Recyclers of the Month - May 2013

Lamar and Lucy Caldwell are the City of Hartsville’s Recyclers of the Month for May.

Lamar Caldwell said the family has been recycling for a very long time, and they generally fill their recycling bin every week with newspapers, magazines, cans and bottles.

“It’s definitely worthwhile. I am a firm believer in recycling,” he said.

A Moment with the Manager: Keeping Hartsville illuminated

By Natalie M. Zeigler
City Manager

Projects and programs of city government are at times eye-catching, headline-making affairs. The Piratesville Splash Pad opening this summer has caught the attention of many children and families. Our beautiful new City Hall in the refurbished Bank of Hartsville building has had many interested residents come through for tours.

Many of our operations come as ongoing services, however, taking place quietly in the background of our residents' lives. Consider, for example, the crews which collect trash and recyclables every day, or the water and sewer service provided to homes and businesses, and the streetlights which light up Hartsville every night.

Tales on the Town student art contest winners

From left: Hartsville City Manager Natalie Zeigler, John Byrd, Hartsville Mayor Mel Pennington, Claire Brown and Leadership Hartsville Class of 2013 members Casey Hancock and Sherri Diaz.

The Leadership Hartsville Class of 2013 and the City of Hartsville recognized the winners of the student art contest which decided the designs for the Tales on the Town project at Hartsville High School on Tuesday, May 28.

John Byrd’s contest submission was named Best Overall Design, and will serve as the basis for the red fox bronze sculptures to be installed in downtown Hartsville. Claire Brown’s entry was named Best Cartoon Design, and will be include in all promotional materials for the project. Tales on the Town will be a pedestrian-friendly scavenger hunt activity featuring 13 small red fox sculptures as well as one large sculpture in Hartsville’s Burry Park. Leadership Hartsville has taken on fundraising for the project, and more information may be found at the City website, www.hartsvillesc.gov.

 

Tornado relief donation drive

The City of Hartsville is collecting donated toiletry items to provide for the victims of this week’s tornado in Moore, Okla. through May 31.

Benjamin Chastain to become director of Duke Energy Center for Innovation in Hartsville

Benjamin Chastain has been selected as the first director of the Duke Energy Center for Innovation in Hartsville, a business incubator which will provide resources, guidance and business space for technology-oriented startups. This program, an effort of the Community Foundation for a Better Hartsville and made possible by a grant from the Duke Energy Foundation, comes as one of several Technology Village Program sites created around South Carolina by the Clemson Institute for Economic & Community Development.

A Moment with the Manager -- Community leaders

By Natalie M. Zeigler
City Manager

The Hartsville community is blessed with many truly excellent leaders. Some serve on our City Council or our boards, committees and commissions. Others lead the many businesses, civic organizations and nonprofit organizations which make this city an excellent place to work and live.

The Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce has helped to cultivate leaders with its Leadership Hartsville program, and already we are seeing great things from their Class of 2013 in the form of the Tales on the Town project.

SC Department of Transportation public information meeting

The South Carolina Department of Transportation will host a public information meeting on the proposed roundabout project for the intersection of West Carolina Avenue and West Home Avenue Thursday, May 16, 2013, 5-7 p.m. at West Hartsville Baptist Church, 1003 W. Carolina Ave.

The SCDOT flyer below provides additional details.

Screen on the Green kicks off with "Wreck-It Ralph"

WHAT: Screen on the Green summer movie series showing of “Wreck-It Ralph.” Rated PG for some rude humor and mild action/violence. No admission charge.
WHERE: Burry Park, 131 Cargill Way, Hartsville, SC 29550
WHEN: Saturday, May 18, 2013, dusk


Screen on the Green, the City of Hartsville’s free outdoor movie series, will kick off its third season this Saturday at Burry Park with a showing of “Wreck-It Ralph,” sponsored by Sheriff Wayne Byrd.

The 2012 Walt Disney Animation Studios movie tells the story of Wreck-It Ralph, an arcade video game villain who wants to be as beloved as his video game’s good guy, Fix-It Felix. Sneaking into other video games in the hopes of becoming a hero, Ralph accidentally unleashes an enemy capable of destroying every game in the arcade. His one hope of becoming a real good guy lies with Vanellope von Schweetz, a troublemaking “glitch” from a candy-coated cart racing game.

Fox sculpture project coming to downtown Hartsville

Tales on the Town, an installation of bronze sculptures in the shape of red foxes spread around downtown Hartsville, will soon arrive as a unique community attraction made possible by a partnership of the Leadership Hartsville Class of 2013 and the City of Hartsville. The project, inspired last year by a Hartsville family, will involve 13 statues placed among the downtown’s points of interest such as historic sites and businesses, with a list of clues hinting at each location. With a fundraising drive now underway, statues could be installed as early as the fall of 2013.

Leadership Hartsville’s Class of 2013 has taken on the project in an effort to promote Hartsville’s cultural development. Tales on the Town will provide a pedestrian-friendly scavenger hunt activity incorporating a promotional brochure and website.

Hartsville's Residential Demolition Assistance Program kicks off

The dilapidated structure seen in this April 24, 2013 photo was among the first to be demolished under the Residential Demolition Assistance Program of the Community Foundation for a Better Hartsville and the City of Hartsville.

The same lot has been completely cleared of its structure following the house’s demolition, as seen in this May 7, 2013 photo.

Hartsville’s Residential Demolition Assistance Program, the effort to eliminate blighted and hazardous residential properties in the city, began the week of April 29 with the removal of three vacant and blighted houses.

The program, a partnership between the Community Foundation for a Better Hartsville and the City of Hartsville, provides funds to help property owners clear away decayed house structures in situations where the demolition cost would be otherwise unaffordable for the owner. After a property is identified as failing to meet code and the owner agrees to participate with a $500 investment, the program subsidizes the remaining cost of removing the structure. At the same time that three structures were demolished through the Residential Demolition Assistance Program, the City of Hartsville demolished two additional structures which were in violation of building codes. The next three removals under the assistance program are planned for the coming weeks.

Thursdays on College concerts continue with Josh Roberts and The Hinges

Josh Roberts and The Hinges, an Americana/Indie/Rock band from Columbia, S.C., will perform for the second Thursdays on College concert on May 9th in downtown Hartsville, sponsored by RBC Bearings. The City of Hartsville and Hartsville Downtown Development Association are presenting the downtown street concert series.

The rock and roll group, which has recorded and toured widely since it formed in 2005, has developed a powerful style of music influenced by blues, country, punk and soul, something that Josh Roberts has described as a “melting pot American music, real rock and roll music with the roots showing.” The group has released many albums, including 2012’s well-reviewed “A Mighty Long Distance and Murky Old Time.”

The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. on the block of East College Avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets, and run for about two hours. Food will be available for purchase from Bizzell’s Food and Spirits and drinks will be provided by Vintage Wine Boutique. Child care is available through The Play Zone, located at the concert site at 125 N. Fifth St., and which may be contacted at (843) 332-7513.

A Moment with the Manager: Piratesville Splash Pad

By Natalie M. Zeigler
City Manager

In any community, parents are always concerned with whether activities for their children are available. Age-appropriate recreation opportunities have an important role in a child’s development, and are a crucial factor in a city’s ability to stand as a great place to raise a family.

The City of Hartsville recently began construction on a facility which will give the younger set another opportunity for fun this summer: the Piratesville Splash Pad at Byerly Park.

Recycler of the Month - April 2013

Julia Fisher is the City of Hartsville’s Recycler of the Month for April.

Fisher said she has been an enthusiastic recycler for much of her life, estimating that recyclable materials make up about 70 percent of the waste collected from her residence. Conserving resources and finding new uses for materials, she said, is an important part of sustainable living.

“I recycle everything I possibly can,” she said.

The Recycler of the Month award provided Fisher with a $25 gift card to the Midnight Rooster Coffee Shop, Courtyard and Eatery, found at 136 E. Carolina Ave. in Hartsville, as well as a real-estate-style sign announcing the award. The award program is part of an effort to promote the recycling partnership of Sonoco and the City of Hartsville.

Next month, the City will choose another winner. To learn more about City of Hartsville pick-up schedules and what recyclable materials are accepted, or to request a recycling roll cart, call Environmental Services at 843.383.3019.