County Fall Focus: Roads, Trails, Jobs, Economic Development

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson County is expanding work on trails, roads, parks and entertainment as summer ends. Record "Celebrate Anderson" crowds highlight the value of the civic center's amphitheater stage, which saw another packed house the following week for the Pitbull concert.

The proposed trail linking Belton and Anderson is in the works, as final touches are being added to the East-West Parkway trail which is now functional from the Anderson Area YMCA on S.C. 81 North to the Anderson Sports & Entertainment Complex (where pickle-ball fever continues).

The new RV Park/tiny home development near Green Pond Landing and Events Center is also nearing completion, as improvements at Dolly Cooper Park and Hurricane Springs Park are in the works. Council continues to look for ways to pay for roads, and is closing in on the study proposal which is expected to lead to a referendum on the 2024 election ballot seeking a one-cent tax to pay for road repairs and maintenance.

An in-depth study of every foot of the county's 1,534 miles or county roads is expected to be complete before the first of October. County road work (and bridge work) have been kicked down the road for decades by county councils, creating an urgent need for funding to save the roads which can still be saved. The cost, which increases weekly due to materials costs and the lack of companies doing the work, is estimated at nearly $10 million annually, more than triple the amount budgted in recent years. If the referendum fails, there is little hope for good roads in Anderson County.

Meanwhile, economic development and new jobs continue to headline county news, with another international company, this one from Italy, is looking to locate in Anderson. If it does, it will make 52 companies from 19 nations doing business in Anderson County.

Administrator Rusty Burns offers updates on these and other topics, including use of opioid funds and a preview of an improved county square Christmas tree which will light up before Thanksgiving, in this interview with the Anderson Observer.