Greetings from Chapin Town Hall-

It’s hard to believe, but the calendar shows that summer is almost here. 2019 is nearly half – over but there is still much to accomplish. Our wonderful staff has been diligently taking care of business, often going beyond the expected to serve our community as a team.

This Thursday, May 23, our staff took a short break for fun and fellowship with a “staff appreciation lunch” in our community room. A great array of food was brought by the staff, featuring a BBQ prepared by our own Russell Wright (Utility Department). I was invited, but not asked to cook or bring anything, a perk of being Mayor! We currently have an opening in our Administrative department for the Director of Planning and Zoning as well as an opening in our Utilities department for a Wastewater Operator. We are in the process of reviewing resumes and we hope to fill both positions soon.

The Town is continuing to host several incredible events. One of the most memorable over the past year has been the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast with special guest Brittany Maier.  Brittany is a blind savant pianist that also has autism and a God given talent that is undeniable. She amazed the attendees with her spectacular musical skill, along with her mother, Tammy Scher, whose devout Christian spirituality turned what could be considered adversity into a blessing. There was hardly a dry eye during Brittany’s performance.

There are two major Department of Transportation (DOT) projects coming to the Chapin community, the I-26 bridge overpass and the Road 48 bypass project. The Town of Chapin has been working with Mead & Hunt to determine the possibility of various enhancements to these planned projects that will improve the appearance of our traffic corridors. A significant factor with both of these projects was the cost to relocate utility lines out of the right of way. This month, Governor McMaster, signed into law a legislative bill that will require the DOT to incorporate the cost of public utility relocation in its project costs. This new law will save the Town of Chapin over a million dollars.