By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

CENTRAL — A Belton man was killed in an accident Saturday afternoon.

Pickens County coroner Kandy Kelley identified the victim as Eugene Victor Mereshko, 18, of Treasure Lane, Belton.

[cointent_lockedcontent] The accident occurred on S.C. Highway 133 at Pike Road in Central, Kelley said.

Lance Cpl. Tony Keller of the South Carolina Highway Patrol said the accident occurred at 4:41 p.m. as Mereshko was driving a 2014 Kawasaki motorcycle alongside a 21-year-old Anderson man who was driving a 2006 Honda motorcycle.

The motorcycles attempted to pass another vehicle on the left when they collided, Keller said.

Mereshko lost control of his motorcycle and was ejected.

Mereshko was then struck by a 2014 Dodge four-door, Keller said.

Kelley said Mereshko, who was wearing a helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

No other injuries were reported.

The Highway Patrol is still investigating.

[/cointent_lockedcontent]

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — Registered voters who live in the city limits of Easley will have another choice to make in the November general election. They’ll get to cast a ballot determining whether the city can allow Sunday alcohol sales.

[cointent_lockedcontent] Easley City Council members voted Monday night on a resolution to allow a referendum on the issue.

Before the vote, resident Billy Edwards urged council to reject the proposal for Sunday alcohol sales.

“I just don’t think it’s appropriate to be in church on Sunday and then patronize one of our fine restaurants here in the city of Easley and have to sit by some individuals consuming alcohol,” Edwards said. “I think six out of seven days to purchase alcohol at a restaurant is enough.”

Voters should have a chance to weigh in on the issue, he said.

As council began discussing the resolution, mayor Larry Bagwell assured Edwards that voters would decide the issue — not council. Council only voted on whether or not to move forward with the referendum.

“What we’re going to do is pass an ordinance to let the citizens decide,” Bagwell said. “The city, council and mayor will not decide this.”

Bagwell said he knew there were some misconceptions about what council would be voting on.

“I just wanted to make that clear,” he said.

Giving voters the chance to decide was the right move, council members agreed.

“Any time that you can take it to the citizens and get their input on something as important as this, I think you should do it,” councilman Kent Dykes said. “Let the people decide what’s best for the community.”

Councilman Chris Mann said putting the issue before the voters “is the most democratic thing we can do.”

Councilman Terry Moore said he would be voting no, both on the referendum issue before council and in November.

“I have a strong relationship with my savior, Jesus Christ,” Moore said. “I cannot feel right to vote yes on this action. I will be voting no on this action. I’ll do everything I can to vote no on this action in November.”

Moore said only three businesses had asked for the issue to be placed on the council agenda, but that he’d had numerous phone calls about the issue.

Moore asked how the city would benefit from Sunday sales.

“Now you have six days a week to buy alcoholic beverages, which is a mind-altering drug,” Moore said. “If people want to use that stuff, why can’t they get it on six days?”

Bagwell said he appreciated Moore’s stance.

“I think there’s about six more around here who have a pretty good relation with the man upstairs,” Bagwell said. “But if that’s going to keep us out of Heaven, I don’t see it.”

He said the issue is economically driven.

“We’re losing business from the city of Easley, going to Greenville, going to Clemson,” Bagwell said. “I think we’re the last city of any size in this area that has not passed this law already. When I say ‘we,’ the citizens are the ones who are going to pass it or not pass it.”

Officials with Cedarwood Development, which has invested nearly $100 million in the Easley Town Center development, wrote the city a letter asking for the referendum, Bagwell said.

“People are going to have a say so,” he said. “I’m going to vote to let the people of Easley determine how it’s going to go.”

City administrator Stephen Steese said should the referendum pass, stores, restaurants and nonprofits inside the city limits would be allowed to purchase temporary permits — issued by the S.C. Department of Revenue — allowing them to sell alcohol on Sundays. Liquor stores would remain closed on Sundays, as state law requires.

Buying a permit is voluntary. Businesses not wishing to sell alcohol on Sundays will not be required to purchase a permit.

The question will appear on the general election ballot, Steese said.

“It will not be a separate ballot,” he said.

If voters vote it down, the issue cannot be revisited for four more years, Steese said.

Council voted 6-1, with Moore dissenting, to allow the referendum to move forward.

[/cointent_lockedcontent]

By Rocky Nimmons
Publisher

rnimmons@thepccourier.com

COUNTY — Members of the Holly Springs and A.R. Lewis communities have recently shown concerns about the removal of items from the two former elementary schools despite a school board vote earlier this year that mandated that the two schools would be maintained for at least a year after their closure.

[cointent_lockedcontent] The two schools recently had their last classes after the Pickens County School Board voted 4-2 earlier this year to shut their doors for good.

A concerned local resident contacted the Courier earlier this week saying the district had “started to dismantle” Holly Springs.

“Light fixtures, kitchen equipment (and) interactive white boards are being removed, and this is contrary to the board’s vote to maintain these schools for one year,” the resident wrote. “(School board member) Philip Bowers made the motion to maintain based on a charter school locating there. The equipment belongs to the taxpayers of this county and should not be taken to auction for pennies on the dollar.

“This is a disgrace and shows how low the board that voted for closure will go.”

The Courier contacted both Bowers and Pickens-area board member Alex Saitta after hearing from the concerned resident.

Saitta, who said he had also heard items were being removed from the schools, said he would ask about the situation at an upcoming meeting.

Bowers said he had been at Holly Springs and A.R. Lewis on Monday.

“They are moving anything useful to other locations,” he said. “For example, the serving lines, which are on wheels, are following the children to the new locations. Same for library shelving and books. I didn’t see anything that caused alarm pertaining to the board’s direction to maintain the buildings for other uses, if that’s what the community decides on within the next year. The buildings will be cleaned and maintained such that other users could easily take over the building anyt ime if a sustainable agreement is reached between the parties.”

In a followup email, Bowers said computers and other technology were being removed from the schools “for other uses and safekeeping to reduce inducement to vandals and thieves.”

School District of Pickens County spokesman John Eby addressed the issue in a release sent to local media on Tuesday morning.

“Over the past few days, our operations and AITS departments have been in the process of moving technology, furniture and other resources from Holly Springs Elementary and A.R. Lewis Elementary to other schools in the Pickens area in order to serve students in the coming school year,” he said.

Eby said the school board voted to close the schools in March and to perform “minimal maintenance” on the buildings for up to a year after their closure.

“The district has committed to this maintenance obligation by assigning a part-time custodian to these buildings for the coming year and by budgeting for the costs of climate control and security systems to prevent damage from mold or vandalism,” Eby said. “Unfortunately, ‘minimal maintenance’ has been misinterpreted by some members of the community to mean that none of the resources or equipment at those schools would be moved to serve students at their new locations. This is not the case.

“The district has committed to keeping the closed buildings in good condition, but the resources at the schools will be used to serve students next year.”

[/cointent_lockedcontent]

COUNTY — In the coming school year, the School District of Pickens County will partner with the South Carolina Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics to put high school students on the fast track to an engineering degree through a program called Accelerate, district officials announced this week.

Accelerate is a program that builds a student’s interest and capacity in the field of engineering as the student earns college credit from Clemson University in basic engineering courses. It allows students to live at home and continue to attend Pickens County’s high schools while providing the high-quality education for which the Governor’s School is known. The program is open to 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students who have successfully completed algebra I prior to the beginning of ninth grade, and who project successful completion of algebra II by the end of ninth grade.

“This is a game-changer for students who are serious about becoming engineers,” SDPC director of secondary education Lori Gwinn said. “Our students can continue to enjoy all of the benefits of school life at our high schools — band, athletics, student government — while taking engineering classes through the Governor’s School. It’s a win-win.”

The classes are live and accessible via computers and teleconferencing. Students will be able to interact with their teachers and with like-minded students from across the state. Students will also have the ability to review recorded lessons afterward.

Successful completion of Accelerate can result in as many as 40 semester hours of college credit, depending on a student’s college choice and major.

“These students can enter our engineering program at Clemson a year ahead of their peers, and can use that time to explore internship and co-op opportunities, study abroad, pursue a minor, or begin a graduate degree, all while on a four-year scholarship — provided that they qualify for one,” said Dr. Jonathan R.A. Maier of the College of Engineering and Science at Clemson University, who is the engineering lead instructor for the Accelerate program.

Admission to the Accelerate program requires an application. Requirements for consideration in the program include: the students’ GPA, course grades or transcripts, standardized test scores, extracurricular and volunteer activities, teacher and guidance counselor recommendations, a written essay, and a mathematics assessment. The Governor’s School will begin taking applications in the fall.

Parents or students who are interested in the program should talk to their school’s guidance counselor or call Gwinn at (864) 397-1014 for more information.

PICKENS — Soapstone Church invites everyone to a special fundraiser at the church, located at 296 Liberia Road in Pickens, this Saturday, June 18.

The event will feature fine cooking and will be held from noon-8 p.m.

Visitors will enjoy true Southern cooking, including a fish fry, barbecue and fried chicken with all the fixings right from Mrs. Mabel’s kitchen.

For more information, call (864) 414-8470.

PICKENS — Praters Creek Baptist Church’s annual vacation Bible school will begin Monday, June 20, and continue through Wednesday, June 22.

Daily sessions will be from 9:30 a.m. until noon.

Preschool children ages 4-5 and children grades 1-5 are invited to attend.

Praters Creek Baptist Church is located at 621 Praters Creek Road in Pickens. Call (864) 506-2343 if transportation is needed.