This past 4th of July weekend, the City of Pickens celebrated with a spectacular fireworks display. Special thanks to East Pickens Baptist Church which once again went out of their way to organize a celebration that entertained families with rides, food, and live entertainment. I would also like to thank the City of Pickens Police Department for ensuring the events were secure and our Streets and Sanitation Department for keeping our city clean during and after everyone packed up. In addition, a sincere thank you goes out to Pickens High School for providing their fields to set off the fireworks and our Fire Department for their continued oversight of the process to keep the fireworks crew safe. This year marks another successful 4th of July with many more to come.

As Mayor, I would also like to pass along some updates from the City of Pickens since not everyone can make it to our monthly Council Meetings. First, the City of Pickens has received conditional commitment of funds under the Community Development Block Grant Recovery for City Wide energy efficiency improvements. The grant is currently at the Atlanta HUD office awaiting final approval and we should have an answer within 45 days.

This is a 100% grant currently at $144,244 which means no local match and no additional burden on the city or its citizens. If funded, improvements will not only be made to public facilities like police and fire, but the old Hagood School which is now home to the Pickens Seniors. The City of Pickens is working hand in hand with this group and is pleased to provide any assistance possible.

The City is also awaiting funding results on the water plant upgrades. The City of Pickens has been working for years on the site plans and the various options. The three possible options included building and entirely new plant, upgrading the existing plant, or closing the plant and relying on Greenville Water System. By upgrading our existing plant, the City has chosen the most cost efficient of the three options and will be able to stay in the business of making water and therefore be in direct control of the water quality and handle all customer service issues.

It is important for citizens to be aware of this project because the outcome will have a great effect on the City. I am committed to seeing this project soon and keeping water in the hands of the city and not left up to another water supplier. The City has applied for funding mainly through Rural Development, but has also sought other sources such as ARC to get the maximum grant amount. We expect to hear in as soon as 8 weeks as the paperwork is currently in Washington.

Finally, the City was proud to provide free public entertainment throughout the month of June and we are committed to continuing this trend. There is some talk about City “Tailgates” for our Blue Flame home football games with live music and an opportunity for local restaurants to set up stands, in addition to planning our 2nd Annual Holiday on Main with the downtown Christmas tree lighting.

I am also dedicated to continuing the streetscape projects towards West Main. In order for the City to attract more businesses, we need to market ourselves and make our city attractive to potential business owners. The City is currently discussing a few grant options to determine where the best place to start is and determine exactly what our top priorities are.

Finally, this year marks the second of our summer camp at the Pickens Recreation Center. We have about 22 participants this year and camp runs 5 days a week 7:30-5:30pm. We are anxious to have the parking lot paving completed so the campers can enjoy another a bike day. The parking lot was the first of two large projects we sought funding for through the C-Fund Committee. The second lot has not been funded yet, but is located on West Jones Ave. at our volunteer fields. The City plans to approach the C-Fund Committee again after making a few additional changes to the plans.

This will create a much safer environment for the hundreds of children and parents using the lot each week.

I hope all of you have a fun and safe summer and if you ever have any questions or concerns please call or come by.