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Allendale County has received three new grants that will go towards upgrading the county’s Emergency Medical Services.
At its January 19 meeting, the Allendale County Council announced that the county has received over $35,000 across three new grants for improving EMS services and approved the second reading of a business license ordinance.
EMS grants
At the meeting, council member Theresa Taylor announced that Lish Sabb, the director of Allendale County’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS), had applied and received three grants for the county. A fourth grant is pending approval.
The county received a $25,000 grant from Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and a $5,000 grant from CSX foundation, both of which Lish said will be used for purchasing EMS equipment.
“It’s going towards a console upgrade that helps with the E911 Centers’ dispatching capabilities,” Sabb said.
The county also received $6,500 from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Community EMS Assistance Program, which Sabb said will be used for upgrading EMS services’ capabilities on the Savannah River following a boating accident in 2023.
The grant pending approval is from the Winthrop Foundation, which could be worth up to $5,000 that Sabb said would also be used for upgrading EMS communications.
Council reports & business license
Council member Willa Jennings told the council that her and the county’s chief financial officer, Chanel Lewis, have found $80,000 in the county’s park fund. This money could be used to add a bathroom to the county’s already existing parks. Additionally, Jennings raised the idea of opening a state park in Allendale, which is one of few counties in South Carolina without a state park.
“We don’t have a state park, and I’m still looking for how we can get [one],” Jennings said. “[For] Allendale County, it would be good for us if we could have a state park.”
The county also voted to approve a second reading of an ordinance that would require businesses within the county to obtain a business license, and pay an annual license tax. However, the ordinance contains an exception for the towns of Fairfax and Allendale. In a December 22, 2023 statement to The People-Sentinel, council chair Matthew Connelly said the ordinance will help bring in additional revenue to the county, which is in a financial crunch. If approved, the license years would begin on May 1 and end on April 30.
The county’s attorney, Walter Sanders, suggested that before the county approves a third reading of the ordinance and begins public hearings, it completes its audit.
Executive session
In executive session, the council discussed contractual matters related to a fire substation that is being constructed on St. Marks Road.
The project is part of its penny sales tax project list and at its December council meeting, the council voted to reduce the purchase of land for the project from four acres to one acre. This decision, Connelly said in December, was to fall in line with the fire substation that was built in Appleton.
However, no action was taken regarding the substation after the council entered back into open session, and the council adjourned immediately.
