News

Town Council on Monday night held second reading of an ordinance to increase water base rates by $5.50 for most customers. The increase is necessary due to critical infrastructure needs at the Waste Water Treatment Plant and throughout the distribution system.

Although most customers will see a $5.50 increase beginning on their August bills, Council adopted a tiered base rate schedule based upon meter size. More than 2,800 of the Town’s nearly 3,000 meters are of the ¾ inch variety and whose base rate will increase from $7.95 to $13.45 monthly. Customers using larger meters, 1 inch to 6 inches, will pay anywhere between $24.00 to $364.50 per month.

In addition to the tiered base rate schedule, Council has also approved the doubling of base rates for out-of-Town customers. The practice of doubling out-of-Town rates is a universally accepted approach to address the increased cost of running and maintaining distribution systems in less populated areas. 

The new rate schedule has been provided below. If you have any questions, please call Town Hall at 803-532-4601. 

Meter Base Rates
based on meter size
 

The proposed sized-based Meter Base Rates do not affect the per thousand gallon usage rate of $4.91 (in-Town) and $7.46 (out-of-Town). 

The Town recently released its 2015 Drinking Water Quality Report. Though technical in nature, the report does not list any violations. The report also indicates that the Batesburg-Leesville Utilities Department continues to exceed all testing parameters in providing drinking water to more than 5,400 residents and businesses. 

To read the full report, please click here. 

The South Carolina School Boards Association (SCSBA) will honor the Twin City Rotary Club and the Batesburg-Leesville Rotary Club with the Champions for Public Education Award on Tuesday, June 14, during the Lexington School District Three School Board Meeting at 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Tiffany Richardson, SCSBA General Counsel and Director of Policy and Legal Services, will present the association’s award along with Lexington Three Board Chairman Rev. Leon Drafts and Lexington Three Board Member and SCSBA Regional Director Cheryl Burgess.

The Lexington Three board nominated the Twin City and the Batesburg-Leesville Rotary Clubs for the award, which is presented to community residents, organizations or local businesses/industries whose support of and contributions to public education have significantly benefited the school district or public schools statewide.

The Twin City and the Batesburg-Leesville Rotary Clubs have ongoing projects in Lexington County School District Three that support students of all ages through resources, time and collaboration. The two rotary clubs work closely together in service to benefit the students of the district through club projects and programs throughout the year.

“The clubs provide support for several priorities established by the Lexington Three Board of Trustees. Specially, many of the projects support our vision to improve literacy, promote college and career readiness for all students and provide student life and leadership opportunities for Lexington Three students,” the nomination reads.

Some of the clubs’ more recent support includes partnering to promote literacy by providing dictionaries for all third graders in the district, providing a special book for all 4K students, and offering an innovative “Rainy Day Reader” program. The clubs sponsor an annual career fair for high school students allowing them to interact with business professionals from across the community and provide financial support for Lexington Three students to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy.

“The passion and dedication demonstrated by these rotary clubs in Lexington Three is extraordinary. It is evident that the clubs collaborate to provide great support for the district. On behalf of the South Carolina School Boards Association, I want them to know how much their efforts are appreciated,” said SCSBA Executive Director Scott Price.

To receive the award, recipients must meet the following criteria:

• show leadership in support of ongoing or special programs authorized by the school board

• demonstrate, through actions, pride for the school district and effectively work for the betterment of the schools in the district as a whole or for public schools statewide

• understand public education’s importance to a democratic society and actively inspire support for quality public schools within the community or state

• make a difference for the entire school district or schools statewide

Re-posted from MidlandsBiz.com.

The Town Council has approved a resolution waiving yard sale permit fees of $5.00 for the two-day Peachtree 23 Yard Sale event. The waiver is only for those individuals participating along HWY 23 that runs through Batesburg-Leesville. 

Peachtree 23 Yard Sale is one of the largest yard sales in the country, stretching 44 miles from Batesburg-Leesville to Modoc, SC. Now it it's 10th year, folks can ride all the way down to the state line and find all kinds of fun art & crafts, clothing, fruits & vegetables, furniture, and much more. 

To learn more about the yard sale, click here. 

For more information, please call Town Hall at 532-4601.

Town Council on Monday night voted unanimously to recognize the week of May 15^th – 21^st, 2016 as National Police Week in the Town of Batesburg-Leesville. The resolution adopted also includes recognition of Peace Officers’ Memorial Day on May 15^th as designated by Congress and the President of the United States.

In adopting the resolution, the Mayor and Council asked that the citizens of Batesburg-Leesville join in commemorating law enforcement officers, past and present, who, by their faithful and loyal devotion to their responsibilities, have rendered a dedicated service to their communities and, in so doing, have established for themselves an enviable and enduring reputation for preserving the rights and security of all citizens.

They further called upon all citizens of Batesburg-Leesville to observe May 15th, as Peace Officers’ Memorial Day in honor of those law enforcement officers who, through their courageous deeds, have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community or have become disabled in the performance of duty, and let us recognize and pay respect to the survivors of our fallen heroes. 

The Town of Batesburg-Leesville will host the 30th Annual South Carolina Poultry Festival Thursday, May 12th through Saturday, May 14th. 

This year's events include:

Carnival Rides
Cake Auction
Classic Tractor Show
Live bands
Arts and Crafts
Fireworks (Saturday Night)
and much, much more!! 

For more information, please visit http://scpoultryfestival.com/index.html

As part of the Town's routine maintenance of the water distribution system, utility crews will be flushing water mains April 11-15, 2016.  The Town is required by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) to perform annual flushing to clean the mains and flush out sediment accumulations that may settle in the water distribution pipelines.  Flushing ensures customers have a safe and healthy supply of drinking water. 

Flushing operations will be conducted during normal business hours in the following locations on the date(s) indicated:

Monday and Tuesday April 11 & 12, 2016 - West Church Street corridor of the Batesburg District, East of Mitchell Street

Wednesday and Thursday April 13 & 14, 2016 - West Columbia Avenue (Highway 1) corridor of the Batesburg District, East of Mitchell Street

As a result of flushing waterlines, some customers may experience a temporary discoloration of their water and/or low water pressure conditions.  Color can range from a light yellow to an orange-red.  If this occurs, customers should run a medium stream of COLD water until the water clears.  If you experience discoloration, DO NOT run hot water or wash clothes until the water clears up.  The Town does not reimburse or credit customers for water used to flush their service lines due to iron discoloration.  Main flushing is required in order to properly maintain the water distribution system and ensure water quality.  If the “colored” water problem persists, please contact the Town of Batesburg-Leesville Water Department at (803) 532-6410. 

For further information regarding the flushing of Town water lines, please contact the Water Department at (803)-532-6410. 

The Town of Batesburg-Leesville will be hosting an Easter Egg Hunt on Wednesday, March 23rd from 5:30-7:00 at Leesville College Park. 

Each year the Town recognizes a series of employees to honor for their performance and commitment to the Town. For 2015, Jeremy Driggers was selected as the Town’s Employee of the Year for his outstanding work, dedication to the Town, and for the uplifting spirit he brings to work every day.

Jeremy has been employed with the Town for more than five years and is a mechanic in the Fleet Department. In addition to his duties, Jeremy serves on a number of employee committees where he is able to provide constructive feedback and leadership to others.

Jeremy was nominated by his fellow employees for this award; with the final selection coming from a panel of community and business leaders. Jeremy and his wife, Amanda, reside just outside of Town with their 2-year-old daughter, Paisley.

Others recognized for their commitment to the Town include:

Barbara Cribb – 35 Years of Service (Police Department)
Angie Adkins – 30 Years of Service (DPW)
Carlton Alewine – 25 Years of Service (DPW)
Patricia Saeed – 20 Years of Service (Administration)
Tim Craps – 10 Years of Service (Fleet Department)
Lawrence Padgett – 10 Years of Service (DPW)
Leon Griffin – 10 Years of Service (Street Department)
Jay Hendrix – 5 Years of Service (Fire Department)
David Padgett – 5 Years of Service (Street Department)
Jeremy Driggers – 5 Years of Service (Fleet Department)
Fleet Department – Department of the Year

The Batesburg-Leesville Fire Department also recently recognized its Firefighter of the Year and Officer of the Year. For 2015, Jeff Padgett was selected as the Firefighter of the Year and Chris Hallman as the Officer of the Year. Jeff has been a member of Fire Department for just over two years and Chris for more than 11 years. Each of these individuals continue to serve the community with distinction and are role models for others to follow.

The Police Department will be naming its Officer of the Year at the end of March.

A 6” water main supplying water to residents and businesses in the area of Liberty Street, Leaphart Acres, South Pine Street and Willis Street burst today. The break has been located and isolated.  Crews are onsite and the repair is underway.  SCDHEC has been notified and water plant staff will be collecting samples in the distribution system during the day.

Residents are advised to vigorously boil water for at least 1 minute before use for the next 24 hours (9/26-9/27 12:00pm). Users will also experience limited water pressure throughout the day.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. 

Town of Batesburg-Leesville