Eclipse Excitement

TEXAS ECLIPSE VISITORS - Anita L. Cochran and William D. Cochran from the McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin were in Saluda Monday for the eclipse. They were staying with Anita’s brother and and sister in law, who live in Aiken. Since Austin is in Travis County, they were told William Barret Travis was born here. They were also told Saluda’s Mitchell Spearman just went to work at the University of Texas. (Standard-Sentinel photo)

DOWNTOWN CROWDS - Visitors from as far away as California were in Saluda Monday to view the eclipse. This is just some of the crowd at the Saluda County Library. (Standard-Sentinel photo)

Saluda County  Resident To Be Featured
In National Down Syndrome Society Video

Kate Matthews To Help Kick Off Down Syndrome
Awareness Month In Unique Annual Video Presentation

   NEW YORK (Aug. 21, 2017) – Kate Matthews of Batesburg, SC, will appear in the bright lights of Broadway on Saturday, September 16, as part of the National Down Syndrome Society’s annual Times Square Video presentation. The featured photographs highlight children, teens, and adults with Down syndrome, reminding the world in a very big way about the contributions and milestones of people with Down syndrome. These collective images promote the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.
   The photo of Kate, who happens to have Down syndrome, was selected from over 2,000 entries in the NDSS worldwide call for photos. Almost 500 photographs will appear in the video, which will be shown in the heart of Times Square. 
   Kate is pictured playing on the playground at her church.
  The Times Square Video presentation kicks off Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October. The video presentation will be followed by the 23rd Annual Flagship Buddy Walk in New York City. This year, Buddy Walk events will be held in more than 275 cities across the country, as well as select international locations, in and around October with over 325,000 people participating around the globe. For information about the NDSS Buddy Walk Program, visit www.buddywalk.org or call 800-221-4602.
 

New Superintendent

Mathis Resigns, Livingston Hired

By Dr. Arlene S.  Puryear
Saluda County School
District One Board Chair

             
  We are saddened to announce that Superintendent Dr. David Mathis informed the Saluda County School District One Board of Trustees at our meeting last evening that he wished to resign effective September 1, 2017. 
  He has been offered a position at the State Department of Education as Director of Early Learning and Literacy. 
  The Board has been extremely pleased with the outstanding leadership Dr. Mathis has provided to the District for the past nine years, and we will certainly miss his leadership in our District.  Importantly, Dr. Mathis has worked tirelessly to keep the focus on increasing student achievement, building an outstanding faculty and staff and providing numerous learning opportunities for our students to succeed.      
  As a Board, we also recognized that we needed to take steps immediately to identify a successor for Dr. Mathis so the District may continue with its progress and ensure a smooth transition in its leadership.  Faced with this prospect, the Board considered various options for conducting a superintendent search. 
  During our considerations, we discussed various circumstances, the understanding of which is essential for an appreciation of the decision, which we announced Monday evening.      It is well known that currently there is a great shortage of capable school administrators, including school superintendents, both in South Carolina and across the nation.  Further, the process of employing superintendents is extremely difficult, time-consuming, expensive, and potentially disruptive.  We believe it is in Saluda’s best interests to avoid these deterrents in determining our path forward.        The Saluda Board decided upon a strategy that we believe will be successful and lead to the result desired, i.e., the employment of an outstanding, experienced administrator, in our District, with minimum disruption and expense.  As a Board, we quickly realized that we are fortunate to have such an administrator already in our District. 
  It became clear to us that Assistant Superintendent Dr. Harvey Livingston is an excellent candidate to become the District’s next Superintendent.  Through his twenty years in our system, he has worked in a variety of capacities, including as teacher, Head Football Coach/Athlete Director, principal of Saluda High and Hollywood Elementary Schools and his current job as Assistant Superintendent, which has provided an array of experience working with human resources, public relations, student services and transportation.  Quite simply, he is the ideal candidate as he is fully versed in all areas of District operations and will be able to keep the District on the path of excellence.     
  It was the consensus of our Board that Dr. Livingston is the right person at the right time for Saluda.  Dr. Livingston has a highly successful track record with our District and is highly regarded in our District and community.  Dr. Livingston has been an integral member of the District’s administrative team for many years and is fully aware of, part of, and supportive of the exciting direction in which our system is heading - not to mention the upward momentum we are seeing with test scores and the graduation rate.
  During our meeting on August 7th, Dr. Livingston informed our Board that should we extend him the offer of the position of Superintendent, he would be honored to accept.  Accordingly, Dr. Livingston will be Superintendent-Elect until September 1, 2017, at which time     he will become Superintendent.  Dr. Livingston and Dr. Mathis will work together between now and the end of August 2017 to ensure a smooth transition.      
  We believe that our approach has enabled us to secure the employment of an outstanding administrator who can continue the current progress of the District with a seamless transition, is already completely familiar with our District’s operations and its staff, and is highly regarded in the State as an outstanding academic leader.  We are delighted to announce that Dr. Livingston will be our next Superintendent.

Late County Council Chairman Don Hancock’s chair was marked by a black ribbon at Monday’s Council meeting. (Standard-Sentinel photo)

County Council Holds

Poignant Meeting

 
Monday, Saluda County Council held its first meeting since the death of County Council Chairman Don Hancock.
  Vice-Chairman Gwen Shealy broke into tears when she said Chairman Hancock will be specially remembered at the September meeting.
  “We are very sad,” Councilman Frank Daniel said, “but we must go on.”
  Hancock was a proponent of economic development and Council took several steps in that direction at the August meeting.
  Second reading was given to an ordinance entering into  a contract for a fixed base operator, Saluda Sky Aviation, LLC, at the Saluda County Airport.
  First reading was given to an ordinance amending the Multi-County Industrial Park agreement between Saluda and Aiken County. Development Consultant Ed Parler said the agreement is needed to include recent development projects in the county.
  Council passed a resolution putting in the place the application of a fee in lieu of ad valorem taxes for a $45 million project known as Project PBM. An ordinance requiring three readings is the next step.
  Council agreed to apply for a grant that would run a waterline to the above mentioned Project PBM. The $740,000 project would install 11,600 feet of waterline on Duncan Road.
  Parler said the grant would be for $500,000 and the 25 percent match would be paid by the Aiken Edgefield Saluda Partnership with assistance from the electric cooperatives.
  Parler said residents on Duncan Road would benefit from the installation of fire hydrants, plus they can tap on to the county water if they should so choose. He said once the waterline line is completed, the county would deed the project to the Water and Sewer Authority.
  “In other words, this is a no lose situation for the county,” Councilman D.J. Miller said.
  Council took the first step that will lead to returning the Brooks and Roston Park to the community.
  First reading to an ordinance was approved to quit claim the property deeded to the Saluda County Recreation Association, Inc., in 1970 by Willette P. Satterwhite and Melverda Hook, to the Saluda Recreation District for a total purchase price of $5.00 and correction of a deed.
  Council approved adoption of standard operating procedures for EMS with year revisions, and modifying testing provisions of the Saluda County Abuse Policy and Procedures.
  Council approved Daniel’s appointments of Courtney A. Priester to the Saluda Nursing Center Board, and Margaret A. Nicholson to the Planning Commission.
  Shealy’s reappointment of Wayne Matthews to the Airport Commission was also approved.

Chairman Dies

Saluda County Council
Chairman Don Hancock Dies

  Saluda County Council Chairman Don Hancock, 64, died Tues., Aug. 2, after a more than year long battle with cancer.
  Hancock was in his second term chairman, having first been elected in 2010.
  When he announced for re-election in 2015, he said:
  “I believe our county has made tremendous strides in the past few years.  Our county has established and strengthened ties to organizations external to our county such as our Legislative Delegation, the SC Department of Commerce, our utility providers (SCE&G, Aiken Electric Co-Op, Mid-Carolina Electric Co-Op), the Upper Savannah Council of Governments among others.  The council has also strengthened relationships internal to the county such as the Saluda County Water and Sewer Authority, Saluda County Schools, Saluda County Transportation Commission, as well as the municipalities.”
  Hancock last public meeting appearance was in June. It was at that meeting first reading was given to an ordinance that will pave the way for a 650-acre solar farm in the county that will result in an $115 million investment.
  He praised the work of the current and immediate past councils for making the investment possible. He added that more development activity could be announced in the next few months.
  Two smaller solar farms were built during his term, and Roya Foods opened in the old Milliken Plant. Council also made the EMS a county department, separate from Saluda Nursing Center, last year.
  Hancock grew up in Saluda County, the son of the late Ernest and Helen Hancock. His family owned and operated Hancock Poultry Co. on the Ridge Spring Highway.
  After graduating in  1970 from Saluda High School, he went on to  Georgia Southern University  where in finished in 1974.  In addition, he held a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Tennessee and a Masters in Business Administration from the College of William and Mary. 
  He retired from Lucent Technologies in 2001 after a career in Project Management. 
  He was commissioned at 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine in 1975 and remained on active duty until 1982. He retired as a Colonel from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves in 2005.  Hancock was called back to active duty after the attacks on September 11, 2001, and served in Iraq from January to July 2005.  
  Hancock was active in the  Saluda County Chamber of Commerce, Saluda Lions Club, American Legion Post 65, and  the Boy Scouts, where he served as a scoutmaster.  He was a member of Mount Pleasant Lutheran Church.
  Hancock was recently elected chairman of the Upper Savannah Council of Governments Board of Directors.
  Hancock was the second county council chairman to die in office since the turn of the century. H. Bernard Horne died  Jan. 14, 2004, at Providence Hospital, following a long battle with heart disease.  Sadly ironic is the fact Horne and Hancock were step-brothers.
  Horne was succeeded by his son, Hardee, who Hancock followed.
  A special election will be held to fill Hancock’s unexpired term.
  Hancock is survived by his sisters Charlyn Staubes of Saluda and Ann Coker of Greenwood, nieces and nephews, and his step-mother, Geneva Hancock.
  Services were held Sunday at Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church, with burial in West Travis Park Cemetery.

DR. MATHIS RESIGNS

  Dr. David Mathis has resigned as Saluda County Schools superintendent to accept a position with the State Department of Education.
  Monday, the school board named Dr. Harvey Living-ston was the new superin-tendent.
  More on this next week.

Relay for Life Schedule of Events

6:00 pm    Opening ceremonies
6:15 pm    Joye Hutto
6:45 pm    SHS Cheerleaders
7:00 pm    Christy Mills Dance school
7:30 pm    Jensen  Music
8:00 pm    Amick Grove Puppet and Drama Team
8:30 pm    Backwoods Brothers
9:00 pm    Luminaria Lighting and Silent walk
9:30 pm    Joy Ride with Jimmy Holocombe
10:30 pm    Closing Ceremony / Closing Prayer