COUNTY — It was a year of changes, accomplishments and tragedy in Pickens County. The Courier is looking back over the top stories of 2015 as we head into 2016 this week.

This week’s year-in-review story covers the first six months of the year.[cointent_lockedcontent]

January

The year started with exciting news for a long-awaited project that would retrace the path of the old Pickens Doodle train that formerly ran between Easley and Pickens with a multi-purpose recreational trail.

In January, the city of Easley passed ordinances that would secure funding for the trail. The move by Easley City Council set in motions the vision of the trail becoming a reality before year’s end.

The next step was for the city of Pickens to approve its half of the funding for the project to move forward.

By the end of January, after years of planning and debate, Pickens and Easley officially broke ground on the Doodle Trail in Pickens at the Pickens Rail Yard at 409 E. Cedar Rock Street.

Pickens County also welcomed its first baby of the year, as Abigail Swanger was born at 2:07 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1, at Baptist Easley. Swanger weighed in at an even 9 pounds and was welcomed by mom Kelly Swanger and two big sisters, ages 9 and 12.

That same week, Dacusville named its 2014 citizen and business of the year. Tom Turner was named citizen of the year. He served the Dacusville Fire Department as a volunteer fireman and was recently elected chairman of the board for the Dacusville Fire Department. The Clock Restaurant of Dacusville was named business of the year.

In other news, despite some problems with Pickens County Council’s decision not to re-establish contracts with local municipal fire departments the Pickens Fire Department continued to answer calls in rural fire districts.

“For no money, free of charge, we will continue to run all the calls for the month of January,” Pickens fire chief Chris Elrod said. “The next (contract) starts Feb. 2 to take that two-mile global around our department and respond to all the activities within that, but I don’t think that one’s going to work either. I‘ve got no indication that (county officials are) interested in that.”

“We put those contracts together just so we would have something in writing. It does not look like the county is interested.”

In other areas of the county, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and Town of Six Mile officials held a community watch meeting. The meeting, which was open to all residents of the Six Mile area, featured tips and presentations from sheriff’s office officials, as well as handouts provided by law enforcement.

The Pickens County legislative delegation held its annual meeting with the public in early January at the Carr Center of West End Hall in Easley.

The delegation — consisting of state senators Larry Martin of Pickens and Thomas Alexander and state representatives Gary Clary, Davey Hiott, Neal Collins and Joshua Putnam — heard from a number of residents about their concerns heading into the 2015 session of the South Carolina General Assembly.

Late in the month, hundreds attended a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Easley Union Missionary Baptist Church pastor the Rev. Artis J. Bufford addressed the public during the celebration in Pickens and challenged his audience to remain active in pursuing King’s dream.

The program was held in front of the Pickens County Courthouse and featured words from Bufford, Pickens County sheriff Rick Clark, Pickens City Councilman Fletcher Perry and Pickens Presbyterian Church pastor Rev. Nath Briley.

Rev. C.L. Cruell provided a rousing recitation of King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech. A community choir performed “Amazing Grace” and “We Shall Overcome.”

Also later in the month, S.C. House Rep. Davey Hiott, a Pickens native, was named chairman of the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Easley city administrator Fox Simons also announced his resignation from the position would come the next month.

Simons, who had worked for the city for the last eight years, stepped down Feb. 13 to accept an assistant city administrator position in Myrtle Beach.

Pickens High School also got a new head football coach in former Blue Flame John Boggs. Like many others his age who grew up in Pickens in the 1970s and 1980s, Boggs remembered attending games at Bruce Field as a boy, watching legendary coach Bill Isaacs lead the Blue Flame through one of the greatest stretches in program history. Boggs got his own chance to lead the next generation of Blue Flame to glory.

February

As 2015 made it into February, officials from Pickens and Easley met at the Pickens Rail Yard to officially break ground on the long-awaited Doodle Trail.

Easley mayor Larry Bagwell recognized the work that Easley city administrator Fox Simons and former Pickens city administrator Katherine Hendricks had put into planning the trail, which was expected to be completed in the spring.

That same week, Pickens County Meals on Wheels broke ground on a new facility in Liberty. Many gathered at the former site of the lunchroom of Liberty Middle School to break ground for Pickens County Meals on Wheels’ new McKissick Center for Senior Wellness.

The facility was donated to Meals on Wheels by Pickens County after the county purchased the entire facility from the School District of Pickens County for various uses.

That same week, Liberty Post Office carrier Lynn Palmer retired. After serving as a city carrier for the past 16 years, Palmer decided to retire and spend her time remodeling houses.

Also in February, local attorney Perry H. Gravely was elected as judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit.

Gravely, who was elected in a joint session of the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate on Feb. 4, succeeded the Honorable G. Edward Welmaker, who retired after a 10-year tenure on the bench.

The city of Easley passed an agreement to clear up a tax-increment financing dispute with the School District of Pickens County.

The county mourned the loss of Earl Gilstrap Jr. Gilstrap, who served as principal at schools such as Easley Junior High and Daniel High and who once served as an assistant coach at Easley, passed away at age 66 after a battle with brain cancer.

He graduated from Easley High School in 1967. Gilstrap moved on to play for Clemson University and legendary coach Frank Howard. He played there from 1968-1971, as a kicking-team specialist, center and defensive back.

In other Easley-area news in February, after a little more than two months without a head football coach, Easley High School found its man.

The school announced that former Furman University defensive coordinator John Windham would take over the reins for the Green Wave.

Windham, who served as defensive coordinator for the Paladins for the last four seasons, replaced Grayson Howell, who had a 9-14 record in two seasons at Easley before being relieved of coaching duties in November.

By late February, winter was in full force as the county was blanketed in a huge ice storm. The first major winter storm of 2015 dropped a layer of ice over the Southeast on Feb. 16, closing schools and government offices and leaving thousands without power in the Upstate. As of the middle of the day Feb. 17, more than 3,600 Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative customers and more than 5,300 Duke Energy customers in Pickens County were still without power.

It was also announced Easley mayor Larry Bagwell would be inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame. Bagwell and six other honorees were inducted in a ceremony March 15 at the Charleston Marriott.

February ended with the unexpected news that after a little less than six months on the job, Pickens County administrator Matthew Delk announced his resignation.

No reason was given for Delk’s abrupt resignation, and county officials said they could not comment on personnel matters.

Pickens County Council members voted unanimously at a planning retreat to name finance director Ralph Guarino as the interim replacement for Delk as a search was carried out to find a permanent administrator.

Senior Citizens of Pickens received a $115,000 grant from Lt. Governor Henry McMaster for the completion of renovations at the Hagood Community Center.

The center, located at 129 Schoolhouse St. in Pickens, is home to the Pickens Senior Center.

The money, earned thanks to the efforts of a pair of local legislators, Sen. Larry Martin and Rep. Davey Hiott, as well as the director of the Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging, Yancey McGill, was awarded on Feb. 18 in Columbia. Senior Citizens of Pickens treasurer John Howard traveled to Columbia to accept the award from McMaster.

The project included the renovation of the auditorium of the 1929 building.

Winter just kept hammering Pickens County and the Southeast. After the remnants of the last ice storm finally melted away, Pickens County residents woke up to a blanket of snow days later, and much more of the white stuff was forecast to be on the way.

Schools in the county were closed after the first of two winter storm systems expected to hit the region dropped more than an inch of snow in much of the county overnight. According to forecasts, some parts of the Upstate, including most of Pickens County, could see accumulation of up to 8 inches.

March

As March rolled in, the first-ever Gathering on Appalachian Life was held at multiple sites around Pickens. The event drew large crowds to learn about Appalachian customs and traditions of days gone by at sites ranging from the community center to the Hagood Mill, Pickens County Museum and Hagood-Mauldin House.

Pickens County was chosen to receive $44,766 in federal funds to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county.

The selection was made by a National Board that is chaired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Pickens County has distributed emergency food and shelter funds previously with Salvation Army, Clemson Community Care, United Christian Ministries, Golden Harvest Food Bank and SHARE.

Also in March, Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark announced he had fired a deputy who used a Taser on a man in a wheelchair.

Clark said he terminated Deputy Steven A. Ticknor after determining the second of two Tasers used in an incident in February month should not have been used.

The Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet, and Betty McDaniel of Preserving Our Southern Appalachian Music was honored with the Pickens Revitalization Association’s Community Volunteer of the Year Award.

The Pickens County School Board of Trustees turned away a proposed ordinance that would lead to board meetings including public prayers by local members of the ministry.

The policy failed with a 3-3 vote, with board members Judy Edwards, Dr. Brian Swords and Dr. Herbert Cooper voting against it. Alex Saitta, Phillip Bowers and Dr. Henry Wilson voted for the policy.

In other news, a surgical team from Baptist Easley Hospital joined the annual mission trip to the Clinica Christiana in San Juan de la Maguana in the Dominican Republic, sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of Spartanburg through Solid Rock International last month.

Pickens Elementary School students raised money to give to the Pickens County Humane Society. Humane society director Samantha Gamble visited the school and brought a 4-month-old puppy named Molly to play with the children as thanks. Gamble talked to the Pickens Elementary Cabin Character students about the services the humane society provides for animals and how the humane society finds the animals permanent homes.

April

As April began, after months of discussion, the Pickens County School Board of Trustees gave final approval to a $4.65 million capital needs plan for the 2015-16 academic year.

School district spokesman John Eby said $3.25 million of funding for the plan was generated by refinancing the district’s bonds for the 2006 building program at a lower interest rate.

The Bargain Exchange flea market hosted a car and bike show to raise money for MARYS House, a local shelter for abused women and children.

A Pickens woman credited her four-legged friend with saving her life. Marlene Aiken’s dog Smidget warned that she had fallen into a diabetic coma and got her help. The little dog, which was suffering from a terminal illness, later died, breaking Aiken’s heart from losing her “hometown hero.”

As April progressed, Pickens County sheriff Rick Clark asked the S.C. Law Enforcement Division to conduct an investigation into a Pickens County councilman’s allegation that a former county administrator illegally used county resources.

After less than six months on the job, former administrator Matthew Delk and the county parted ways in February. No reason was given for Delk’s abrupt resignation, and county officials said at the time they could not comment on personnel matters.

But according to documents in Delk’s human resources file obtained by The Courier, the administrator and council members had butted heads as far back as December, when he was issued a written warning that his performance was “deficient” as compared to the standards outlined by the county employee handbook and/or his contract.

In other news, former Daniel High School and Clemson University football player and current NFL wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins gave back to the community by giving out gear to Central Recreation players during a visit back home.

Cannon Memorial Hospital received a new ISO 9001:2008 recertification after successfully passing an audit of its quality management system by DNV Healthcare Inc.

In 2012, Cannon was the first and only hospital system in South Carolina to receive the certification. The ISO certification is good for three years. Currently, only six other hospital systems in South Carolina are DNV accredited.

The Doodle Trail continued to be a focus of news, as Easley City Councilman Chris Mann reported that his committee had been hard at work on routes for the proposed Doodle Trail to enter city limits. While the city’s immediate focus was on two routes, two other routes through downtown were being considered. Mann said he hopes to eventually have all four routes active.

The 31st annual Pickens Azalea Festival kicked off with free family fun, starting with live WSPA broadcasts from Pickens’ Main Street on Your Carolina, Studio 62 and Scene on Seven.

The opening ceremonies began a full day of events, including more than 300 arts and crafts, nonprofit and food and drink vendors, free entertainment on both the amphitheatre and main stages, amusement rides and demonstrations.

The Central Railroad Festival pulled into historic downtown Central on April 25, with music, great food and festivities for all ages.

The Railroad Festival celebrates the rich heritage of Central, so named because the town is situated at the “central” point of the railroad line between Atlanta and Charlotte.

The third week in April saw problems among the members of the Pickens County Republican Party when the South Carolina Republican Party considered a request to nullify the Pickens County GOP Convention after political infighting marred the event, leaving dozens of potential delegates disenfranchised, according to local lawmakers.

In a formal protest letter addressed to the state party’s executive committee and chairman Matt Moore, Sen. Larry Martin, Rep. Neal Collins, Rep. Gary Clary and Rep. Davey Hiott alleged the convention, held at Liberty High School, was marked by “misapplications of state party rules and gross errors of judgment.”

In other rumblings, Pickens County Council considered taking legal action against a local reporter and newspaper chain as a result of a series of articles concerning the departure of former county administrator Matthew Delk.

Sparks were also flaring at Pickens City Council as it was reported that Pickens County’s fee for use of cells in the law enforcement center had increased from $24 a night to $65 a night.

“I’m not real happy about it,” Pickens City Police Chief Rodney Gregory said. “The only police departments it affects are Liberty and ourselves.”

Prayer at Pickens County School Board meetings continued to be a hot-button topic. During the public input session of the board’s last meeting in April, several local residents brought up the issue of prayer before meetings, which had been addressed at the last school board meeting.

A board vote in March on a revised prayer policy ended in a 3-3 tie, meaning the issue failed.

The Rev. Tony Qualkinbush, a former school board candidate, used his time during public session to pray.

Pickens mourned the loss of longtime community leader and former local newspaper owner David Hiott, who died April 27 at age 89.

A 1942 graduate of Pickens High School, Hiott served in the U.S. Navy before going to printing school in Nashville, Tenn., where he took a linotype course.

He later returned to Pickens to work at the Pickens Sentinel, which his father, Gary, had purchased in 1927.

May

An estimated 5,000 people turned out for Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s annual meeting of members in May, hosted at the utility’s Pickens equipment facility.

The nearly 3,000 members who registered for the event each received a cast-iron skillet embossed with the cooperative’s 75th anniversary logo. The event was followed that weekend by The 18th annual Blue Ridge Fest at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s headquarters in Pickens. The festival boasted the largest classic car cruise-in event in the Upstate, along with a Beach Night show and dance.

Easley city council members met in the first meeting in May and decided to hire Stephen Steese as city administrator, according to Mayor Larry Bagwell. Steese was selected from 47 applicants to replace departing administrator Fox Simons.

Perry Gravely of Pickens was sworn in as the newest 13th Circuit judge during a special investiture ceremony at the Pickens County Courthouse. The honorable judge Victor Pyle administered the oath of office, while Gravely’s wife, Kathryn, held the Bible as he recited the oath.

Southern Wesleyan University’s School of Education recently received accreditation for seven years — until 2021 — under the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards.

The long-awaited grand opening ceremony for the Doodle Trail was also held in May. The celebration, held at 514 Fleetwood Drive in Easley, included words from both Pickens mayor David Owens and Easley mayor Larry Bagwell, as well as the unveiling of the logo for the trail, a ribbon cutting and giveaways.

Friends and family waited in hushed silence in the small cemetery at Mountain Grove Baptist Church in Pickens as Kenneth Nabors, president of the Pickens Historical Society, dressed as a soldier in the Upcountry Militia, gently lifted the black cloth covering the tombstone of revolutionary war patriot Benjamin Barton.

More than 1,000 Pickens County students received their diplomas in graduation ceremonies. Each of the four county high schools hosted its own ceremony in its football stadium.

The Daniel High School community also remembered Matthew Robinson as an excellent student who loved being a part of the school’s marching band. Robinson, 16, of Central, was killed in a single-car collision on Brookbend Road at Maw Bridge Road near Central on May 19, Pickens County coroner Kandy Kelley said. His sister, who was the only passenger, was injured but survived.

Organizers gathered in May at the Hagood Community Center to dedicate the remodeled building to community service. The center also received a $2,500 donation from Leadership Pickens County as a 2015 class project.

The site, originally known as Ben Hagood Elementary School, and before that Pickens Mill Elementary School, was leased to the city of Pickens in 1990. The site was operated by Seniors Unlimited until that organization ran into financial difficulties in 2011.

June

June started with a huge announcement by a Pickens County native, as U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham returned to his hometown of Central, telling a throng of supporters gathered on Main Street he was running for U.S. president.

In Easley, mayor Larry Bagwell announced that Maj. Tim Tollison would be the new chief of the Easley Police Department. Bagwell said Tollison was selected over quality candidates such as Maj. Richard Zapel from Savannah, Ga., and Salem police chief David Poulson.

At least two Pickens County School Board trustees were confident in June that the board could address continued concerns from AdvancED in a manner that will be satisfactory to the accreditation agency.

The findings cited by the agency led to fears by district officials and supporters that the school district could lose its accreditation. But Phillip Bowers — one of the board’s newest members after being elected in November along with Henry Wilson — said he felt there were positives from the report that should be emphasized.

A bill establishing a seventh member on the Pickens County School Board proposed by State Reps Gary Clary of Clemson and Neal Collins of Easley passed third reading in the House and was sent to the Senate in early June. The bill was proposed in reaction to increased concerns a recent AdvancED report stated the school district’s failure to take corrective action on several issues could lead to the loss of accreditation.

On the anniversary of D-Day, Pickens County paid tribute to its four Medal of Honor recipients and honored their families. County officials designated June 6 as Congressional Medal of Honor Dedication Day, and a handful of celebrations marked the occasion.

The day began with a ceremony at the newly renovated Liberty Civic Auditorium, where retired U.S. Marine Corp Maj. Gen. James Livingston, a Medal of Honor recipient, spoke and a biographical video about Pickens County’s four recipients was shown.

After nearly 18 years on the force, Pickens police chief Rodney Gregory announced in June that he would be stepping down from his position the following month. Gregory, who said he began his law enforcement career at the Pickens Police Department in July 1997 under chief Wendell Jenkins, worked his way through the ranks, from road patrol officer to chief.

The Jocassee Gorges field office in northern Pickens County was dedicated as the Sam W. Stokes Work Center in honor of retired wildlife biologist Sam W. Stokes Sr.

“Sam Stokes is truly a living legend among wildlife biologists in the Palmetto State and also among everyone in the South Carolina conservation community,” S.C. Department of Natural Resources director Alvin Taylor said.

School District of Pickens County teachers got an overdue pay increase at no extra cost to county taxpayers under the district’s 2015-16 budget, which passed its final reading in June. The school board gave the budget its final OK by a 5-1 vote at its regular June meeting, with board member Alex Saitta casting the lone dissenting vote.

As the world mourned for the nine victims in the wake of the June 17 shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, Southern Wesleyan University mourned the loss of an employee and alumna. DePayne Doctor, admissions coordinator at Southern Wesleyan’s Charleston learning center, was in historic Emanuel AME Church and was among the shooting victims.

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