We are pleased to recognize Senator Robert W. Hayes, Jr. as the 2011 South Carolina Association of Regional Councils’ “Legislator of the Year.”

Senator Hayes is eminently qualified for this honor.  In addition to being a long time supporter of the state’s Council of Governments network,   Senator Hayes was instrumental in helping establish the Catawba Wateree […]

Catawba Regional Council of Governments (Catawba COG) is requesting proposals from qualified Real Estate Brokers for the listing, marketing and sale of Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) homes. Catawba COG has an ongoing program to purchase foreclosed residential properties through the NSP program in York County and Lancaster County, rehabilitate the properties and place them back […]

Money for water and sewer line upgrades, police and fire service enhancements and economic development investments are among those that top the city of York’s wish list.

Members of the York City Council and the public were asked to list their top community priorities last week during a public hearing to gather input in the ongoing […]

Fifty new jobs are coming to the Jonesville area.

In a statement released Wednesday, Dollar General announced that it is expanding its commitment to the Jonesville community by adding 50 new positions to its local distribution center. These are in addition to the more than 6,000 jobs previously announced by Dollar General for 2011.

“Dollar General is […]

Public Comment Sought for 2012 Transportation Enhancement Program Allocation

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is seeking comment from the public on proposed allocations of the 2012 Transportation Enhancement Program funding. The Transportation Enhancement Program is a federally funded program that SCDOT administers and provides local governments the opportunity to pursue non-traditional transportation related activities […]

The Spanish company Tuboplast CTL Group recently considered building a plastic tube plant in York County. But the company decided instead to invest nearly $60 million to build its plant in nearby Gaston County, N.C.

This was an important lesson for county and Rock Hill officials, said Mark Farris, York County economic development director.

Farris announced this […]

The newly created SC Works Upstate — formerly Upstate CareerSource and Employment Security Commission — hosted an open house to give members of the community a look at the many services it now offers.

The integration of offices took place in early August, but Roy Lowe, SC Works Upstate’s Union center manager, says many people still […]

Town of Kershaw officials now have a better grasp of what it will take to receive a major federal grant.

Grazier Rhea of the Catawba Regional Council of Governments (COG) spoke at Kershaw Town Council’s meeting on Monday about a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).

The town wants to secure a $500,000 CDBG to replace old water […]

For two decades, cities, towns and counties in the Charlotte region have worked to blur boundaries to tackle issues and challenges they all increasingly share.

Now that will be done in a bigger way after the federal Housing and Urban Development department on Monday awarded a $4.9 million grant to the Centralina Council of Governments to […]

Chester County, the Chester County Development Association and Chester County Economic Development will host an Economic Development Forum for the residents of Chester County. The event will be held at The Gateway located at 3202 Commerce Drive in Richburg on Wednesday, Nov. 16 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Mike Enoch, chair of the Chester Development […]

The town of Kershaw wants to tap into a federal funding source that has assisted other governmental entities in Lancaster County before.

On Monday, Kershaw Town Council discussed how the town can quality for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant. The money would pay for sewer line replacements along the old mill area, just north of […]

Are you seeing more cars on the road? Do you spend more time at stoplights? Local governments in the metropolitan Charlotte area, in association with the departments of transportation in North Carolina and South Carolina, are conducting a household travel survey to better understand how and why people in our region travel. The results will […]

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is providing notification to the public that Federal Pavement and Reconstruction Funds are proposed for drainage improvements along a section of US 176, located 0.70 miles southeast of Secondary Road 12 in Union County. The project is estimated to cost between $1.3 and $1.4 million.

The existing underground reinforced […]

A job fair sponsored by Corestaff Services was held Tuesday at the OneStop Workforce Center on Wilson Street. More than 240 people submitted applications for seasonal employment with Shutterfly, an online picture service, located on Westinghouse Boulevard in South Charlotte. This business is seeking to hire 758 employees to complete its Christmas orders, said OneStop […]

The good times are still rolling for Continental Tire.

The national tire manufacturer announced plans Thursday to increase its presence in South Carolina, both with the expansion of its headquarters in Indian Land and construction of a new tire manufacturing plant in Sumter County.

Over the next 10 years, Continental Tire the Americas plans to invest $500 […]

Infrastructure improvements and a program that can help homeowners get up to $7,500 worth of repairs done to their homes for free will be on the agenda of Saturday’s Union Mill Village Neighborhood Meeting.

The meeting, which is being sponsored by the City of Union, will be held at 3 p.m. at McBeth Baptist Church, 105 […]

Lancaster County is one step closer to changing the lines of its seven districts.

As part of the county’s redistricting process, which involved incorporating data collected during last year’s national Census, Lancaster County Council unanimously approved first reading of a map of new council districts at its recent meeting.

Generated by suggestions and recommendations from council members, […]

Federal actions are doing little to stimulate a sluggish economy, says a Wells Fargo economist.

High unemployment cannot be reversed by fiscal policy or changes to the tax code, Mark Vitner told 140 local business and community leaders at his annual economic forecast on Wednesday in Rock Hill.

Investment in people or new business or reinvestment in […]

Transit planners in Rock Hill and Fort Mill are eyeing plans to build another bridge across the Catawba River.

The bridge would span from the vicinity of Twin Lakes, Mount Gallant and India Hook roads in Rock Hill to Sutton Road in Fort Mill, providing a more direct route between the regions and a third river […]

More than 200 residents of the Highway 49 Apartments and the Monarch Mill Village will be the beneficiaries of infrastructure improvements financed by $743,893 in grants received by the City of Union and Union County Tuesday morning.

Martha Whittaker, grants manager for the SC Department of Commerce, presented Union Mayor Harold Thompson with a check for […]

The city of Lancaster is still looking to launch the last phase of its Main Street beautification project. However, work will depend on what type of funding officials receive. 

City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to allow City Administrator Helen Sowell to submit a $500,000 grant application for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, which has been […]

The Town of Lockhart moved a step closer Tuesday morning to replacing some century-old water and sewer lines.

Martha Whittaker, grants manager for the SC Department of Commerce, presented Lockhart Mayor Ailene Ashe with a check for $500,000 during a ceremony at the Lockhart Town Hall. The town was awared the funds in July through the […]

The Carolina Thread Trail was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from REI! These funds will be used to enhance our volunteer program by allowing us to purchase trail building tools intended for volunteer use. Many of these tools will be put to good use during our upcoming Fall Trail Work Day on September 24th!

Also, over […]

Fed up with unchecked growth in Lancaster County’s fastest growing region, a group of Panhandle residents have joined forces to explore incorporation for Indian Land.

Calling themselves Indian Land Voice (ILV), the group met publicly for the first time Aug. 17 at the Del Webb Library. About a dozen residents attended the meeting, not counting organizers.

Having […]

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College is pleased to announce that its Campaign for Clean Air website – www.campaignforcleanair.org – now offers free lesson plans and activities on air quality for leaders or teachers of children’s groups. While the plans and activities were initially designed for the middle school classroom, they can be […]

York County is seeking input on its revision of the county’s land development rules.

The county has revised its unified development ordinance with the goal of enhancing, expanding and consolidating the document to make it more user-friendly.

Streamlining the process for developers – from planning to permitting to construction – and rewriting regulations that might discourage businesses […]

With a laser pointer in hand, Lancaster County Administrator Steve Willis unveiled the county’s first attempt at a new redistricting map Monday night.
Pointing at seven brightly colored areas on a large white map, Willis walked Lancaster County Council members through proposed changes to the county’s districts.
The most notable change is the creation of two districts […]

Catawba Regional tracks building permit activity as a means of monitoring growth.  We have now completed the report showing building permit activity throughout the Catawba Region for the second quarter (April – June) of 2011.  The report gives you quick access to permit totals by county and major municipalities along with an indication of the […]

SCDOT wants to advise everyone that the JARC and New Freedom funding Announcements are available on the SCDOT website. The deadline for applying for these funds is September 19, 2011. Please read the “Role of Applicant” section for special instructions regarding projects that may have been partially or not funded during the April 21, 2011, approvals.

 There […]

The U.S. Census Bureau today released new, detailed demographic information from the 2010 Census for the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan and South Carolina.

These Summary File 1 tables provide the most detailed counts available so far from the 2010 Census, including cross-tabulations of age, sex, households, families, relationship to householder, housing units, detailed race […]

Ross Dress for Less has Rock Hill’s approval to build a $150 million distribution center between U.S. 21 and Dave Lyle Boulevard.

The proposed facility appears similar to the company’s Fort Mill Township distribution center, located off U.S. 21 near Regent Park.

At 1.6 million square feet, the Rock Hill center would be one of the largest […]

The Town of Jonesville is hoping to make improvements to its waste water treatment plant by winter and avoid possible water quality issues that could result in fines.

Jonesville Town Council held a brief council meeting Tuesday evening, during which Mayor Ernest Moore informed the council of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) the town received […]

The Town of Lockhart will use a $500,000 federal grant to make improvements to its water and sewer systems.

During Tuesday’s Lockhart Town Council meeting, Mayor Ailene Ashe announced that the town had been awarded a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Ashe said the CDBG funds will be used to upgrade sewer lines and a […]

An Economic Development Status Report shows an uptick in the number of project referrals and site visits for Chester County.

The report was prepared by Chester County Economic Development Director Karlisa Parker and County Business Retention and Expansion Manager Hal Stone. The report recaps totals for 2010, noting that there were 48 project referrals with a […]

Before the 2003 Pennies for Progress referendum was placed in front of voters, a Clover woman approached Jerry Helms and the Pennies for Progress Commission with a problem area she felt needed to be addressed.

Citing safety concerns over a Hwy. 321 and Ridge Road intersection, the commission did its due diligence and determined that she […]

It could soon be easier for local law enforcement to keep an area under surveillance without the constant presence of a sheriff’s deputy or public safety officer.

In a briefing to Union City Council Tuesday evening, Robert Moody of the Catawba Regional Council of Governments said his organization is assisting the city in applying for a […]

York County wants to move forward in negotiating incentives for two companies that plan to bring 600 full-time jobs to the county.

The York County Council gave the first of a series of nods at its Monday night council meeting in York, passing resolutions to provide incentives in exchange for significant job and economic investments in […]

By combining geographic data and tools in an online application, Esri Redistricting gives state and local governments, the public, and advocacy groups unprecedented access to the redistricting process. In the United States, political representation is based on population and location. Ideally, political boundaries are drawn to equally allocate population among the districts in a state […]

A budget that doesn’t raise taxes but still provides funds to help county employees cope with the rising cost of health insurance received final approval from Union County Council Tuesday evening.

Council voted 5-1 to approve second and final reading of the 2011-2012 budget ordinance which leaves the county tax millage at its current level despite […]

The city of Tega Cay is moving forward with a plan to create a Parks and Recreation Commission to help stay in front of a growing demand for programs.

The move is part of the master plan the City Council approved last year.

“What we’ve found is that volunteers are at their threshold, drinking from a fire […]

The Rock Hill Economic Development Corp. is preparing for what one member called an “exciting” and “challenging” year, referring to job creation in the Old Town area, potential for development and projects such as Downtown East.

RHEDC held its annual meeting Thursday to review accomplishments during its fiscal year, which ran from June 2010 to June […]

Improvements to its wastewater treatment system could save the City of Union as much as $1.9 million over 15 years through reduced energy consumption.

Union City Council voted unanimously Tuesday evening to approve a resolution authorizing Mayor Harold Thompson to apply to the State Revolving Fund Loan for a low-interest loan under the Clean Water Act. […]

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is seeking comment from the public on a proposed Federal-Aid funding plan for Federal Fiscal Year 2012.

SCDOT is providing this information to you for public review and comment. Attached is a press release announcing that public comment is being sought on the proposed funding plan. This information is […]

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is seeking candidate projects for the Fiscal Year 2012 Federal Match Program. Applications will be accepted by SCDOT from August 1 to September 15, 2011. A mandatory pre-application meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 10 a.m. in the 5th Floor Auditorium of the SCDOT headquarters […]

A proposed redistricting plan for the York County Council meets two critical criteria, says a state official: The districts are within 1.86 percent of the ideal size and the council’s lone seat represented by a minority increases its black population.

Bobby Bowers, director of the state Office of Research and Statistics, said those are the two […]

A redistricting plan approved by the SC House Judiciary Committee ensures Union County will have a resident legislator for the next 10 years, State Rep. Mike Anthony says.

The plan, which was approved Monday, changes the boundaries of SC House District 42. Currently, the district is composed of all of Union County and part of Spartanburg […]

Lancaster County residents may soon have one more representative fighting for their rights in Columbia.

Using data collected from the 2010 U.S. Census, the S.C. House of Representatives recently released its proposed redistricting maps for all 124 state districts. And based on increases in population numbers, Lancaster County could soon see four state House representatives.

County Administrator […]

The City of Chester Police Department is sponsoring “Project House Numbers” with a goal to have every house in the city display a visible house address for cases of emergency, said Interim Chief Gene Gilmore. The project, which began on Monday, continues through Memorial Day, May 30.

“We’ll be putting reflective number signs on houses,” Gilmore […]

This year’s conference—hosted by Southern Growth Chair, Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia—will be held on June 13-14, 2011 at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center in Roanoke, Virginia.

The South has become a leader in advanced manufacturing in aerospace, automotive, pharmaceutical and other technology-oriented industries. But how do we prepare for emerging areas such as biomanufacturing, […]

SCDOT and the Transportation Association of South Carolina Observe National Transportation Week May 15-21, 2011. 

Link to news release

“Public Transportation Takes Us There” Video