Mattress storein St. Stephen, SC

ST. STEPHEN, S.C. (WCSC) - Berkeley County says a new grant aims to possibly start redeveloping parts of St. Stephen, a rural town about 15 miles north of Moncks Corner.

Berkeley County Council voted to accept a $500,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday.

“It could be something like asbestos or lead-based paint, something in the soil,” Economic Development Director Kristen Lanier said. “Something that might be a risk for redevelopment, so this grant is going to allow us to do an assessment to identify any potential risks for redevelopment.”

The grant targets two primary sites, the old St. Stephen High School, which closed in 1996, and an 85-acre area that used to be a lumber mill just off Highway 52, which closed around 1970. Up to 15 sites around the area could be looked at for revitalization as part of the grant.

“All I want is for something good to happen in St. Stephen, you know, because it seems like everything that comes to St. Stephen stays for a little while, and then, it’s gone,” St. Stephen resident Ann Judge said.

St. Stephen Mayor John Rivers said the grant will allow the town to start redeveloping and bring economic growth to the area. The county said the town could turn the old high school into a community center while the old lumber mill would be repurposed for some type of industrial use.

“The goal there, again with community input, would be that we start putting together a plan of revitalization for both those sites and others,” Lanier said.

Lanier also said they want to see if there is anything in these sites that might prevent that development.

However, some said they do not want to repurpose the old high school and keep it the way it is.

“My children came to school here too, so and I can remember all of my old high school teachers. I love it,” St. Stephen resident Julie Jenkins said.

The county said the money will be available starting Oct. 1 and will go on for the next four years. They also said the grant is the first step in a long-term process.

“This is that motion,” Lanier said. “This is that start of something, so we’re excited to see some movement in that area and to see what we can do and how we can leverage this.”

County officials said after those four years, they will have a plan developed for the sites.

The county will hold public meetings as part of the grant, but they have not announced when the meetings will be held.

Below is the full statement from St. Stephen Mayor John Rivers:

The town of St. Stephen is grateful that the EPA selected us to receive one of the 2022 Brownfield Program Grants for $500,000. We were the only municipality in Berkeley County to receive this. In countless other communities around the United States the EPA’s Brownfield program has had a proven track record of leveraging private sector investment, creating jobs and protecting the environment. St. Stephen will use this Brownfield Grant to spur our town with redevelopment and cleanup projects and bring sustained economic growth. We are thankful for the support of the Berkeley County Economic Development Office and their ability to work with myself, town council, and the town’s administration to write the grant proposal. We are ready to collaborate with the various committees that will be comprised of St. Stephen residents and business owners to help us continue to grow and revitalize our town. Receiving this prestigious award is a fantastic achievement for the Town of St. Stephen and I give credit to all involved in the initiative. We have been waiting for the results of the EPA Brownfield Grant Application for quite some time. “It has been well worth the wait.” This is the first of many blessings in store for our great town.

For more information about the Brownfields Assessment Grant, click here.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – (Tuesday, February 14, 2023) – On February 9, 2023, Berkeley County Animal Control officers responded to a hoarding situation at a residential property near Harristown Road in St. Stephen, where they discovered dozens of cats in deteriorating conditions on the property, dubbed a “Cat Sanctuary.” Cats were located living inside a rundown trailer and outside the area.

Officers seized 49 cats still alive but in poor health. An additional 23 cats were found deceased inside structures at the site. The cats were taken to Berkeley Animal Center, where 10 cats were forced to be euthanized due to their sickly condition. The remainder of the cats are in the care of Animal Center staff and in stable condition.

The shelter is seeking adult cat food as well as monetary donations for medical costs and other emergency care needs for the cats. Please consider donating HERE (enter “sick cats” under “reason for donation”). The cats will be available for adoption once they are nursed back to good health. Cat food can be dropped off at 131 Central Berkeley Drive in Moncks Corner.

“Berkeley Animal Center staff is committed to conducting the proper care necessary to ensure these sickly cats are restored to good health and receive the medical attention and affection they so desperately demand at this critical time in their lives. We know this is a dire situation and that unfortunately, not all the cats rescued from these deplorable conditions could be saved. We cannot change these cats’ past circumstances and lack of quality care, but we can do our best to provide them all they need to survive and thrive going forward. We thank our fellow rescue groups for partnering with us and sharing this same mission.” -Heather McDowell, Berkeley Animal Center Director

Additionally, 15 cats were transported to Massachusetts-based rescue groups MSPCA-Angell and Northeast Animal Shelter (NEAS), two organizations Berkeley Animal Center has been working with since last year. On the day of the seizure, MSPCA also sent staff to assist with the cats’ treatment at the shelter. Additionally, Charleston Animal Society provided a veterinarian to aid with the care.

“We needed to move quickly as the cats are in pretty rough shape. They were rescued from a dire situation and are lucky help arrived when it did.” -Mike Keiley, MSPCA-Angell Director of Adoption Centers and Programs / NEAS Executive Director

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office has cited Suzanne Marie Melton, an owner of the Cat Sanctuary, with 20 counts of inhumane treatment of animals.

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-Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office-

This informational meeting will provide more details on the $500,000 EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant Berkeley County Council accepted in September 2022. Economic Development officials and representatives with Terracon Consulting Engineers and Scientists, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be on hand to answer questions.

This grant is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfield Assessment Grant Program and will help fund the first steps in a large-scale revitalization initiative to improve quality of life opportunities in the St. Stephen/Russellville area. Specifically, the grant will allow the Town of St. Stephen, Berkeley County Economic Development, and the EPA to work together to determine brownfield sites in the St. Stephen area that could be redeveloped to provide more job opportunities and other quality of life resources for the community.

Brownfield sites are properties that are or may be contaminated with hazardous substances, pollutants, petroleum, or other contaminants that pose a barrier to productive reuse. Such sites are often are in struggling neighborhoods and areas with blight, deteriorated infrastructure, or other challenges. A brownfield site may include public or private properties, green spaces, or parks in need of preservation. The grant has already identified two such sites: the former St. Stephen High School, which closed in 1996, and the area’s former Lumber Mill, which operated as a steam-powered lumber mill from the 1930s to mid-1960s and closed around 1970.

Members of the public are encouraged to submit information HERE if they own a property or know of a property in the St. Stephen area that could be considered for an assessment as a brownfield site. Landowners may be asked to participate in an assessment by providing information on the site’s history.

This EPA program also provides funding for these assessments—which are critical for determining real estate values—and will help identify and/or alleviate any potential environmental concerns at a site.

This revitalization initiative, which will be conducted in multiple phases, will include community input and engagement throughout the entirety of the process. For more information on the EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant Program, go HERE.

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-Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office-

Berkeley County opened an application period from February 17 to March 17 for interested organizations to apply for funding. In partnership with Civitas LLC, the County established a CDBG Advisory Committee to review applicants and determine eligible groups before making a recommendation to Council. The money stems from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and will provide Berkeley County communities with resources to address unique community development needs. Funding has been awarded to the following local organizations for costs associated with public facilities and demolition:

*The approximately $1.28 million approved also includes $256,910 for administration and CDBG Program-related costs.

Through the CDBG program, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved $1,284,550 for Berkeley County to use to address community development needs. The County is also set to receive $552,117 in HOME funding from HUD for Program Year (PY) 2023, which begins July 1, 2023 and ends June 30, 2024. The above requests will be funded beginning July 1.

The CDBG Program provides annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.

“We are excited to award this funding to help better serve a diverse set of support services throughout the County. Special thanks to the CDBG Advisory Committee and to each applicant for playing an important role in helping to meet the needs of our community.” -Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb

For more information on the CDBG Program, visit the County website or the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Program website.

The court was hearing DU’s appeal against a high court order that permitted St Stephen’s College to give 15% weightage for filling seats under Christian quota

The Delhi University (DU) on Friday told the Supreme Court that the seats for which the St Stephen’s College holds interviews are “virtually becoming payment seats”, attracting sharp rebuttal from the prestigious minority institution that said the contention was wrong and the university should not make such statements.

The court was hearing DU’s appeal against an order passed by the Delhi high court on July 21, permitting the college to give 15% weightage for filling seats under the Christian students quota for the academic year 2023-24. The court directed the college to consider the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores only while admitting students on the unreserved seats.

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Solicitor general Tushar Mehta appeared for the university and said, “I hope the college is not holding any interview. This 15% for interview is virtually becoming payment seats. This court knows about this practice.”

Mehta said that while there is no objection to the college reserving 50% seats for minorities, the seats should be filled up entirely on basis of merit decided by CUET scores. “Interview brings subjectivity. Even if I have more than 90% marks, someone with less marks gets admission,” he added.

Senior advocate A Mariarputham, appearing for the college, along with advocate Romy Chacko, objected to Mehta’s statement. “This is false. Such wrong statements need not be made. He is an officer of the court. He may argue on merits but not make such statements,” he said.

The solicitor general countered: “This is not a statement but my argument on merits.”

The college argued that in any case admissions for this year have ended on August 16, and interviews were conducted.

“This petition is infructuous as admissions closed on August 16, and classes for the new academic session have begun,” the senior counsel said.

The UGC, too, filed an appeal against the high court order and requested the court to take up both the appeals on Monday.

The bench of justices AS Bopanna and PS Narasimha agreed to the request and asked the two sides not to get “worked up” and reserve arguments for Monday.

The college approached the Delhi high court, challenging a December 8 order passed by the DU executive council that even for 50% minority quota seats, admissions should solely be done on the basis of CUET scores. The council said and no interview will be permitted. Following the council’s order, DU issued a notification on December 30. The college challenged both the order and the notification, saying they were unconstitutional.

In its interim order on July 21, the high court allowed the college to have 15% marks reserved for interview for minority candidates while general candidates had to be admitted on the basis of CUET scores.

The college claimed that over the years, it has been making admissions to undergraduate courses by earmarking 15% weightage for personal interaction or interview. Last year, with the introduction of CUET, the college had to admit students to its general category seats solely on CUET scores as the top court had in October 2022 refused to stay the HC order.

The college’s appeal which is still pending on this issue in the top court relied on the rights of minorities available under the Constitution to run and administer institutions.

Last year, too, when the controversy over CUET being applicable to minority quota seats arose, the high court on September 9, 2022 permitted St Stephen’s to proceed with its interview for Christian candidates.

. - One Berkeley County town is getting a revival, thanks to Viva Holdings Group, Inc. The company announced Thursday a $28 million dollar investment into a new recycling manufacturing plant in St. Stephen, creating hundreds of jobs.

County leaders referred to the new plant as "Project Revival."

"We had major plants here that left and left us with an employment deficit," Mayor John Rivers, said, "This will greatly enhance the employment situation here in town."

In a special flag-raising ceremony Thursday, Viva Holdings Group, Inc. announced plans to renovate a 177,000 sq. ft. industrial site located at 315 Ravenell Dr. in St. Stephen. The plant will initially create 200 jobs, with the potential to create 384 long term. It's a much-needed economic boost, according to county representatives.

"This is an area that has been primarily ignored with economic development in previous years," Berkeley County supervisor Bill Peagler said. "We're hoping this is going to be a foothold to come in and give new life to St. Stephen and give new hope to individuals who haven't had a job in so long."

According to the latest state data available from 2012, the average income in St. Stephen is approximately $14,000.

"I'm most excited about knowing this factory will be re-opened again and be an opportunity for our young kids...to work and earn pay," St. Stephen resident Reginald Gerald said.

Viva President and CEO Marty Sergei said the company has already hired around a dozen people from the town.

"This is an area that hasn't been tapped. The good quality people in this area aren't using their skills," Sergei said. "We've already hired a dozen or so folks from St. Stephen, fantastic people, hardworking. All we need to do is get a couple hundred more, and we'll have a very successful company."

According to a press release, Viva's proprietary technologies use a combination of recycled rubber and recycled plastics from post-industrial and post-consumer sources. The products Viva creates at the St. Stephen location will be sold in the U.S. and exported to China.

The official start of employee hiring is scheduled for late 2016; the plant opening is set for early next year.

Copyright 2016 WCSC. All rights reserved.