SANTEE – The town of Santee is scheduled to tie into the Lake Marion Regional Water System, as that agency’s first customer, next month.
Herman Keller, Santee’s water department manager, said during Wednesday’s regular Santee Town Council meeting, “Many people worked hard for this day, and the new system will have many advantages.”
“As surface water sources are treated with chlorine and ammonia instead of the chlorine-only treatment we’ve had with our previous groundwater source, we will be issuing more information before the new system ties in for those with any questions regarding changes to dialysis treatments or aquarium fill, for example,” he added.
Keller also announced the town will begin a S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control-mandated flushing of fire hydrants during May, starting along Highway 6 and continuing daily until all hydrants are flushed.
“Because of this, you may notice a slight, temporary red discoloration to your water,” Keller said. “This poses no health risk. Simply run your water for a short period of time until it clears up, and don’t do laundry until the water is clear.”
“This procedure is necessary to ensure the continued cleanliness of the water system,” he said. “Please call us if you have any concerns at 803-854-2152, ext. 3. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your cooperation and understanding during this operation.”
Also during the meeting, the council selected the engineering firm of W.K. Dickson Inc. of Charlotte, N.C., to put in 1,600 feet of sidewalk on both sides of Bonner Avenue in Phase V of the town’s ongoing sidewalk project.
In addition, council received recommendations from the Santee Planning Commission for the Bass Drive beautification project and the town’s comprehensive plan, but voted to accept the recommendations as information only and review them as soon as possible.
Linda Shipley, town planning, zoning and code enforcement officer, reported all political signs were removed from within town limits.
“These signs are not permitted to go up until 30 days prior to election anywhere within town limits, whether they are on personal property or on the town’s right-of-way,” she said.
Shipley also announced Santee’s Maize Days Festival will be held May 17-18. She said she’s been working closely on the festival with Carolina Turnblad, the town’s newly-hired coordinator for tourism and special events.
Also during the meeting, reelected Council members Sheryl Patrick and John Gilmore were sworn in for new terms.
In addition, Capt. Anthony Staten was introduced as a new officer with the Santee Police Department. Staten previously served the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department for the past three years. With three officers under his command, his department is still short of the seven-member department budgeted, a new police chief.
“We welcome Capt. Staten as a real asset to our police department,” Mayor Silas Seabrooks said.
In other business, resident Larry Tracy, who has applied for the Santee police chief position, addressed council.
“This area is growing by leaps and bounds, and according to current projections, in five years Santee could be the largest city in Orangeburg County. We’ve got to be prepared, and that means we’ve got to step up and do what it takes to get our police department fully in gear,” Tracy said. “This town needs 24-hour patrol and our men can’t be expected to keep working 12-hour shifts. We’ve got a new building, but our police department is still cramped in inadequate quarters in the fire department. We’ve got a lot of patrol cars – just no officers to put in them. And we’ve got to rethink our pay scale. No officer takes a difficult job like this for the money, but we’ve got officers serving this town that can’t afford to live in this town if they want to.”
Citing his own experience, including time served at the Pentagon, Tracy said he had recently reapplied to be considered for the position of police chief.
“I’ve got the vision,” he said. “I want to see this department proud and respected for its dedication to the town and the people of Santee.”
Town administrator William A. Frick asked council members to prepare their input for the budget meeting to be held May 14.
The next Santee Town Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, at the town hall located at 194 Brooks Blvd., Santee (803-854-2152). The meeting is open to the public.