• PHS Class of 1958 to hold reunion

The Pickens High School Class of 1958 is planning a reunion for Thursday, April 28. It will be a dutch lunch at the Gatehouse Restaurant at the corner of Ann and Griffin Streets in Pickens. The group plans to gather at 11 a.m. and have lunch at noon. Make your reservations by calling Jerry Stephens at (828) 433-1715 or Jeanette Winchester at (864) 878-3762.

• Relay for Life set for April 30 at EHS

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest and most impactful fundraising event to end cancer. Baptist Easley Hospital would like to help our community to unite in fighting cancer and celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and take action to finish the fight once and for all. With the support of thousands of volunteers like you, the American Cancer Society is helping save more than 500 lives a day. Please join Baptist Easley Hospital and take action against a disease that has taken too much. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 30, from 2-10 p.m. at the Easley High School, 154 Green Wave Blvd. in Easley. All Wells Fargo locations in Pickens County are currently accepting donations.

• Pickens Bands Spring Fling is May 7

The Pickens Bands Presents Spring Swing Jazz Band Dinner Dance will be held onSaturday, May 7. The doors open at 5:30 p.m., with dinner served at 6 p.m. and music and dancing from 6-8:30 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance for $15 per person and include chicken alfredo, spaghetti with marinara sauce and meatballs, salad, bread, assorted desserts, tea or water. You can purchase tickets from any Pickens band or color guard member or by calling the band office at (864) 397-3634.

• Reece reunion set for April 23 in Easley

Descendants of Thomas Sylvester and Tamer Aiken Reece will hold their annual reunion at noon on Saturday, April 23, at Mutt’s BBQ in Easley.  For information, contact Judy Ballard at (864) 855-6131.

• Davis reunion set for May 1 in Easley

The annual Clarence and Margie Hughes Davis reunion will be held May 1 at Tabor United Methodist Church Fellowship Building. (1943 Ireland Road, Easley, S.C. 29640) Lunch will be at 1:15 p.m. Bring a well filled basket and come join us. Paper supplies will be provided. All family and friends are urged to attend and enjoy this time together. For more information, call (864) 878-9999.

• New Granger Fiber art activities set

Granger Fiber Arts meets in the Pickens Community Center, 129 Schoolhouse St., Pickens.  The goal of Granger Fiber Arts is to bring together those who wish to learn or improve skills in a particular area with those who have knowledge in that area of interest.  Granger Fiber Arts operates much like an old fashion one room school.  Participants at all skill levels are welcome. In addition to activities previously scheduled, the following activities have recently been added: Each Tuesday: 1-2 p.m.  Beginning Drawing (Pencil and Charcoal), 2-4 p.m. Watercolor, oils, and acrylics. April 20, 21, and 22 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cane “old fashioned, kitchen type” chairs with Dale.  Please preregister to ensure adequate numbers of supplies and handouts. Cost of supplies are $25 per chair. For additional information concerning Granger Fiber Arts activities, please contact Lucy Harward by phone at 864-419-1794 or on-line at daleandlucy@gmail.com 

• Steppin’ It Up meeting set for May 9

The next Steppin’ It Up Coalition meeting will be held on May 9 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Cannon Memorial Hospital located at 123 W.G. Acker Drive in Pickens. The Steppin’ It Up Coalition’s monthly meetings are open to all members of our community. For more information about the Steppin’ It Up Coalition, contact Cathy Breazeale at (864) 898-5800 or visit steppinituppickens.org/; facebook.com/SteppinItUpCo or twitter.com/SteppinItUpCo.

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com

PICKENS COUNTY — Pickens County voters may get their say on any proposals to close or consolidate schools in the future if a newly-introduced bill is approved.
Sen. Larry Martin introduced bill S.1196 on April 5.
Martin emphasized that the bill is not intended to overturn the recent decision by Pickens County School Board trustees to close or consolidate schools in the Pickens area.
“I don’t want to give anybody false hope,” Martin said. “It’s done. There’s no way to put it on top of a decision that’s already been made.”
The bill is designed to give voters an avenue for petition regarding school board decisions — something that the public already has regarding city or county council decisions, Martin said.
“The common refrain I heard as this process played out is ‘What can I do? We don’t have any say in this,’” Martin said. “And frankly they don’t. They just don’t feel like they have any recourse. This is a petition avenue for voters to take if they believe an ordinance should be overturned.”
The bill would require that county school boards would, before Oct. 26 each year, provide “public notice of which, if any, schools the district recommends closing or consolidating.”
The vote by a board to close or consolidate schools must be stayed by a petition of at least 10 percent of the qualified electors of the school district that is submitted not more than 60 days after the vote, the bill states.
That petition must be presented to the county board of voter registration and elections for certification.
“If the petition does not contain at least 10 percent of the registered voters of the school district, the board may proceed with the closure or consolidation plan,” the bill states.
If the petition does contain at least 10 percent of registered voters, the board has several options under the bill.
It could submit the closure or consolidation question in a special referendum that will be held on a Saturday “not later than eight weeks after the certification,” the bill states.
The board could submit the question in the next general election, or it may rescind its previous vote to close or consolidate schools.
Once the petition is certified, the board may not proceed to close or consolidate schools without the referendum approval.
“I think it would be an excellent addition to our laws,” Martin said. “It would give voters some additional options.”
School board trustee Alex Saitta said the bill is “a step in the right direction.” Saitta has been a vocal critic of both the decision to close the schools and the way that vote was reached.
The bill “would give the public a direct say if a school board tries to close any other schools,” Saitta said. “Let’s face it — the residents of Pickens County were 100 percent opposed to closing any schools. Trustees Judy Edwards, Phil Bowers, Brian Swords and Herb Cooper and superintendent Dr. Danny Merck didn’t hear the message, and closed the schools anyway.”
Some officials, once elected or re-elected and “beyond the reach of the voters for another four years,” ignore the wishes of the people they work for, Saitta said.
The solution is giving the public the power to repeal “any item passed by their local government, be it their school board, county council or city council,” he said.
“This would put a little decision-making power in the hands of the people directly, and such veto authority could be used any time their elected officials go wayward on an issue like our school board did last month,” Saitta said.
Introducing the bill now gives voters an opportunity to see what Martin is thinking regarding the issue and gives him a chance to gauge the reaction to it, Martin said.
Martin believes there’s little chance of the bill passing this session, but hopes it will be taken up in the next session.
“The session’s winding down now,” Martin said.
The law giving school boards the responsibility for closing or consolidating schools has been on the books for more than 50 years, Martin said.
“It just doesn’t come up that often,” Martin said. “I could stand to be corrected, but this is the first consolidation decision that I’m aware of since the early 1970s in Pickens County,” he said. “The troubling thing about this is apparently there’s an interest in pursuing more of it (closures or consolidations.) It’s something that needs to be discussed. That’s the reason I introduced the bill.”

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com

PICKENS COUNTY — The proposed Pickens County fiscal year 2017 budget is now available online.
Pickens County Council members voted on first reading last week to adopt the $59.2 million budget. First reading is in title only.
The FY 2017 budget is an increase over last year’s $55.9 million budget.
Interim county administrator Tom Hendricks spoke briefly on the budget during last week’s council meeting.
The budget as proposed does not raise taxes, Hendricks said. It does provide for a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for county employees.
It also includes an anticipated 10 percent increase in health insurance expenses.
The budget creates several new positions, including two full-time mechanics for building and maintenance, two full-time mechanics for vehicle maintenance, two part-time firefighters at the Vineyards Fire Department, one full-time county attorney, one full-time operations assistant at Mile Creek Park, one part-time attendant at Hagood Mill, one full-time operator at the county landfill and two part-time paramedics.
The county had been contracting with local attorney Ken Roper for legal services.
The 2017 budget allocates $198,689 that will cover the county attorney’s salary and fringe benefits, as well as fees for outside legal services as needed.
Councilman Tom Ponder asked Roper to look into state law to determine what the county’s obligations are regarding funding for Tri-County Technical College.
“I always thought our obligation was maintenance and operation,” Ponder said. “I’d like Mr. Roper to look into that and make sure that’s what state law requires us to do.”
Budget provisos from previous years will remain in the 2017 budget, including a proviso from last year opposing the resettlement of Syrian refugees into Pickens County.
Smith introduced a resolution that would prevent any sitting council member from being considered as candidates for the Pickens County administrator position.
Smith said he wanted to address unfounded rumors in the community about council members vying for the position.
Budget work sessions for council will be scheduled at a later date. The proposed budget can be found online at www.co.pickens.sc.us.
If adopted after three readings, the budget would take effect July 1.