Al Harvey, the City of Newberry’s longest serving city manager, passed away recently. Al served as Newberry’s city manager from 1979—2000 and was so good at it, the City Council asked him to come out of retirement in 2013 to be city manager again. He served another three years at the city’s helm. Al was a kind gentleman, loved Newberry and accomplished much as city manager. A ride around Newberry would show many things he helped accomplish that we enjoy today. We extend our condolences and appreciation to his family.
The Christmas season downtown started in a big way with over 5,000 people at Main Street Lights for the tree lighting. Downtown looks great, and we appreciate the Devette family of Laila’s Place for selecting a beautiful tree as they are this year’s chair of the festivities, and we thank the city staff for the beautiful decorations.
New businesses that have opened recently include a new Founders Federal Credit Union at 1729 Main Street, joining their branch at Newberry College to give Newberry two Founders. The Storage Depot opened at 1326 College Street with climate-controlled self-storage, making Newberry their third location. The Gilded Bat is a new bed and breakfast at 808 Boundary Street and features a Victorian-Gothic theme. Allure Health & Beauty celebrated their grand opening at 1321 Hunt Street and is a full service med spa and salon. And Stage 2 at 1335 Wilson Road sells furniture and other home décor.
Opening soon will be The Barn Nutrition Bar and Hangout, which will offer nutritional shakes, tea, and other treats at the Shops at Heritage. Scheduled to open in December or soon thereafter include Cook Out, the UPS Store in the Shops at Heritage, and Legends restaurant, which will be in the Food Lion shopping center. The new Home 2 Suites is taking reservations for February.
Construction is underway for Bealls to add 8,000 square feet to its store for its Home Centric brand, which sells home décor, and West Development will add additional space for future new businesses. On Wilson Road beside First Community Bank, Palmetto Bone and Joint is converting the old bank building to its new orthopedic center.
Each year the US Census Bureau releases its median household income for each county across the country. In the new report, of the 46 counties in South Carolina, Newberry County has the thirteenth highest median household income. The counties surpassing Newberry are primarily on the coast or off I-85. Of the seven counties bordering Newberry, only Lexington County has a higher median household income.
While it could be a statistical anomaly that Newberry is that high, statistics show Newberry County average incomes have steadily increased in recent years, buoyed in part by the increase here in manufacturing. Numbers from Rick Farmer of Newberry County economic development show the percentage of the workforce in Newberry County involved in manufacturing is over 25%, which is significantly higher than the state (12%) and national (8%) averages.
The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) released its annual Crime in South Carolina annual report. Of the many statistics listed, one is the clearance rate, which, in summary, means someone has been charged for a crime. By my count for Newberry County compared to the other 45 counties, of the 16 types of crimes listed, such as larceny, Newberry County has the highest (best) clearance rate for 10 of the categories, is second in four categories and third in one category. Those are amazing numbers and a credit to the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, the police departments of the City of Newberry, Town of Prosperity, Town of Whitmire and all others involved in local law enforcement. Local law enforcement is among the best in South Carolina. We thank them for their talent, dedication and commitment.
The Central Midlands Area on Aging, which is part of the Central Midlands Council of Governments, is offering new services for those 60 and over, including reimbursements for dental services, medication reimbursements, hearing aids, wheelchair ramps and portable heating and air conditioning units. This is a significant amount of American Rescue Plan money and is for citizens in the counties of Newberry, Fairfield, Lexington and Richland. Call Mikaela Myers at 803-376-5390 ext. 346 for an assessment. In addition Central Midlands staff will be at O’Neal Street United Methodist Church in Newberry on Dec. 14 at 1 pm for questions. Central Midlands, which I’m a board member of, is seeking to raise its profile and services in the Midlands, including in Newberry County.
I was honored to be re-elected mayor of the City of Newberry and thank all voters and supporters. I’m excited about Newberry’s future and know we will accomplish much.
Coming up for the Christmas season, we’re predicting snow in downtown Newberry every Friday night. Plus, there are exciting performances at the Newberry Opera House, the Tour of Homes, special programs by churches and many others. I hope you have a very nice Christmas season. Merry Christmas!