NEWBERRY — The Newberry County Council held its bi-weekly meeting on Wednesday, October 18. This was the first meeting where they tried holding an executive session before the meeting, a decision that was popular with both the council and attendees. Chairman Todd Johnson said that it will most likely continue.
Recognitions.
The council recognized three county employees for their years of dedication and work for Newberry.
Karen Brehmer was recognized for 15 years in the administration division, having held many titles over the years.
“Karen came to work in the administration division of the county back in October 2008,” said County Administrator Jeff Shacker. “We don’t keep statistics, but she may be the employee that’s held the most titles during her tenure. It’s a pleasure to recognize you for 15 years of service to Newberry County.”
Council recognized Karen Lindler Smith for 35 years of county service working in the treasurer’s office, with 15 years as the county’s treasurer.
“Karen spent 20 years working her way up the ladder within the department,” Shacker said. “She had different titles until 2008 when she was elected to treasurer…it’s a pleasure to recognize you.”
Ryan Dickert was recognized for 20 years in the Sheriff’s Department. Dickert comes from a family life of public servants, with his mother working within the department as well.
“He started at the detention center under the umbrella of the sheriff and then several years later, he moved over to the Sheriff’s Department, where he was a road deputy,” Shacker said. “We just appreciate everything you do and it’s a pleasure to recognize you.”
Appearances.
Steven Knapp, the Newberry Museum executive director, spoke to the council about the many changes the museum will be seeing in due time. He opened by explaining that the exhibit on the Masonic Lodges of Newberry County was popular, catching national attention and holding artifacts from as far back as 1750.
“That exhibit was very well received and actually ended up garnering national attention,” Knapp said. “We had a national Masonic podcast called The Masonic Roundtable do an episode about the exhibit which was just awesome.”
The exhibit highlighted all municipalities of the county. This year, the Amity Lodge in Newberry celebrates its 170 years. Currently, as a way to help celebrate their 150 years of service, there is an exhibit on the history of the Newberry Fire Department. The exhibit has cases displaying helmets, hose nozzles and a piece talking about Old Joe, the station’s horse. The exhibit will remain until March 2024.
The museum has received a grant that will allow for new exhibit cases. The new cases would allow the museum to show more of what they have, allowing for more history to be displayed.
“I’m envisioning with some of these cases will be three dimensional, so you can walk around them and see all sides of an artifact,” Knapp said.
The expansions would also include larger municipality exhibits, allowing for more history of the towns of Newberry County to be on display.
Other growing exhibits include the military history exhibit, with uniforms and items from the Civil War to the modern day.
“We have uniforms that take us all the way from the Civil War to modern day,” Knapp began. “My favorite, is we have a complete World War One Doughboy uniform…you never see those intact. So, the fact we have that is amazing.”
The exhibit will also include stories of local Newberry veterans. These include veterans from as far back as the Revolutionary War, Knapp saying that they have enough stories in Newberry to last until Judgement Day.
The museum is also in partnership with SC250 to ensure that untold stories are heard. These include stories from African Americans, women, loyalists and more. All the work they do will ensure that Newberry County’s Revolutionary War history is documented and heard, focusing on the everyday life of people who lived during the times of the war. Stories like these help with the larger picture of the world, rather than just focusing on the war.
The museum is also heavily involved with the Rosenwald School and telling its history. Rosenwald taught African Americans from the 1920s to the 1950s. With a generation of students that still live, it is important to get their stories and ensure it’s documented.
They are also involved with the Gallman Project, preserving the county’s textile mill history and Knapp is currently working on bringing an American musket back home to Newberry. The musket will be coming from England if it works out, according to Knapp.
“We’re working on laying a plan that’s going to go not just the next few years, but decades into the future to really guarantee that our museum is on the map, not just in Newberry County, but over the state,” said Knapp.
Louis Neiger spoke to the council about the complications and dangers that come with electric vehicle fires. Even after the initial fire is put out, the car and its many batteries are still at risk of igniting.
“It can burn up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit and the fire can reignite from two hours to up to four days after the first fire,” Neiger said.
To put out EV fires, it’s recommended by departments to use “a lot of water.” Even then, water may not prevent the fire from starting in the hundreds of other batteries, which is a high risk after just one battery ignites.
As these batteries burn, they release toxic gases such as hydrogen-fluoride, phosphorus-pentafluoride and phosphoryl-fluoride. When met with water, hydrogen-fluoride turns into hydrofluoric acid, which can irritate and burn the skin. The toxic gases can also cause irritation, burns and at worst, it can be fatal if inhaled or swallowed.
“It can take up to 30,000 to 40,000 gallons of water to put out an EV fire without the proper equipment,” Neiger explained. “The largest Newberry firetruck is 3,000 gallons.”
Neiger also posed the question of the environmental hazards that EV fires can cause to groundwater or the air. Other than the toxic gases, the lithium from the batteries can get into rivers and streams. Since lithium floats, it would certainly get on the skin of anyone or anything that runs through the water or swallows it. He also asked how the fire would be dealt with when there are no fire hydrants on the interstate since the trucks can only hold so much.
The Council asked that the information be passed along to Emergency Services Director Tommy Long. Although EV fires are not more dangerous than gas fires, they require a different approach and the council wants to ensure their departments are ready to handle EV fires as the number of electric cars on the road climbs.
Appointments.
Frank M. Senn, Jr. was appointed to the Newberry County Memorial Hospital Board for District 6.
Doriece McMorris was appointed to the Newberry County Memorial Hospital Board.
Other.
The Newberry County Goal Setting Session will be postponed until next year. Council felt that it would be best to host the goal-setting session around the same time as the budget planning session.