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At its April 18 meeting, the Allendale County Council discussed a proposed idea for a redevelopment of the old Allendale High School as a community center, a bridge expansion project on Highway 301 and raised the salary of sheriff James Freeman.
Community center proposal
The council heard a proposal from Rory Dowling, a development advisor, on a potential renovation of the old Allendale High School, located along Allendale-Fairfax Highway, as a community center.
“I would love to be breaking ground with this project within twelve months, it might be a little ambitious, but I think it’s achievable,” Dowling said. “We'd love to also have a community engagement session to further educate the community on what is going on with this project.”
The high school, now an abandoned building on the South Carolina Historic properties record, was the high school for Black students in Allendale during Jim Crow discrimination. Dowling said the project could break ground by next April, and architectural and budget plans can be ready by July.
The project, Dowling said, would be a collaboration with Clemson University and would be funded in part by historic preservation tax credits from the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service. In total, Dowling said, the project would cost $25 million.
The council expressed hesitation to Dowling’s proposal, citing the project’s high price tag and the building’s current ownership by the Allendale County School District.
“It’s not ours,” said council member Theresa Taylor. “We're spending money on a property that’s [owned by the school] and we haven't even discussed it with the school.”
U.S. 301 bridge expansion
Allendale County and the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) are currently in the early stages of a replacement project of the U.S. 301 bridge over the Savannah River. The proposed project would expand the bridge and replace the bridge’s existing structure.
According to the SCDOT, there are multiple paths forward for the project and it would require approval from the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Marine Fisheries; Underneath the bridge is a critical habitat for sturgeon, as well as several wetlands.
At the council meeting, council member Robinson said the project has been delayed by at least a year.
“It looks like that’s been pushed back another year,” Robinson said. “I didn’t get a good explanation as to why. If you ever travel that bridge into Georgia, you can understand that there’s a need to have that bridge widened.”
Sheriff's salary increase
Following the executive session, the council voted to increase Allendale County Sheriff James Freeman’s salary. The council said that this was done at the request of the personnel committee, which is made up of council members James White and Bill Robinson.
Connelly said the raise was based on the revised pay scale put forth by the county’s previous administrator, Bert O’Rear, and had not been implemented until now. Freeman’s salary increase will take effect in July.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, all compensation for employees making over $50,000 must be made public. However, that information has not been released as of press time.
Elijah de Castro is a Report for America corps member who writes about rural communities like Allendale and Barnwell counties for The People-Sentinel. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep Elijah writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today.
