I want to congratulate Mike Clonts on his graduation from the SC Municipal Elected Officials Institute of Government last week. The institute provides valuable training on the inner workings of municipal operations for elected officials. Now he will move onto the advanced program, which I have been participating in for the past year. Mr. Clonts, Kay Hollis and I also attended the Hometown Legislative Action Day at the State House on Wednesday. We got updates from the Municipal Association staff and were able to sit down with our legislators to discuss the advocacy issues I outlined a couple of weeks ago, such as local government funding, business license reform, tackling our road needs and funding education in our state.
I appreciate our businesses on Lexington Avenue for their continued patience during this streetscape construction. And thanks to AOS, our contractor for the project, for providing access for the Lake Murray Flower Shoppe so the Daddy-Daughter Dance flowers could be picked up safely. They also provided temporary signs to let residents know that both the florist and dry cleaners are in fact open despite the heavy equipment running in front of their store fronts. I know both owners appreciated that gesture.
Dr. Akil Ross has graciously accepted my invitation to serve as the guest speaker for our Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on Friday, March 31, at Town Hall. He’s a dynamic leader in our community and was recently named the 2017 SC Secondary School Principal of the Year. Since taking the helm of Chapin High School in 2010, the school has recorded numerous academic, athletic and extra-curricular honors, and I think people will enjoy hearing his story.
Many of our employees at Town Hall participated in a free health screening as part of our efforts to support better health and wellness. Staff were also given pedometers, graciously provided by our friends at Lexington Medical Center, for the Chapin Step Up Challenge. During the month of February, employees will track their steps as part of a friendly competition to encourage being more active. The top three steppers will be included in a drawing for a $100 gift card. I look forward to seeing how this goes and appreciate our team’s willingness to participate.
In follow up to a recent complaint about the speed with which EMS crews responded to a wreck a few weekends ago, I have set up a meeting with Lexington County officials to discuss ways to improve response times. We want to make sure that the necessary services are available to our citizens and that we better understand the criteria for activating ambulances within the new county system. I will share the results of that discussion in next week’s edition.