Mayors give updates over breakfast

NEWBERRY — Mayors across Newberry County gathered over breakfast to hear the good news coming from their respective municipalities during the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce’s Mayoral Breakfast last week.

Whitmire Mayor Billy Hollingsworth took the opportunity thank the first responders who assisted who assisted during Hurricane Helene and that fortunately, they (as a town) were able to make it through.

Hollingsworth said the town is operating on a tight budget, but they are surviving and are not in any danger. A few small businesses have opened in Whitmire, he said, including a coffee shop, an auction house and coming soon to Whitmire a new bank, which he anticipates will open in the next 2-3 months.

Whitmire is continuing to grow, Hollingsworth said. Renovations to the city gym (part of the Capital Project Sales Tax) are slated to hopefully be completed around December and the Town of Whitmire is currently working on a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to complete a streetscape project.

Hollingsworth added their parks are in need of upgrades – the original equipment is getting to the point, he said.

Darryl Hentz, Mayor of Pomaria, said people in the community don’t really want to see growth, but the growth is coming as new real estate becomes available. Hentz said they’ve recently welcomed two new council members and like Hollingsworth, commended Newberry County and SCDOT for assisting with debris cleanup following Hurricane Helene. He added they were able to take supplies to Marion, North Carolina to help those effected by the hurricane.

Hentz said he continues to be proud of the Pomaria Food Banks and highlighted the completion of new playground equipment, done by a local boy scout/troop who was completing an Eagle Scout project.

He added that the County Transportation Committee (CTC) has also helped the town in paving roads that were in desperate need of repair.

Just down the road in Little Mountain, Mayor Jana Jayroe said there’s lots going on now. With highway construction being completed, she said they are seeing more traffic in town. In her update, she said they are working on renovations to Reunion Park (a CPST project) and trying to eliminate vehicle traffic in that area.

She added there are no empty merchant spaces in town and hopes that anyone coming into Little Mountain would be Mom & Pop type businesses as opposed to franchises – giving off a village or small-town atmosphere. Like previous mayors already mentioned, Hurricane Helene had a significant impact on Little Mountain. Jayroe said a tornado was spawned because of Helene and went on a trip across Little Mountain, taking down a number of trees in Rocky Branch Park, forcing the town to close the park while cleanup is being completed. The hurricane, she added, also took out about six or seven transformers.

City of Newberry Mayor Foster Senn updates from the City of Newberry. Senn highlighted the recent ribbon cuttings for La Michoacana Ice Cream & Tacos Don Mane, located on Wilson Road and Blessed By the Best, located on McKibben Street. He mentioned that Ronnie’s is now under new management and is now known as Mimi’s Place. A handful of new businesses are coming to Newberry and Senn said the city is working on a new billboard campaign to get more people off the interstate and into Newberry to eat and see what Newberry has to offer.

Work on the new Newberry Arts Center building, formerly the Newberry Observer office, is coming along – Senn also noted the new skateboard park at the Recreation Complex was recently completed and hopes to see the community utilizing it. He added that plans are also being made to form a Miracle League baseball field for those who have disabilities to play on.

A recent topic of discussion Senn brought up is the recent reassessment on properties in Newberry County. Senn suggested visiting the County website for more information. He noted that both Newberry College and Piedmont Technical College have begun classes (both with strong enrollment numbers) and shared various updates from the campuses.

He also recommended those in the community head over to the Newberry Museum to see their newest exhibit, which highlights cotton mills in Newberry County as well as promoting the City’s upcoming Oktoberfest.

Also a stone’s toss away in Prosperity, Mayor Derek Underwood provided a few updates for the Town of Prosperity. Underwood will not be running for mayor again once his term is up after 16 years – he said it still hasn’t quite sunk in yet. CPST is big, he said. For Prosperity, that includes park enhancements and work done on the Town Square. He said they are looking to add a pavilion and a reading circle and also mentioned the addition of more parking spaces downtown and the paving of a number of roads in Prosperity. Hurricane Helene, he said, was a mess, but they were able to get power restored with the assistance from folks in North Carolina who came down to help.