Kevin Roberts, the city’s parks, recreation, and tourism director, is retiring in the coming months to spend more time with his family.
“I just wanted you to know how appreciative I am of everybody’s support, just the love that this city has for parks and recreation… it’s truly been an honor,” said Roberts at the May Barnwell City Council meeting.
Roberts joined the department in 2022 and has played a part in numerous initiatives and projects.
“It’s been a pleasure and a wonderful chance to meet and to work with Kevin. He has done a lot of things and has dealt with a lot of things that he didn’t expect when he first came into this job,” said city administrator Lynn McEwen. “We’re going to miss Kevin, but he’ll only be a phone call away.”
Mayor Ron Still shared a similar sentiment stating, “You’ve done a great job since you’ve been here, I hope you don’t move away and forget about us, door’s always open.”
“Barnwell has earned my heart very quickly,” said Roberts.
Roberts informed the council the Fuller Park Splash Pad is undergoing minor maintenance such as replacing sealant, Lemon Park now has new signage, and the small pavilion at Fuller Park is nearly completed. Fencing and shrubbery has been addressed at Collins Park, which Roberts describes as a “magnificent change.”
Mosquito spraying has begun. More information is on the city’s website. If there is a problem area, citizens can call city hall to request specific areas of spraying.
Roberts is leaving recreation in the hands of the interim director, Tommy "AJ" Elkins, and will be assisting in the transition.
Elkins provided the council with a June update; the city’s Independence Day celebration will be held on June 28 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with fireworks. Fall sports are coming up – applications are online until the August 2 deadline and payments can be made at city hall.
Elkins and his team are also tackling recent vandalism at the Fuller Park bathroom. They are looking at new ways to lock and monitor the facility alongside the Barnwell Police Department.
At the June meeting, the council approved hanging up banners on light posts around the downtown area in partnership with the Savannah River Site’s (SRS) 75th anniversary celebrations. SRS has purchased the banners and they are set to be displayed later this summer.
Water Project AuthorizationThe council unanimously approved the work authorization with GHD engineering to begin the already approved waste-water rehabilitation work funded through the S.C. Infrastructure Investment Program (SCIIP). This one-time, federal funding was issued after the pandemic to help municipalities with infrastructure projects; the City of Barnwell approved revamping areas of the waste-water treatment system.
The engineer and the projected scope of work have already been approved by the council.
The city is responsible for $377,401 of the over $6 million project, according to McEwen.
“We right now do not have the funding in the water department to pay for this right now,” said McEwen, who noted the project may take up to a year to complete.
If the city cannot come up with the $377k, they will have to return the federal SCIIP funding. McEwen recommended to approve the work authorization now to prevent this from occurring, and work to find the funding elsewhere.
Council & Insurance The council unanimously voted to exclude council members from the city’s insurance plan in a one-time addendum to their policy.
“If you decide you want to go into it, the city would have to pay for it,” said McEwen.
No council members are currently on the city’s state PEBA insurance plan, only city employees. If council members were to join and be considered ‘active employees,’ it would cost the city $7,900 for an individual, and $17,000 for a family.
Although this addendum prevents council members from city insurance benefits, they are not prohibited from participating in the retirement system.
According to McEwen, PEBA offered this addendum in March for cities and counties who may not be able to afford it, including council members as active employees receiving benefits.
Sanitation Bid Rejected The council unanimously accepted a recommendation from McEwen to reject the two bids received for sanitation contracts.
One bid was from the city’s current provider, S&S Disposal, at $13.95 for trash service with an additional $1.95 for yard service. The other bid was from Good Ole Boys’ Trash and Sanitation at $16 for trash only.
“Due to a number of issues that we feel we’ve got in this particular proposal, I recommend that we reject these bids and restart this proposal. We have time,” said McEwen. The current contract is not up until September.
According to the city’s code of ordinances, they are allowed to reject bids and start the process over again.
According to McEwen, city staff feels more bids will be submitted if reposted.
