Congratulations to the people recognized last week at the American Legion Post’s annual awards ceremony! Dean Frierson was recognized as Eagle Scout of the Year, Jared Clayton as Teacher of the Year, Antoine Kelly as Firefighter of the Year, Chapin Police Department’s own Josh Caulder as Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, Deputy Stephany Boyd as Traffic Safety Officer of the Year, and Senior Deputy Selena Williams as the Law Enforcement for Bravery recipient. In addition, Bob Johnson was recognized as Legionnaire of the Year, Ethel Cummings was Auxiliary member of the Year, and Steve Goulet took top honors as American Legion Rider of the Year. I have said it many times before, and I continue to be proud of the accomplishments and commitment to community that our friends at Post 193 demonstrate on a daily basis. Thank you for recognizing these individuals and supporting Chapin.
This week at our town council meeting we plan to recognize some folks who have gone Above & Beyond for our town. We look forward to thanking publicly Alex Metts and Kari Pepper McKeone for their service to Chapin and long-standing involvement in our Community Service Day activities. Alex owns Metts Construction and Landscaping, and over the years he has donated truckloads of mulch to help with beautification efforts at the Chapin Chamber, Crooked Creek Park, old Town Hall and the Beaufort Street area, to name a few. This year he also donated mulch to help Jake Powers with Troop 870 for his Eagle Scout project of updating our two remaining welcome signs on Chapin Road. Kari has helped coordinate volunteers for Community Service Day for several years, working closely with our staff at Town Hall. She takes water out to the volunteers working that Saturday and captures their efforts through pictures. Kari also enlisted members of the Justin Pepper Service Club to help with the welcome sign project, and the Justin Pepper Foundation donated the welcome signs to the town. I think you will all agree the new signs are a welcome addition to our community!
Lexington County wants to remind you that they are hosting a Backyard Garden Day on April 22 from 9 am to noon, where residents can purchase compost and compost bins. You can get a 40 pound bag for $2 or a ton for just $10! You can pre-order compost bins for $40. This event will be held at Red Bank Crossing (1070 South Lake Drive). Then the following Saturday, the county is hosting a Recycling Day at White Knoll High School (5643 Platt Springs Road) from 9 am to 1 pm. They will collect used electronics, household hazardous waste, pesticides, paper for shredding and lightly used shoes to be donated to charity. Questions about either of these events can be directed to Richard Vandergeest at 785-3340.
This Thursday I look forward to joining my fellow Midlands Mayors Steve Benjamin, Steve MacDougall and Elise Partin for the Columbia Power Breakfast series at the Doubletree Hotel for an informative discussion about how our communities are addressing a number of issues and concerns. We are all working to manage the impacts of continued growth, both from commercial and residential development, the need for better roads, access to technology and offering vibrant activities and amenities for our residents.
Last week I came across an article touting the credit scores of the top 500 cities and towns with populations under 20,000 across the country, and I was pleased to see Chapin had made that list as number 395 with a credit score of 736. Just like with a person’s individual credit score, the rating lets financial institutions and other organizations know about the municipality’s creditworthiness as it relates to financial strength and purchasing power. We continue to work hard to maintain our good credit rating and be strong financial stewards for our businesses and residents.
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