The pink flags are back on Columbia Avenue. What does that mean? According to Zack Haney at Mead & Hunt, the new set of flags have to do with the work getting ready to start on Lexington Avenue streetscape project. That’s good news as that has been a long delayed project that we are excited to have completed. We were able to secure additional funds from Lexington County and the Central Midlands COG to get this back on track, and the contractor has promised to have it completed before Labor Day. Please note that it may cause some delays or detours for a short time, but the enhanced crosswalks, landscaping and sidewalks will be a welcome addition to our downtown.
Speaking of exciting, the continued progress at Chapin Crossing is a welcome sign after a rainy spring has caused delays in construction of the new Publix. It is looking nice, and the targeted opening date is early September. And the owner of the new Sonic has received his final permit approvals so construction should begin soon on that new venture.
Last Friday, I had the pleasure of attending a celebration at the former Russell and Jeffcoat real estate offices in Chapin. The company recently merged with Coldwell Banker and is changing to that brand. Of course, it’s not the first time Coldwell Banker has had a presence in Chapin. It was fun talking with Rhonda Walsh and Woody Wagers about the various name changes that have occurred in real estate over the past 20 or so years. What was clear is they all have a sincere enthusiasm about the state of the market and a desire to help their clients buy or sell their homes or property.
Then later in the day, I attended the Chapin All Stars Machine Pitch baseball game, which is made up of are 7 and 8 year-olds, at Chapin Elementary School. It was fun to talk with both teams, the Chapin Nationals and the Chapin Americans, about team spirit and community pride. We gave them some Chapin Proud bracelets, too.
Next Tuesday, June 28, we will have runoff elections for Lexington County Council District 6, Clerk of Court, Register of Deeds and Solicitor for the 11th Circuit. We had 300 people vote last week at Town Hall, which is the Chapin precinct. With the electronic voting machines, it doesn’t take a lot of time to cast your vote for these elected offices. I would encourage you to take a few minutes out of your day on June 28 to vote in the runoff races. These positions matter and impact our community. Voting begins at 7 am and ends at 7 pm.
Finally, I would like to thank the Justin Pepper Foundation for its support. We have been working with Douglas Long with Scout Troop 870 on his Eagle Scout project which was sprucing up our Welcome to Chapin sign at the interstate. Upon further assessment, he discovered the existing sign was in too bad of condition to repair and repaint, so he worked with his Scout leader Gerald Meetze to come up with a new sign design. Since that was beyond the scope of his original project and fundraising plan, we were able to share this sign project with Kari Pepper McKeone and the foundation board, and they agreed that it was a worthy project that supports their goals of fostering youth volunteers and community service. They have agreed to purchase not just a sign for the interstate but also to replace the two on Chapin Road, and additional scouts will work on beautifying those other entranceways. I want to thank Kari and her board for their generosity in making this positive difference for our town!
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