County of Lexington Spotlight: Projects, events and daily happenings in March 2017!

In 2017, the County of Lexington will be bringing you monthly updates as to what is happening within the County! With the guidance of Lexington County Council, this is an effort to keep our residents and neighbors in other counties informed about County operations, achievements and events!

We look forward to bringing you County-related news in the months to come. Here is what is going on in the County of Lexington for March 2017:

County of Lexington Stormwater Division Requests Citizens to Participate in Floodplain Management Survey:

In an effort to make the County’s communities less vulnerable to flooding, the County of Lexington Stormwater Division is requesting citizens to take part in a Floodplain Management Survey.

The survey, which can be found on the County of Lexington’s website, will afford Stormwater Division staff the ability to create a Floodplain Management Plan, which will identify and assess the County’s flood hazard risks and will help determine how to best minimize or manage those risks.

Once the survey is completed by a citizen, it is automatically emailed to Stormwater Division staff, who will then interpret and incorporate the data into the Floodplain Management Plan, which is scheduled to be written in Fall 2017.

This survey is an opportunity for citizens to share their opinions and participate in the mitigation planning process. The information that is provided will help the County better understand citizens’ hazard concerns, all aimed at creating mitigation activities that will help lessen the impacts of future weather events.

Citizens will be able to participate in the survey until summer.

 

Team Lexington County Public Safety Takes Win Over Team Lexington County Sheriff’s Department in Eighth Annual “Battle of the Badges” Charity Game

In what turned out to be a close game, Team Lexington County Public Safety took the “W” over Team Lexington County Sheriff’s Department in the eighth annual “Battle of The Badges” charity game on Feb. 18.
The final score was 75-72 and marks Team Lexington County Public Safety’s third win in a row over the Team LCSD!

But the real winner of the game was Samaritan’s Well! Through ticket sales, over $12,400 were raised to help benefit women and children in transition at Samaritan’s Well.

We thank all of the athletes and attendants of the game who played for and supported such an honorable cause!

 

Lexington County Electronic Recycling, Tire Collection & Paper Shredding Event – March

Lexington County residents will have the opportunity to recycle electronics, drop off used tires, and shred paper documents on Saturday, March 11, 2017, in Leesville from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

This event is being hosted by the County of Lexington Solid Waste Management Department and the Town of Batesburg-Leesville.

When: Saturday, March 11, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Where: 438 W Railroad Avenue (Southern Tool Works – was old Piggly Wiggly), Leesville

The following electronics* will be accepted for recycling from Lexington County residents only:
• Computers (laptops, monitors, CPU’s, keyboards)
• TV’s
• Printers / Copiers / scanners
• VCR and DVD Players
• Fax Machines
• Cell Phones / Telephone Systems
• Household electronics including stereo’s, Radio’s, PDA’s and Electronic Game Systems

Electronics are always accepted at the Lexington County Edmund Landfill located at 498 Landfill Lane in Lexington.

Paper Shredding will be performed on site. Residents will be limited to 5 boxes or bags

* Electronic Waste (computers/monitors, printers/copiers, TVs, cell phones) must be recycled and not placed in the garbage in accordance with the SC Code of Law, 48-60-05 et seq. Residents should keep electronics intact for the purpose of recycling. Electronic waste must have been generated from a residence within Lexington County for this event; commercial waste will not be accepted. Please, no refrigeration units of any kind.

For more information and future recycling dates, please visit the Lexington County Solid Waste Management website at www.lex-co.sc.gov/solidwaste or contact us at (803) 785-3340.

 

County of Lexington Public Libraries & USC Palmetto College Offering Information Sessions Promoting Affordable Higher Education

Libraries are more than just quiet places to do research, find a book and read. Libraries transform — they are engaging community centers where people can learn, create and share. Libraries advance education, individual opportunity and community progress. Because libraries and learning go hand-in-hand, we partnered with the University of South Carolina Palmetto College.

There are a lot of reasons to pursue a four-year college degree — advancement, a new direction, unfinished business. With the convenience and affordability of USC Palmetto College, it’s hard to come up with reasons not to. Discover how to make your dream of higher education a reality. Learn more and talk with representatives at one of the library’s workshops.

Informational Sessions will be held in March and April at several of the County of Lexington Public Library locations:

• Saturday, March 4 at 2 p.m. – Bateburg-Leesville Branch Library
• Tuesday, March 28 at 5:30 p.m. – Lexington Main Library
• Saturday, April 1 at 2 p.m. – Irmo Branch Library

Do not miss your opportunity to provide a better life for yourself by pursuing your education!

 

Author Talk: Rob Buyea

Award-winning author Rob Buyea discusses his book series. The program, sponsored by Friends of Lexington Main Library, is free and open to all ages.

New York Times bestselling author and Oscar winner John Irving reviewed Because of Mr. Terupt saying “Even the accident toward which this novel is inevitably headed is no accident; it is as masterfully set up and skillfully concealed as the rest of this riveting story.”

Books will be available for purchase and are perfect for the classroom.

• Monday, March 27 at 6:30 PM at Icehouse Amphitheater (if rain, Lexington Main Library)

 

Author Meet & Greet

Meet local authors in a casual, relaxed setting; ask questions and find out what’s next on their lists. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Authors include: Julia Allcut, Delores Artemus, Ron Baxley, Jr., Deena Bouknight, Charles Dickerson, Tom Elmore, Mike Gilmore, Nancy Gray, Marion Hanna, Alexia Helsley, Bridgette. E. Keely, Brenda Konitzer, Lenora Livingston, Jonathan Mashack, Michael Miller, Dr. Terry Powell, Fran Rizer, Rose Senehi, Amelia Sides, Sarah Templeton, Sandy Vassallo, Scott Vaughan, Ed Walker

• Saturday, March 4 from 2 to 5 PM at Irmo Branch Library

 

New Grant for Septic System Repairs or Replacement and Farm Upgrades

This project is funded in part by the US EPA under a Section 319 grant through SC DHEC.

The Lexington County Public Works Stormwater Division has a grant (NO repayment required) for people living in the Congaree Creek Watershed.
This 319 grant shares the cost (at least 60%) to repair or replace your home septic system or to improve livestock health, forage production and water quality at your farm or hobby farm. If a homeowner or farmer receives grant money, they are not required to repay the funds given to them!

Applications and questions may be directed to India Woodson, Environmental Coordinator, at (803) 785-8634 or by email to [email protected]

 

County of Lexington Building Services Embarks on Three New Projects Aimed at Improving County Services

The County of Lexington Building Services Department is managing three new construction projects within the County, all aimed at improving how the County conducts day-to-day business!

The first project is for a new County of Lexington Fleet Services Facility. This project entails building a new facility from the ground up, and it will have additional bays enabling Fleet Services to operate more efficiently. The new facility will also have a car-wash station, which will serve as the dedicated area to wash all County vehicles. This project broke ground on Feb. 6, 2017 and has an anticipated completion date of February 2018.

Building Services is also managing the renovation of the Lexington County Auxiliary Building, which houses the County’s Veteran’s Affairs and Voter Registration departments. This renovation will provide the departments with an updated look and expanded space.

During this project, the building will also undergo an exterior renovation to provide each department with their own separate entrances, as well as providing a clean, updated look. The updated spaces will provide County residents with a more streamlined, and overall enjoyable, experience during interactions with these departments. This project will begin in March 2017 and has an estimated 8-month timeline.

Building Service’s third project is the construction management of a new Safety Regional Training Facility located at the Lexington County Fire Service. This project entails the demolition of an existing training structure and construction of a new tower, as well as a stand-alone burn building, which will be used to conduct live fire training exercises. This new training facility will allow LCFS to conduct safer training, which will benefit all County residents should they ever need their Fire Service. This project will begin March 2017 and has an estimated 8-month timeline.

 

Lexington County Museum Commemorates 100th Anniversary of World War I with New Exhibit

In order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the US entry into World War I, the Lexington County Museum will be creating an exhibit showcasing the museum’s artifacts related to World War I.

This exhibit, which will be housed at the museum and at the Lexington Main Library, will focus on Lexington County’s reaction to the war, before US entry, and the experience of Lexington County soldiers while in Europe.

This exhibit will allow County residents to learn more about this often-times-forgotten period of history. The exhibit should be installed and ready to view by the end of March.