Grants awarded by a state anti-littering organization will be put to a variety of uses by their recipients in Union County.
PalmettoPride held its 2010-2011Grants Award Luncheon in Columbia Wednesday afternoon. The luncheon was in honor of the recipients of the 138 grants awarded this year by PalmettoPride. Among the recipients were the Enoree River Watershed Association; Union County Achievement Academy; the Union County Sheriff’s Office; the SC Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Region 1 for Union County; and the Town of Carlisle.
Enoree River Watershed Association
The Enoree River Watershed Association received a $1,200 Community Pride Grant which board member and grant writer Anne P. Brock said will be used to help finance the association’s Fifth Annual Enoree River Sweep on May 1. Volunteers will pick up trash along and in the river which serves as the boundary between Union and Laurens and Newberry counties. Brock pointed out the river is a tourist attraction for Union County and a source of water for communities like Whitmire and so keeping it clean is vital.
“We’re just thrilled to be able to provide this service to Union County,” Brock said. “Also, Whitmire gets its water from the Enoree River. We also have a lot of paddlers using the river. We want to keep the river clean to attract tourists and as a source of potable water.”
The grant will also be used to purchase t-shirts and brochures promoting the association and its activities.
SCDNR Region 1
The SCDNR Region 1 for Union County received a $4,945 Enforcement Grant which will be used to purchase surveillance equipment.
Sgt. Dean Adams of the SCDNR’s Law Enforcement Division, said the cameras will be used to crack down on illegal dumping in the county. Adams said the cameras will be used to gather information on persons dumping household garbage, animal carcasses and other waste on roadsides, bridges and other areas where waste disposal is not permitted. He said the main emphasis will be on the Wildlife Management areas of the county and private properties on an as-needed basis. Adams said he will be working in conjunction with the county’s code enforcement officer to support and reinforce each other’s efforts.
Sheriff’s Office
The Union County Sheriff’s Office received a $4,000 Enforcement Grant which will also be used to purchase cameras for gathering evidence of littering and illegal dumping. Code Enforcement Office Scott Coffer said in addition to using the cameras to help crack down on littering, the cameras will also be used to gather evidence of persons who transport unsecured loads of trash and metal. In the case of metal, Coffer said it could also help the sheriff’s office gather evidence against persons stealing metal. The sheriff’s office has recently initiated a new effort to combat the wave of metal thefts the county has experience in the last six months.
Achievement Academy
The Union County Achievement Academy received a $1,500 Education Grant which Dr. Susanne Gunter, director of the Union County Learning Center, said will be used to establish a Recycling Troopers program at the Achievement Academy.
“It will involve setting up a recycling program here in the Union County Learning Center for the Achievement Academy, Adult Education and the Family Resource Center,” Gunter said. “The Achievement Academy students will be actively participating in the program to include pick up of the recycling materials from the classrooms and participating in an environmental education program. The environmental education program is sent to us by PalmettoPride.
“What we’re looking to do here is to encourage service to the community and environmental awareness in our Achievement Academy students,” she said. “We’re also going to participate in an area clean-up project in the spring. It’s to get the students to understand the importance of taking care of the environment and serving the community. One of the things we really need to do is work on the litter problem in Union County and this is an opportunity to do so.”
Gunter said the center will be working closely with Coffer and the county’s recycling convenience program.
Carlisle
The Town of Carlisle received 26 trees for a park beautification project. The town received the trees in October and has already planted them at the Carlisle Playground and along the Main Street section of Fish Dam Avenue.
By Charles L. Warner, Staff Writer with The Union Daily Times
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