Author: Dick Mangrum

A December 11 memorandum from an outside attorney for the Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority is no longer an attorney-client communication considered privileged and confidential.  The JRSA board voted to convert the memo to a public document.  The subject of the memo:  impact fees — distasteful to home builders and other developers yet seen as necessary for wastewater operators to […]

When the rain arrives after midnight tonight, all areas will be above freezing at the outset of the rain, says South Carolina forecaster Frank Strait, but the temperature will quickly fall to around freezing over northern parts of Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, and Spartanburg.  And, for a time, elevated road surfaces could become icy. By 9 tomorrow morning, temps will rise […]

Each of the two men nominated to be the new chairman of the Oconee Planning Commission was permitted a campaign pitch — just before their colleagues decided on a replacement last night for Frankie Pearson, who turned in a surprise resignation to start the meeting.  Chairman nominees Mike Johnson and Gary Gaulin recited the advantages of electing one or the […]

Seneca’s spiffy (and nationally-recognized) water plant complex at the end of the Normandy Shores peninsula makes for quite a place to have a public meeting.  Such was the case yesterday when the Joint Regional Sewer Authority held a series of meetings involving its municipal customers.  One thing for sure, if you get bored by all the chatter, look out the […]

Seneca Light and Water officials chatted yesterday about what seem to be unprecedented home-building in their area, especially along the Wells Highway, and how these new developments will increase water taps (and revenue) to their utilities department which has earned the moniker the goose that lays the golden egg for Oconee’s largest city.  And last night, with the county attorney, […]

As I-85 sewer gains further traction, power supplier Blue Ridge announces a rebuild in Fair Play community that’ll finish sometime in the new calendar year. In his Co-Op column, President/CEO Jim Lovinggood of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative writes, “Once that work is completed sometime in 2024, we’ll have added two more major three-phase circuits to that station, which significantly increases […]

Amanda Brock, Oconee County administrator, meets today with an engineer to talk about the county’s plans to extend sewer to Exit Four, I-85.  Glenn Hart, that area’s county councilman, made the announcement yesterday to the board of the Joint Regional Sewer Authority.  Hart, along with his District Three colleague Don Mize, took advantage of the sewer commissioners’ now-standing invite to […]

After eight years, Frankie Pearson’s life is headed in a different direction.  That was part of Pearson’s explanation at the start of the Oconee Planning Commission meeting when he told his colleagues he’s resigning.  The resignation leaves open the District Four seat on the commission, and last night left his colleagues to choose a new chairman.  “I need to be […]

A 61-year-old Anderson County woman died in the hospital yesterday morning — just hours after her vehicle was in a fiery crash on I-85 near mile marker 11. The Anderson coroner attributes Stephanie McGill’s death to traumatic injuries, secondary to blunt force trauma.  The accident occurred around 9 o’clock Wednesday night.  Coroner Greg Shore says investigation indicates McGill was apparently […]