By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — The city of Easley’s newest park is moving forward.

City council members voted last Monday during their September meeting to award a construction contract to J. Davis Construction of Westminster.

“We only received one bid,” mayor Larry Bagwell said.

During the meeting, city administrator Stephen Steese said the project was estimated to cost about $500,000. The city has received a $250,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission toward the project, which Easley will match dollar-for-dollar, he said.

The city’s portion of funding will come from proceeds from Easley’s hospitality tax. The park will be located off Fleetwood Drive. City officials hope the one-acre park will be ready for use by Memorial Day 2017.

The city is looking at cutting some costs for the project prior to moving forward with construction, as the bid came in over budget, Steese said.

“Part of the problem is we only have one bidder,” Steese said. “If they don’t reduce the cost down, we either have the choice to continue forward with them or go back out to bid.”

Options to bring the costs down could involve the train cars that officials plan to bring to the site to highlight the Doodle Trail’s former life as a railroad.

“This cost does not include the renovations of the train cars — that was a separate item,” he said. “But it does include the finishing of the train cars and placing them on site. So we may look at removing those items from the bid as a way to get the cost down, then look at maybe putting money in the budget for next year to move forward with getting the cars placed on site.”

That option would require some tweaking of the site plans, as one of the railroad cars was going to house the park’s restrooms, Steese said.

“We would have to look at some other options,” he said. “Look to see if there’s something cheaper, whether it’s building something that looks like a train depot and then moving the train car in later or look at something temporary until we have more funds.”

Renovating the two train cars would cost nearly $100,000, Steese said.

Council members want the project to stay on schedule, but expressed concern about the train cars.

“That’s going to be the showcase of the park,” councilman Kent Dykes said.

“I think the city of Pickens is ready for us to move them,” Bagwell said. “Pickens has been very nice to us. When you’re in a joint project like this, you need to make sure that everybody is happy.”

Another cost-cutting option is taking the public shelter out of the plans until more funding is available.

“We might could get the footings poured and then come back later and put the building in there,” Steese said. “That’s some of the items we’re going to talk with them about … to get an idea of what is the least impactful that will get us down closer to within the budget of what the grant was.”

The contract will include the grading, the crossings, a parking area, a playground, a public building and an exercise area, Steese said.

“Most of the cost is tied up in the grading and the parking lot,” he said.

Council members questioned why the resolution was before them when options and tweaks were still under discussion.

“I don’t quite understand why we brought this to light tonight,” Bagwell said.

Steese said the resolution allowed the project to be awarded.

“If we do not have this, then we cannot award for another month,” he said.

Councilman Jim Robinson asked if there was a time frame to use the grant money. Steese said negotiations should not impact use of grant funds.

The goal is to get the project within that original $500,000 estimate, he said.

Council voted unanimously to award the contract.

By Eric Sprott
Courtesy The Journal

esprott@upstatetoday.com

CLEMSON — In a news release Monday, 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins said two men pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of giving false information to police in relation to the vandalism of Howard’s Rock more than three years ago.

In pleading guilty, Michael J. Rogers, 49, and Alden J. Gainey, 20, admitted they attempted to cover up Micah Rogers’ vandalism of the storied piece of Clemson University history in June of 2013. Micah, Michael’s son, was convicted at trial last summer of malicious injury to property for vandalizing the rock and was allowed to serve 25 days of community service to avoid 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

According to the news release, evidence presented at the plea hearing by assistant solicitor Baker Cleveland established that on June 20, 2013, Michael had a meeting at his home in North Carolina with his son, Alden Gainey and Xavia Wynn to discuss surveillance video of Micah’s truck and the three boys in the vicinity of Howard’s Rock at Memorial Stadium the night the vandalism took place.

According to Wynn, Michael urged the boys to “stick to the story” that they did not damage the rock, and that they were just there to take pictures.

On June 24, 2013, all four traveled to Pickens to meet with law enforcement. Gainey, who was present the night Micah damaged the rock, gave the fabricated version of events to police, but Wynn came clean, informing officers Micah had indeed damaged the rock.

Subsequent investigation revealed Michael’s role in fabricating the story. The large piece that Micah chipped off the rock — which Clemson football players have rubbed upon entering the stadium since 1967 — after breaking its protective case has still not been recovered.

According to the Associated Press, court records show Michael J. Rogers and Gainey can choose to pay $200 fines or spend 30 days in jail.

Bob Stanford was born June 23, 1937, in New Haven, Conn. He graduated from West Haven High School in 1954. That same year he enlisted in the Navy. He was stationed at Norfolk, Va. He served in the Navy for three years and took Mediterranean cruises on the destroyer ship, The Vessel. He said they sailed to France, Italy, Portugal and Greece. He was discharged in 1957. His rank was third class petty officer.

Bob and Josephine Viglione married Feb. 20, 1957. They have one son and two daughters. They also have three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Josephine died in 1995. Their son, Robert, died in 2001.

Bob owned a boat he named Fino. He enjoyed fishing at Long Island Sound, Conn.

For 35 years, Bob worked at New Haven Art Fabricators. He built sculptures made from aluminum, steel and bronze. He also painted the sculptures.

Carol Baker/Courier

Bob Stanford worked for 35 years building metal sculptures at New Haven Art Fabricators in Connecticut.

One of the sculptures Bob built is placed at the Juilliard School of Music, one is at Center Park in New York City and one is at the John D Rockefeller estate. Bob said when the sculpture was placed at the Rockefeller estate, he directed the pilot of a helicopter to hover down low enough so the sculpture could be placed in the right spot. He said some of the sculptures he built are on university campuses all over the East Coast from Maine to Florida. Some are located in Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia and Africa.

In 1999, Bob retired and moved to Pickens. One of his sisters, Taffy Ebel, lives in Pickens. She comes to the Pickens Senior Center every weekday to play pool. His other sister lives in Walhalla.

For a short time, Bob was the custodian at the Easley Senior Center. Al Parsons, who was the director of Pickens County Seniors Unlimited, asked Bob to become the manager there. He accepted the position and worked there for five years. The center was located in the old Alice Elementary School building. When the center closed down, Bob was transferred to the Liberty Senior Center. He worked there for two years.

Carol Baker/Courier

After stints working at the Easley Senior Center and Liberty Senior Center, Bob Stanford now volunteers at the Pickens Senior Center every weekday.

Now he does volunteer work at the Pickens Senior Center. He comes there every weekday and helps collect the money the seniors pay for their lunches.

Seven years ago, Bob was diagnosed with lung cancer. Part of one of his lungs had to be surgically removed. He had small cancer cells in his other lung and took chemotherapy treatments for one year. During that time, he kept a positive attitude. Now he is cancer free and thankful for every day.

Bob has always enjoyed building things. He said when he lived in Connecticut ,he remodeled the house he and his wife lived in. He also painted cars. He said he did that just to make a little bit of extra money.

Bob used to love to go dancing. He went three or four times a week, but he is no longer able to do that. He has severe arthritis in both of his hips. He said now he spends a lot of time watching television.

Easley resident Carol Baker highlights interesting local residents and helps us get to know more about the fascinating people who call Pickens County home. If you have someone somewhere who you think people should know about, contact us at news@
thepccourier.com.