnel Office after 35 years. She was a past member of the Stroud Memorial Hospital Board, the Slater-Marietta Lions Club Auxillary, and she was a member of Marietta First Baptist Church, where she was very active in the WMU and Sunday School.
Surviving is her husband of 60 years, Thomas T. Adkins Sr. of the home; two sons T. Terry Adkins Jr. and wife Kit of Greenwood and E. Scott Adkins and wife Brenda of Easley; three grandchildren, Jason S. Adkins, Jennafer M. Adkins and Thomas T. Adkins, III and a brother Malcolm O. Knight.
Mrs. Adkins was predeceased by three brothers, William, James and Edwin Knight and a sister, Lucille Knight.
Funeral services will be held at 3 o’clock Friday afternoon at Marietta First Baptist Church with burial to follow in Coleman Memorial Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6:30 until 8:30 Thursday evening at The Howze Mortuary.
Memorials may be made to Marietta First Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 337, Marietta, SC 29661.
The Howze Mortuary, Travelers Rest is in charge of arrangements.
PAID OBITUARY

Scoring machine

Finding the back of the net easy for Lander’s Ibbetson

September 21, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

Lander University soccer player Luke Ibbetson is picking up in 2005 where he left off in 2004.
The junior forward was named Peach Belt Conference player of the week on Sept. 8, after scoring four goals in the first four games of the Bearcats’ season.
Ibbetson has upped that total to seven goals, helping Lander to a 5-1-1 start and a No. 25 ranking in Division II. “It’s an honor to be sure,” said Ibbetson, who has been named the PBC’s player of the week four times.
“The teams in our conference, and even teams like Erskine, are getting better and better. So it means a lot to me to receive this award once again.”
Throughout Ibbetson’s time at Lander, the forward has had a knack for finding the back of the net.
He was named to the National Soccer Coaches Athletic Association All-American Team in 2004 on the strength of his team-leading 19 goals and five assists.
“I’ve had a number of spectacular opportunities the last couple of years,” Ibbetson said. “I’ve got some great teammates and (Lander) coach (Van) Taylor is fantastic. They tell me to go ahead and stay aggressive. I try to get in the box and let it fly. I’ve been fortunate to score quite a bit.”
Taylor said he has been impressed with Ibbetson’s fast start in 2005. He said Ibbetson was a key component of the team last season when he led the Peach Belt in goals scored.
“Luke is a unique player,” Taylor said.
“He’s a big player and he’s strong. One thing I like about him is that he’s not afraid to go for the cross dig, or a header, or to go one-on-one with a goalkeeper.”
Taylor said it’s almost as important for Ibbetson to maintain a proper mental state as it is to remain physically strong on the field.
“With what we ask Luke to do, it’s vital that he has a strong personality,” Taylor said. “It’s become even more important because some of the teams we play are starting to mark Luke and design things specifically to stop him.”
Ibbetson, who hails from York, England, said he has enjoyed making the most of his opportunity to play collegiate soccer in the United States. He first learned of Lander in 2002, when his coach in England introduced him to Taylor.
Shortly after, Ibbetson visited the school and decided to suit up for the Bearcats.
One aspect of playing for Lander that troubles Ibbetson is the fact his father, who remains in England, is not able to see him play.
“They (his mother and father) keep up with things on the internet,” Ibbetson said. “They’re always checking it out. They were pleased about the player of the week bit. They hope to see me make All-American again.”
Ibbetson said he and fellow Bearcat forward Chiddy Mgbor have formed a formidable ball striking tandem for Lander. The duo set out each game to play off each other’s strengths, using contrasting styles to keep opponents off balance, Ibbetson said.
“Chiddy gets right after people, and I try to set him up as much as possible,” Ibbetson said. “It’s working out well so far.”
Ibbetson thinks the PBC is wide open in 2005, with any number of teams, including Lander, expecting to have a shot to bring home a conference title. The forward said there is more parity in the conference than in past years, a fact that favors the Bearcats as they look toward league play.
Lander begins conference play Oct. 1 against Francis Marion.
“UNC Pembroke and Spartanburg (USC Upstate) have been so strong in the past,” Ibbetson said. “They look to be down a bit this season, and some of the other teams have come up. I think the conference will be superb this year.”

Chris Trainor covers area sports for The Index-Journal. He can be reached at: ctrainor@indexjournal.com

Too many use tragedies to exploit those in need

September 21, 2005

The unbelievable damage done by Hurricane Katrina, whether physical, mental, or emotional, is on a scale never before seen in this country. As always, when Nature cuts a destructive path, there are unusual stories of strange occurrences, as well as tales of courage and concern. Katrina, though, has generated different stories – most for partisan politics – and are so far-fetched they have little or no credibility.
Some, of course, reflect the generosity and the concern many Americans have for the victims of the hurricane.
Folks around Greenwood, the Lakelands and all over South Carolina have shown a degree of compassion that speaks to the best humanity has to offer. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that some have used the consequences of Katrina to stoke their own political agendas.

THERE HAVE BEEN EFFORTS to use the storm for racial and political exploitation, and any other agendas that are selfishly manufactured out of the chaos and suffering. These political opportunists erect soapboxes to allow themselves to shout their demagogic rhetoric to the high heavens.
There always are hustlers, it seems, who are quick to take advantage of the hardships of others to advance themselves and their causes. You’d think by now that the American people would recognize such deplorable practices. Unfortunately, master showman P. T. Barnum was right. A sucker is born every minute ….. and the same people keep right on with their mass exploitations without being seriously challenged, while appealing to gullible believers.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. A lot of us have a lot of shame to shoulder these days.