COUNTY — The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office has located Billy Mack Richard (69yoa) who was previously reported missing to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office by a family member.

Mr. Richard was located earlier today at a restaurant in Pickens County and was interviewed about the circumstances of his disappearance which occurred on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015.

Detectives have determined that the incident does not involve any foul play and that Mr. Richard had left and not returned to the residence by his own decision.

The Sheriff’s Office extends our appreciation to the media for assisting us with this investigation and also to the public for the information and leads that have been forwarded to our office in the search for Mr. Richard.

EASLEY — Pickens County Sheriff’s Office investigators are asking for the public’s help to find an elderly Easley man missing since last week.

                                  Richard

[cointent_lockedcontent] According to a release from the sheriff’s office, 69-year-old Billy Mack Richard was last seen by a family member at around 1 a.m. on Oct. 9 as he left home to get a drink at a local convenience store.

Richard, described as a 6’0″, 180-pound white male with gray hair and blue eyes, is believed to be driving a white 2003 Buick LeSabre with a paper tag from Miles Motors, police said.

“The circumstances of Mr. Richard’s disappearance are unknown at this time, but he does require medication that is to be taken daily,” sheriff’s office chief deputy Creed Hashe said in a news release. “No evidence or information of foul play has been discovered by the sheriff’s office at this stage in the investigation.”

Anyone with information about Richard’s whereabouts is asked to call the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office at (864) 898-5500. The investigation is currently being handled by sheriff’s office detectives.[/cointent_lockedcontent]

By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal

goliver@upstatetoday.com

EASLEY — Though he doesn’t feel it is intentional, [cointent_lockedcontent] trustee Alex Saitta said items are being discussed in Pickens County School Board executive sessions that should be taking place before the public.

“The last six months or so, the administration and board leadership has fallen into the habit of introducing and encouraging discussion in executive session on topics that the law requires must be discussed in public,” Saitta said.

Saitta cited examples that include closing Hagood Elementary School, changing the schedule of board meetings, an idea introduced by board membership with discussion encouraged on changing the prayer policy, discussion of assistant principal pay and a majority vote to OK a $50,000 facilities study with no public discussion and no public vote.

“We are not public officials elected to act privately,” Saitta said. “All those things must be discussed and acted on in public.”

The former school board chairman, who has served on the board for nearly 11 years, said he has complained about the matter “numerous times” during executive session, has written a letter to chairman Brian Swords and lead attorney Bic Halligan, as well as discussed it with another attorney.

“The bottom line is the public is supposed to be told about these upcoming decisions, so it can provide their input and hence be part of the decision-making process,” he said. “This shuts out the public, and it must end.”

South Carolina Press Association executive director Bill Rogers agrees.

“I think clearly the items (Saitta) told me about could not legally be discussed in closed session,” Rogers said. “They can’t talk about policy matters in executive session — it has to be done in public.”

When asked what he feels should be the next step taken by Saitta, Rogers replied, “I suggested the next time he goes into what he considers an improper (executive) session to pull out a tape recorder or go to court. The court option is more expensive.”

Rogers added that the key word is “policy.”

“They can’t talk about it in closed session,” he said.

Saitta cited the law pertaining to executive sessions, 30-4-70, which states “a public body can go into private executive session for discussion about employment or termination of an employee or demotion of a student.”

Other legal reasons are discussion of negotiations incident to a contractual agreement, proposed sales and purchase of property or an instance where a legal claim is threatened or potential and the board is receiving legal counsel.

Otherwise, the law maintains “every meeting of all public bodies shall be open to the public.”

Swords admitted there have been a couple of occasions when the board has received legal advice regarding policies during executive session.

“That has resulted in an occasional comment or two being made that we would have to reign in and ensure everyone is aware of the guidelines for the executive session,” Swords said.

But the chairman emphasized that such occasions are rare.

“It was very evident last week when the board spent almost an hour in an open board meeting debating one sentence in a policy that there isn’t much discussion taking place prior to public meetings,” he said.

The chairman said Saitta contacted him following the last board meeting, expressing concern regarding executive session. Since that time, Swords said he has made modifications to the board meetings.

“We have implemented a committee of the whole, which will allow for some additional discussion time during a work-session setting,” he said. “That is something which the vast majority of our board members have welcomed.”

Swords said the implementation would officially go into effect when the board meets next week.

Trustee Phillip Bowers said he agrees some executive sessions “have not been well managed and get off-track sometimes.”

“I have mentioned that to Chairman Swords, who is responsible for keeping the meetings on task,” Bowers said. “I have recommended we have a strict agenda outlining legitimate topics for discussion, as well as time limits on executive sessions. I believe Brian will follow through on making the process better.”

Saitta said he feels there are too many board members “who don’t know the bounds of the (Freedom of Information Act) and that a training session conducted by the South Carolina Press Association “would be a good idea.”

Rogers said he would be glad to hold the session if invited.

“We’ve done it all over the state and would be glad to do it for them,” Rogers said. “I think they have a responsibility to know the law — they’re public officials.”

The executive director said school board attorneys are often unable to assist the board because “they don’t understand FOIA law” and “don’t feel the public needs to understand.”

“If the board breaks the law, they should be held accountable,” Rogers said.

Despite some rough patches, Swords said he is proud of the board for the work it has accomplished in the past few months, including needed pay raises for employees, funding for technology and capital needs and refinancing the building debt that saved taxpayers more than $27 million.

“With that said, we are working our way through this — we’re far from perfect,” he said, “but the majority of the board has dug in and worked together while minimizing controversy.”

goliver@upstatetoday.com | (864) 973-6687

Follow on Twitter @JournalGO

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COLUMBIA — In 1983, the late Sen. Strom Thurmond established the Strom Thurmond Awards for Excellence in Law Enforcement.

The annual awards are given to recognize one law enforcement officer

Courtesy photo
Pickens County sheriff Rick Clark, left, poses with PCSO Captain Chad Brooks after Brooks was honored with a Strom Thurmond Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement on Oct. 2 in Columbia.

from each level of government — city, county, state and federal.

The Strom Thurmond Foundation has continued the tradition of presenting the awards during an awards ceremony hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Foundation.

Captain Chad Brooks, a 26-year veteran of the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, was selected and presented the 2015 award for the outstanding law enforcement officer at the county level on Oct. 2 in Columbia.

Brooks oversees the detective division and is one of only four division commanders at the sheriff’s office. The bulk of his career has been focused in the area of advanced investigations, and more specifically in the field of narcotics.

Brooks was recognized for his level of professionalism, his high standards of excellence and the positive impact that he has had not only in the community that he serves but also to the men and women he manages on a daily basis.

Through the professional relationships that Brooks has with other jurisdictions at all levels, Pickens County has on many occasions benefited from resources extended to Pickens County during high-level investigations at no expense to the local taxpayers.

“Chad Brooks is an invaluable asset to the sheriff’s office, and Pickens County is fortunate to have him not only at our agency but as a lifelong citizen of our community,” Pickens County sheriff Rick Clark said. “His love for our county is seen every day in his commitment and dedication to improve the quality of life for our citizens. The manner in which Captain Brooks conducts his personal and professional life sets a standard by which we all can target as our personal goal for success.”

By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter

brobinson@thepccourier.com

COUNTY — School District of Pickens County director of instructional technology Dr. Barbara Nesbitt updated school board members about the district’s growing computer program during their meeting Monday night.[cointent_lockedcontent]

Nesbitt said the district is currently trying to help teachers find better ways to use technology.

One goal is to have one person at each school in the district become the trainer for Google applications.

“With all the money we’ve invested in technology, we don’t want to waste it,” Nesbitt said. “We want to be responsible for what we have.”

Nesbitt said the district now has laptop computers for 40 percent of its teachers.

“Hopefully we will be able to finish that this year,” Nesbitt said.

In the elementary schools, the district now has Chromebooks for 25 percent of the students.

“Right at 4,000 Chromebooks,” Nesbitt said.

She noted that the price on Chromebooks is lower than for other brands of laptop computers, and teachers are finding the Chomebooks to be more user-friendly.

Digital textbooks are coming, too, Nesbitt said.

“We’ll have all of our middle-school subjects available online, except for English,” Nesbitt said.

“What we’re looking for next year is we’re hoping to get an online registration program,” she added. “There’s a lot of advantages to that, including saving time.”

Nesbitt said currently the district will get three children from the same family and spend time filling out the same information several times, such as who to contact in case of emergency, while instituting an online registration system would expedite the process.

[/cointent_lockedcontent]

By Olivia Fowler
For The Courier

ofowler@thepccourier.com

COUNTY — Pickens County plans to levy a new fire fee against landowners with agricultural deferments whose property doesn’t have [cointent_lockedcontent] a structure on it, and owners of affected properties object strongly to it.

Property owners say they received no advance notice of the change, nor were they able to give input on the issue. The fire fee was inserted into the county budget as a line item instead of by county ordinance. An ordinance to create the fire fee would have required three public meetings with opportunities for public input before a final vote was taken.

An unoccupied five-acre field taxed at few dollars in 2014 now has a fire fee of $20 tacked on.

The fee is applied to each separate five-acre parcel, even if the parcels are adjacent to each other. There are several different fee amounts based on size of land parcels, ranging from $20 for one to five acres to $320, a flat rate applied to each parcel ranging in size between 100.1 and 1,000 acres. Property owners say this inequity makes it unclear how the fee rate is calculated.

Some property owners are considering paying the fire fee under protest as allowed under S.C. Code Ann. § 12-60-2550 (2000). This can be done if a letter is submitted along with payment stating the tax is being paid under protest and citing the reason for the objection. The county would have to return the fee if the fee is found to be unfair.

Several have said they’re discussing the possibility of bringing a class-action lawsuit against the county.

Property owners adversely affected by the fee say they are upset and plan to attend the county council meeting scheduled for Oct. 19 at the county administration complex on McDaniel Avenue in Pickens.

Anyone who wants to speak about their concerns on the issue must sign up prior to the council meeting. They may call the county at (864) 898-5896 for information.

Council member Ensley Feemster of Clemson, who represents District 1, said that in hindsight it would have been advisable to hold more meetings on the issue, as council members weren’t aware of some of the negative repercussions the fee would have.

Feemster said public meetings on the issue would have allowed those affected to bring their concerns to council’s attention.

County council chair Jennifer Willis of Easley, who represents District 5, issued a statement on Monday in defense of the fire fee.

“The fire fee has been in discussion in committee meetings for about two years,” she wrote. “A large portion of the fire calls that the districts receive are for vacant land (the number of calls vary district to district). However, until this year, those property owners did not contribute at all to the fire operations of the district, and yet, fire personnel had to respond to these fires, to put them out and insure the fires did not spread to the surrounding land/homes/structures.

“The fees generated by the vacant parcels will only be used in the district the property is in, as directed by the fire board for equipment and personnel. We continue to have more and more trouble recruiting volunteers to serve as firefighters, and this is one of many pieces of the puzzle in the county’s overall fire response plan.”

[/cointent_lockedcontent]

EASLEY — The Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem are planning the second annual Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast and Silent Auction in late October.

The Easley High School NJROTC orienteering team traveled to Oconee State Park on Saturday to prepare for the season.

Community sponsors and supporters have come together for the second year to support the maltreated children of our community.

“The needs of abused and neglected children in Pickens County have never been higher.,” said FOPCGAL board member Baker Cleveland, an assistant 13th Circuit solicitor. “Please join me and the board in doing all we can to see those needs are met this year and for years to come. By supporting and attending our Oyster Roast, you are supporting an all-volunteer organization that makes a difference, and we promise you’ll have a great time in the process.”

The event is set for Saturday, Oct. 24, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Arran Farm, located at 820 Lenhardt Road in Easley.

The night includes an oyster roast, Southern-style buffet, beer, wine, music, corn hole competitions and more, but the highlight of the evening will be a silent auction, with more than 100  items to bid on, including rounds of golf at some of the Upstate’s best courses, sports memorabilia from South Carolina’s finest athletes, jewelry, condo rental and much more.

Ticket prices are $50 individually and $90 per couple, with a limited number of tickets available at the door for $75 each. Tickets may be purchased online at friendspcgal.org, from board members or at Appalachian Ale House, Nalley’s Furniture, Pickens Chamber of Commerce, Pickens County Guardian ad Litem, Town and Country Florist and Upstate School Spirit.

Proceeds for the evening will go to the Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem program, which has been providing financial assistance to neglected and abused children since 2002.

Over the past seven years, the all-volunteer organization has raised more than $290,000 from significant fundraisers such as the second annual Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast.

“Last year’s oyster roast helped fund our 2015 annual Heart and Sole Back-to-School Shopping Day, which increased over 25 percent from the previous year, with over $20,000 spent on clothing and shoes for over 200 children in grades 5K-12,” chairperson Tammy Clark said. “The Heart and Sole Day allows some children to start school with new clothes for the first time ever. To receive a thank you from a counselor thanking our board for giving a teenage girl her first ever new pair of shoes and to know how many more children are like her is so humbling.”

For more information, contact Clark at (864) 506-0737 or via email at chair@friendspcal.org.

EASLEY — The Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem are planning the second annual Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast and Silent Auction in late October.

Community sponsors and supporters have come together for the second year to support the maltreated children of our community.

“The needs of abused and neglected children in Pickens County have never been higher.,” said FOPCGAL board member Baker Cleveland, an assistant 13th Circuit solicitor. “Please join me and the board in doing all we can to see those needs are met this year and for years to come. By supporting and attending our Oyster Roast, you are supporting an all-volunteer organization that makes a difference, and we promise you’ll have a great time in the process.”

The event is set for Saturday, Oct. 24, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Arran Farm, located at 820 Lenhardt Road in Easley.

The night includes an oyster roast, Southern-style buffet, beer, wine, music, corn hole competitions and more, but the highlight of the evening will be a silent auction, with more than 100  items to bid on, including rounds of golf at some of the Upstate’s best courses, sports memorabilia from South Carolina’s finest athletes, jewelry, condo rental and much more.

Ticket prices are $50 individually and $90 per couple, with a limited number of tickets available at the door for $75 each. Tickets may be purchased online at friendspcgal.org, from board members or at Appalachian Ale House, Nalley’s Furniture, Pickens Chamber of Commerce, Pickens County Guardian ad Litem, Town and Country Florist and Upstate School Spirit.

Proceeds for the evening will go to the Friends of Pickens County Guardian ad Litem program, which has been providing financial assistance to neglected and abused children since 2002.

Over the past seven years, the all-volunteer organization has raised more than $290,000 from significant fundraisers such as the second annual Clusters for Kids Oyster Roast.

“Last year’s oyster roast helped fund our 2015 annual Heart and Sole Back-to-School Shopping Day, which increased over 25 percent from the previous year, with over $20,000 spent on clothing and shoes for over 200 children in grades 5K-12,” chairperson Tammy Clark said. “The Heart and Sole Day allows some children to start school with new clothes for the first time ever. To receive a thank you from a counselor thanking our board for giving a teenage girl her first ever new pair of shoes and to know how many more children are like her is so humbling.”

For more information, contact Clark at (864) 506-0737 or via email at chair@friendspcal.org.

CENTRAL — Lawrence Chapel United Methodist Church will hold its annual harvest festival on Oct. 31, 4-7 p.m. The festival is a free community event.

There will be a trunk or treat, inflatables, games, soup and sandwiches.

Lawrence Chapel UMC is located at 2101 Six Mile Highway in Central. For more information, visit lawrencechapel.church.

CLEMSON — Clemson Area StoryTellers (CAST) Guild will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at The Arts Center at 212 Butler St. in Clemson. 

Have stories to share? Come and tell them where you have a captive audience.

Everyone is invited to an evening of family friendly stories, poetry or music. Attend as a listener or a teller — all are welcome.

For more information, visit explorearts.org, call (864) 855-6396 or email clemsonareastorytellers@yahoo.com.