Dist. 50 approves budget

School board moving forward on bond-funded construction

October 25, 2006

By BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer

Greenwood School District 50 has laid out its budget for new school construction paid for by a new bond initiative.
District 50’s board of trustees announced at a special called meeting Tuesday night its construction budget linked to its installment purchase bond plan, a floor plan for three new elementary schools and a resolution to move forward with creating a nonprofit corporation to handle the bonds.
The action comes amid concerns by a Greenwood County councilman and a state representative that the board’s proposal might be unconstitutional.
Councilman Dee Compton, R-Greenwood, on Friday gave District 50 15 days to comply with 24 Freedom of Information Act requests concerning the installment purchase bond plan. Compton claims the district is trying to circumvent the 8 percent spending cap on construction illustrated in the constitution.
Rep. Mike Pitts, R-Greenwood, also has sought an opinion from the state Supreme Court regarding the plan’s legality.
Bonds are typically sold by government agencies to the public and investors to fund large projects.
The money derived from the bond sale is given to the issuing agency and paid back over an established amount of time.
Bond attorney Bill Hirata said the nonprofit corporation would be in charge of selling the bonds to a bank to make proceeds for the school district.
“This is your blueprint for going forward, essentially,” Hirata said.
The board accepted the budget suggested by construction management company Southern Management Group 5-1, with Lary Davis dissenting.
Trustees also accepted the resolution for the nonprofit corporation 5-1, with Davis dissenting.
The district budget spends about $145 million to modify all its schools, including fees, technology, furniture and other items, said Gary Johnson, assistant superintendent for business for District 50.
The final desired budgets for each school:
East End Elementary School: $3,111,805
Hodges Elementary School: $5,196,631
Lakeview Elementary School: $5,479,005
Mathews Elementary School: $13,807,596
Merrywood Elementary School: $13,741,275
Oakland Elementary School: $6,297,797
Pinecrest Elementary School: $6,712,400
Springfield Elementary School: $4,775,499
Woodfields Elementary School: $13,420,000
Emerald High School: $16,436,191
Greenwood High School: $18,644,493
Every elementary school will have new art, physical education and music facilities, except for East End, Johnson said.
Emerald High will get a new gymnatorium, more classrooms and upgrades.
Greenwood High will get 24 classrooms and upgrades, Johnson said.
If all goes accordingly, the school should be built in three to 4 1/2 years.
The board also made tentative decisions on where the three new elementary schools will be located based on architectural firm Jumper Carter Sease’s suggestions. The new Woodfields Elementary could sit on the same land as the new Brewer, Gary Johnson said. A new Mathews could replace the existing one on the same land.
The new Merrywood could be on the same land as the new or old Northside, Gary Johnson said.
Trustees also chose a possible floor plan for the new elementary schools.
Similar to the new Brewer, Westview and Northside Elementary schools, each school’s footprint would be an X-shape, with a cafeteria, physical education/multi-purpose room and stage on one wing of the school, Gary Johnson said.
The library would be near the center of the school.
Board members Jennie Thompson and Patricia Tolbert were absent.

‘Freshman 15’: Fact or fiction?

Lander students weigh in on the battle against the bulge

October 25, 2006

By By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

College students encounter a number of challenges, problems and tribulations as they navigate their way through school.
There are changes in academic endeavors, adjustments in schedules and, for many, coping with living on their own for the first time.
Then, of course, there’s the dreaded “Freshman 15.”
The “Freshman 15” is a term that has been bandied about for years. It’s often thought many college students gain up to 15 pounds their first year of college.
Studies, however, say weight gain the first year of college is not quite so steep. At the same time, the studies show some continue to gain weight after their freshman year.
The weight control center at Brown University conducted a study involving 382 students — 60 percent female and 40 percent male — from an unidentified university in the Northeast. The students involved in the study weighed in four times during the year: at the beginning of the school year, after the end of the first semester, after they returned from holiday break in January and at the end of the school year.
It was determined that, on average, the males had gained 5.6 pounds, while the females had gained 3.6. Six percent had gained 15 pounds or more.
Students did not gain as much weight during their sophomore year, but did tend to add about 2 pounds on average.
There are several theories on why this gain occurs, said Drew Gregory, Lander University director of campus recreation and intramurals.
“There is a problem in this country with self-control and over-indulgence,” Gregory said. “The cafeteria here is set up as all-you-can-eat. So they can go in there and get all they want in terms of ice cream or fried chicken or whatever.”
For some students, such as freshman Douglas Gamble, 18, eating in the cafeteria is more of a fiscal decision than a culinary choice.
“If I’m paying $17,000 to go to school, I’m eating in the cafeteria,” Gamble said, with a laugh. “I eat there every day.”
Sophomore Toni Kinard, who lives off campus, said she doesn’t eat in the cafeteria as often.
“Maybe twice a week,” Kinard said. “My friends and I go out sometimes, and sometimes I eat at home.”
Gregory also said many young people tend to draw entertainment from non-physical activities such as video games and movies.
However, Gregory said Lander has worked hard to offer students ways to stay in shape.
The university has the PEES Center, which has basketball courts, a weight room, a jogging track, a pool, a dance studio and a running/walking track. Students have access to these areas.
Gregory also has initiated group exercise classes in which students can participate in aerobic endeavors under the tutelage of instructors.
Kinard said she particularly likes those activities.
“I do dance aerobics once a week,” Kinard said. “I use it for stress relief and for the exercise.”
Another area in which Lander students can get active is intramural sports. The university offers a number of sports, such as flag football, softball, basketball, volleyball and ultimate Frisbee.
James Stubbs, a senior and a mainstay in Lander’s intramural sports scene, said he finds staying active is the best way to keep weight off.
Stubbs, who came to Lander from Orlando, Fla., on a baseball scholarship, said he had no problem staying fit his first year on the baseball team.
“We were practicing and working out three and four hours a day,” Stubbs said. “It was when I stopped playing baseball that I started gaining a few pounds.”
Stubbs said he was able to shed the weight by taking up jogging and continuing to play a number of intramural sports. “I started out running a mile-and-a-half,” Stubbs said. “Now, I’m up to four miles. It’s going well.”
When asked how often he exercises, Gamble’s answer was succinct.
“Every day,” the freshman said. “Definitely try to exercise every day.”
One area in which Lander students can participate in exercises that aren’t in the realm of traditional sports is the outdoor activities program. Headed by Gregory, the program entails activities such as hiking, kayaking and bicycling.
Gregory said he is pleased to see students getting active, whether it is in aerobics, intramural games or simply in free play. “It really is satisfying,” he said. “I like to see students taking an interest in their physical well being. To see that makes this job a gratifying experience.”
(Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.)

Joint Planning Commission rejects
zoning acreage cuts

October 25, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Senior staff writer

With a 6-3 vote Tuesday, the Joint Planning Commission of Greenwood County denied a request to reduce acreage restrictions for Forest/Agricultural (FA) zoning districts.
The vote was met with applause by dozens of people who packed the Greenwood County Courthouse courtroom for the meeting.
The recommendation goes to County Council, which will have the final say on the request’s fate.
The request, by Callison-area property owner D. Ansel Brewer, looks to reduce a 5-acre minimum restriction on lot sizes in FA zones to 2 acres.
The FA zone was developed in 2000, he said, by a group that wanted an alternative to lower-acreage districts that allow mixtures of land uses, said Phil Lindler, director of planning for Greenwood City and County.
“The Callison community wanted something that had a little bit larger acreage than that,” Lindler said.
The only FA zoning district in the county is the 19,000-acre area in the Callison and Phoenix communities. Lindler said that portion of southern Greenwood County is limited by a lack of public infrastructure, particularly water and sewer lines.
Brewer recently sent out surveys to residents in the FA zone asking their opinion on the request, and a four-page form letter was mailed asking residents to oppose the change, Lindler said. Of the surveys returned to the planning office, 184 property owners — representing 15 percent of the zone’s acreage — wanted the change. The office also received 187 responses from owners, totaling about 68 percent of the zone’s acreage, who wanted the five-acre restriction to remain the same.
More than 330 property owners did not respond to the survey.
During a public hearing on the matter, Brewer said his request stemmed from concerns that the acreage restriction was too severe for young property owners.
“Young folks can’t afford to buy five acres of land and build a house or buy a mobile home,” he said.
Brewer also tried to calm concerns that the reduction would bring in high-density mobile home housing by having Lindler confirm that FA zones do not allow that type of use. Lindler also confirmed Brewer had never suggested he was planning to bring dense development housing onto his farm land.
Ed Rounds, a County Line Road resident, said he was in favor of the change, telling the commission that he started out with two acres. He now owns about 100 acres in the area.
“If it weren’t for starting out with two acres, I don’t know how we would have done it,” he said. “I have six children, and I’d love to give them some land. If I have to give them all five, there goes my hunting spots.”
A number of residents and property owners spoke out against the request, citing issues of safety, traffic and overcrowding that could come along with reduced acreage restrictions.
Greenwood attorney Jon Newlon said he represented multiple Callison-area residents who were “concerned” with the request, including Callison Volunteer Fire Department Chief Roland Temple.
In a letter read by Newlon, Temple wrote that the department was concerned by limited water, resources and available aid from other fire departments if the request were approved because “it could cause an increase in fire flow and affect the county budget.”
Newlon also said the surveys showed a majority of zone residents were in favor of “maintaining status quo.” More than half the zone’s acreage is owned by residents not in favor of the reduction. “It is significant and cannot be ignored,” he said. “The reason these people want to maintain status quo is the expectation of the community in which they live — in maintaining the aesthetic value and the agricultural appearance. They don’t want to change that.”
Callison resident Heath Davis said the county isn’t prepared for increased growth in his community at this time.
“The county and the state do not have the money for the infrastructure it takes to put these houses in two-acre spots” he said.
Stephen Davis, who serves on a Department of Natural Resources board, said rising population is an issue facing the entire state.
“One of the greatest issues ... this state faces is a changing demographic that we have not seen in state history,” he said, adding a projected 1 million people could move into South Carolina within the next 15 years.
He said the Piedmont region is one of the last areas in the state that doesn’t have dense growth lining every county road. “Greenwood County finds itself right in the middle of what would be considered a last opportunity to have areas that are timberland and woodland,” he said. “This (the request to reduce acreage restrictions) is an issue that is relative to what our county will look like 15 to 30 years from now.”
After the planning commission’s recommendation to council to deny the request, Davis said he was very happy with the recommendation.
“I think this is a great step. It’s something our community achieved five years ago, and I think it is something that is keeping our heritage down there,” Davis said after the meeting. “It’s nice to know a lot of families still have farmland down there and it’s nice to know you can still ride down and see country.
“In a lot of places in our state and county, you can’t see that anymore.”

Obituaries

Thelma Isom Herd

CALHOUN FALLS — Thelma Isom Herd was born eighty-five years ago on July 17, 1921, in Calhoun Falls, South Carolina. She entered into her rest on Oct. 21, 2006.
“Teddy”, as she was affectionately called, married Joseph Herd, Sr., and they lived in South Carolina for many years before moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Teddy completed her nursing training in Philadelphia, where she became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Teddy’s husband died suddenly in 1955, as the result of a motor vehicle accident.
Services for Thelma will be held at Friendly Funeral Home, 629 Seneca Street, Calhoun Falls, at 1 p.m. today.
Teddy leaves, to mourn her passing, her children: Joseph Herd, Jr. (Hazel) of Ninety Six, South Carolina; Marva Jean Johnson of Alexandria, Virginia; four grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.
Interment will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Calhoun Falls, immediately following the service.
The family is at the residence of Joseph and Hazel Herd at 821 Carter Rd., Ninety Six.

Joseph Rapley Jr.

ABBEVILLE — Joseph Rapley Jr., 54, of 105 Pettigrew St., died Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006 at his home. The family is at the home of his mother, Mamie R. Pinson, 105 Pettigrew St.
Services will be announced by Brown and Walker Funeral Home.

A stormy start

Lander advances in tourney with come-from-behind win

October 25, 2006

By RENALDO STOVER
Index-Journal sports writer

Never underestimate the power of a hurricane.
The Lander Bearcats (14-3), the No. 1 seed in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament, almost forgot this Tuesday night as they faced the No. 8 seed Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes (2-12).
The Bearcats won 2-1, thanks to second-half goals by Jamie Ramm and Colin Kent after a forgettable first half.
The win gave Bearcats coach Van Taylor his 300th career victory, all spent roaming the sidelines at Lander, while also allowing the Bearcats to host the tournament semifinals on Friday and the championship on Saturday.
“It took us getting behind to really get on track, and it was not our best performance tonight,” Taylor said. “We were fortunate to get through the game, and we’re thankful we’re moving on.”
The Hurricanes took an early 1-0 lead because of Keith Henck. At the 23 minute, 31 seconds mark, Henck sent a shot past Lander goalkeeper Garrett Daum, who was out of position after diving at a shot by Etchu Tabe that went awry. Daum recovered though, and finished with two saves against the Hurricanes, who took 14 shots on goal.
The Bearcats missed an opportunity to tie the game late in the first half when Antti Suoniemi got past Hurricanes goalkeeper Conrad Brown, but Suoniemi could not get the ball under control and the Bearcats came away empty-handed.
Brown finished with six saves.
The Hurricanes had a 1-0 lead at the half.
The Bearcats outshot the Hurricanes 12-4 in the second half and practically kept the ball at one end of the field for the remainder of the game.
“We made a little change at halftime tactically that I think helped, and then the game got open,” Taylor said. “At the same time, we have to play better and the guys know we can play better.”
The Bearcats finally broke through at the 62:33 mark when Ramm hit a perfect shot following a corner kick by Martyn Bell that tied the game at 1 and sent the rabid Bearcats fans into a frenzy.
Colin Kent put the Bearcats ahead with just more than six minutes remaining, thanks to an assist from Adam Arthur that gave the Bearcats the 2-1 lead and the win.
Lander, which is ranked No. 15 in the latest NSCAA/Adidas national poll, will face No. 4 USC Upstate at noon Friday. The other semifinal is set for 2:30. “It’s a big plus playing here at home and the crowd is a big plus,” Taylor said. “As far as 300 wins, I think it speaks well for the great players we’ve had over the years and it’s a credit to our program and we get great support from the administration and I’m just thankful to be a part of the program.”

Opinion

Being naive not limited to any particular voter

October 25, 2006

President Abraham Lincoln was right so many years ago. His words back then, though, are just as pertinent today: “ ... It is true that you may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all the time.”
That doesn’t mean, however, that a lot of politicians today don’t try to fool everyone all the time. That is, in fact, a routine occurrence when politicians have differences of opinion and one believes he’s losing the debate within the public’s perception.
So, what does he do? He resorts to the standard political crutch. He does everything he can to discredit his opponent or his opponent’s stance on the issues.

EVERY VOTER IN SOUTH Carolina recognizes the maneuver. Voters have often been targeted with misinformation in every imaginable way. Wouldn’t you think that after a while the voters would catch on and the practice would be ineffective.
Also, wouldn’t you think that sooner or later the voters would become wise to the ways of demagogues?
Many do, of course, and they evaluate politicians accordingly. Sadly, though, some voters never see the big picture.
They never know they are among those who can be fooled all of the time.
There are numerous dirty and other kinds of tricks that wily politicians employ. One particularly is the practice of character assassination. It is often used to try to destroy an opponent’s integrity and reputation. It’s amazing how that tactic still works. Even when some people are aware of how it’s done, they still take the bait.

AS LINCOLN NOTED, SOME of us will believe anything we’re told. Being naive is not limited to anyone, no matter how intelligent each of us is. Smart politicians know this, to be sure, and they exploit that human characteristic to the maximum. Unfortunately, there are many of us who never realize that we are naive, and politicians will take advantage of that time after time after time.
Then there are the single-issue voters. No matter what else a candidate espouses, he gets some votes based on one thing ..... like where he went to school or something that has little or no effect on the majority of issues.
Do we ever learn? Lincoln answered that long ago.