New garbage company, demolition planned for Blackville

The December 19 Blackville Town Council meeting began with gratitude from the mayor, council members, and the community. First Lady Rita Pernell handed out tokens of holiday cheer to each attendee.

“I’m thankful you’re all here tonight to attend our last council meeting of the year,” said Mayor Ronnie Pernell.

Garbage Services

Republic Services garbage company is set to terminate their contract with the Town of Blackville effective June 2023. The contract between the garbage company and the town was first established in 2003.

Republic Services has undergone name changes during their time serving Blackville and has gone by Fennell Container and Suburban.

Mayor Pernell is planning to put in a request for proposal for residential garbage services at the start of the new year.

Currently, council is unable to determine future residential or business prices until a garbage company has accepted the town’s proposal.

Old Theater Demolition

LRB Site Prep & Hauling, LLC accepted the contract to demolish the old theater located on Solomon Blatt Avenue in Blackville before January 30, 2023.

The bid submitted by LRB Site Prep & Hauling, LLC was accepted for $15,500. Other bids ranged in the $68,000 range to demolish the building.

Mayor Pernell ensured he would notify the community when the demolition is set to take place, and advised roads will be blocked to allow for the use of heavy equipment.

The Blackville Police Department will be redirecting traffic as needed during the demolition process, according to Mayor Pernell.

Animal Control Policy

Mayor Pernell was undecided if he wanted to address animal control at the meeting due to the high call volume of animal complaints in Blackville.

There is currently no animal control officer in the Town of Blackville. Animal control related issues are handled by the town’s public works director and fire chief, Earthel Walker, alongside other buildings and grounds employees.

Mayor Pernell stated he feels there is a “major problem with animals in the area.” He hopes residents abide by the town’s ordinances and understand if their animal is picked up by town officials for running at large.

Mayor Pernell explained he and town officials would aim to reconnect stray animals with their owners, if possible, when responding to a call.

He also expressed that Blackville had “very detailed codes” in regard to animal control.

Blackville’s animal control ordinance is derived from the 1983 edition of the Town of Blackville Code of Ordinances, and contains structure around dangerous animals and animals running at large.

Any violation of Blackville’s animal control ordinances is liable to result in a misdemeanor, according to Chapter 3, Section 214.

Barbara Christian, co-director of the Barnwell County TNVR program, spoke during public comment about how to handle feral/stray cat colonies.

Trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) is a proven method of controlling feral and stray cat populations that recently was approved by the Barnwell County Council.

This program is funded through a $30,000 grant from the Best Friends Animal Society, and will continue to be funded by outside grants–meaning there is not, and will not be any cost to the town or county to maintain this program.

Christian explained she spoke with Walker about this program and his feelings about implementing it in Blackville. The introduction of TNVR in Blackville would lessen the burden of cat related nuisance calls on Walker and staff.

During public comment, Christian shared the harsh reality of feral cats entering many shelters prior to implementing TNVR programs: “in the front door, killed, out the back door.”

Reach out to the TNVR hotline at (803) 450-0499 for more information about the program or to receive assistance in controlling a colony of feral cats.

Newsletter

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