An anonymous scribbler chalked up his frustration about the town’s new meeting site on a Whitmire courtroom blackboard upstairs in Town Hall last week.

To save money, the town moved its monthly council meeting from the otherwise vacant Community Center to the upstairs courtroom in the already air-conditioned Town Hall building Whitmire uses during the day.

But not everyone knew about the change.

“Please do not change the council meeting again,” someone wrote anonymously.

Council members weren’t sure who wrote it, but think it was someone who went to the wrong site and waited a while.

The town held council meetings upstairs in Town Hall until four or five years ago when the gathering was moved around the corner to the handicap-accessible Community Center.

“We were trying to make it easier and attract people to the council meeting,” said Whitmire Mayor Tim Carroll.

But other than council members and media, very few citizens showed up at the Community Center location, with no one ever needing handicap provisions.

Returning to their former site saves heating and air costs because the building is already in use during the day, says Carroll.

The large Community Center room where council met had to be heated or air conditioned in advance for the meeting that lasted a few hours at the most.

The town posted announcements of the new meeting site at the Community Center for the September meeting.

IN OTHER BUSINESS:

• This summer, the Literacy Council’s Director Barbara Chapman asked the town for space to teach computer skills to citizens.

In reply, Whitmire designated a classroom upstairs in town hall just to the side of the courtroom.

The Literacy Council will teach how to set up an e-mail account, keyboarding and Microsoft Word. Classes began 10 a.m. Monday.

For more information, call the Literacy Council at 276-8086.

• Carroll said the Renfro building still has not sold, though it’s advertised on the town’s, county’s and state’s Web sites.

The competition for selling buildings is tough now and there are more than 6,000 available buildings in the upstate, Carroll said.

• Council discussed transforming the old Whitmire High School into apartments for citizens 55 or older. Carroll has looked at other retired living areas in the region for ideas.

With many retirees in Whitmire, Councilman Jimmy Brock said the building’s new use would be suitable. “This is perfect for us,” he said.

• In an attempt to make the town’s Community Center more attractive for event rental, council discussed buying 12 to 15 round tables, a large refrigerator and an icemaker.

Councilman Dwight Lane said the tables would seat about eight apiece.

The town plans to buy a used three-door stainless-steel restaurant-style refrigerator on sale for $1,300 that Carroll found.

Lane also mentioned an icemaker.

“That would be nice,” agreed Council member Annette McCaskill.

• After the town hosted a revamped Christmas parade last December, Whitmire is again trying for a big to-do.

“It was nice last year...I don’t want to see it fall away,” said Carroll.

Sue Hollingsworth of the Whitmire Jaycees asked for volunteers and mentioned how helpful it was last year when Glenn Bumgarner personally called or visited local businesses, recruiting them to help or become parade participants.

Carroll agreed that personal communication helped.

“If you contact them, most of the time, they’ll show up,” he said.

Volunteers held a meeting yesterday at Town Hall. Call Hollingsworth for more information on the next meeting at 924-4473.

• Carroll reported that crews have started tearing down the rest of the defunct mill, beginning with the office area. Annette McCaskill and other council members requested that the crews leave the mill’s tower standing.

• The Whitmire council also discussed what money remains from its 1 cent sales tax spending.

The town allotted its $481,000 portion of county sales tax for recreation, building a new park, lighting a ball field and building tennis courts.

He says the new playground beside the Community Center cost about $100,000 and the land cost around $18,000. Other costs were $100,000 to light the town’s big ball field and $70,000 to rebuild the tennis court.

Still on the town’s recreation bill are $3,500 for a concrete park path, $6,800 for park signs and $500 for landscaping items, including seeds. Carroll estimates there is about $800-$900 left to spend.

Council discussed the not-yet-approved next wave of sales tax funding.

If Newberry County citizens vote to use sales tax for special projects again, Carroll thinks there will be less money and more people asking to use it.

And Whitmire will likely spend the money on needs, he said.

“It’s probably going to be a lot of necessity instead of a lot of accessories,” said Carroll.

• Whitmire policeman Shane Harris is headed to Afghanistan in October so a part-time Whitmire officer is filling in for Harris. Carroll said the town will ask the county for police help if it needs aid.

• Carroll said he is heading to a South Carolina Municipal Association meeting this month after the association asked members to relay ideas and needs.

“I’ve got a lot to tell them what we want,” he said.

The association lobbies for municipalities at the state level. The Columbia meeting was yesterday.

• Carroll spoke about South Carolina House of Representative Jeff Dunan’s run for South Carolina’s Third Congressional seat.

“Jeff’s done us a great service,” said Carroll. “If he gets in Washington, I’ll still keep him on speed dial.”