{"id":5349,"date":"2011-03-09T14:41:04","date_gmt":"2011-03-09T19:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/?p=5349"},"modified":"2011-03-09T14:41:04","modified_gmt":"2011-03-09T19:41:04","slug":"mayor-presents-state-of-the-city-address-by-philip-dunson-published-march-09-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/?p=5349","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Presents State of the City address (By Philip Dunson, Published March 09, 2011)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

HARTSVILLE–Mayor Mel Pennington addressed an audience of 329 people Monday on a wide range of topics, including achievements in education, crime, the economy and a potential city-wide recycling initiative in what was said to be Hartsville\u2019s first ever State of the City address.<\/p>\n

Throughout the 15-minute speech given inside the Watson Theatre of Coker College\u2019s\u00a0Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center,\u00a0the first-term mayor cited the community\u2019s resiliency and compassion and urged its citizens to look toward the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe state of the city is in progress,\u201d said\u00a0Pennington, dressed in Navy Blue suit and customary bow tie. \u201cWe are changing for the better, and though we have a lot of needs, we have an amazing amount of resources.\u00a0 We should never get discouraged. \u2026Despite any and all of our differences we agree that\u00a0Hartsville can be improved\u2014we don\u2019t give up on this city.\u00a0 By moving forward, together, towards that collective vision of a better\u00a0Hartsville we can exceed the limits of our own expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennington, who was welcomed with a standing ovation after being introduced, referred to U.S. Constitution when explaining the reason for holding the address. He cited\u00a0the president being required to give information to\u00a0Congress in regards to the\u00a0State of the Union and said this should also be true on a local level.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am an advocate of accountability and transparency of government,\u201d said\u00a0Pennington. \u201cI was elected to lead and that gives me a responsibility to communicate the city\u2019s agenda, to be open about its operations. I owe the community and I have an obligation to address concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor went on to explain that the city has had a most eventful first few months of the year. In 2011 the city and its residents have already had to endure a highly publicized assault at a downtown business in which a person was assaulted and the store set on fire; the retirement of long-time\u00a0Police Chief Tim Kemp; and a fire that severely damaged the\u00a0Agrium Rainbow Operation fertilizer plant on Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first few weeks of 2011 we have faced incredible challenges, but those challenges revealed our strength\u2014our faith\u2014in each other and in our community,\u201d said\u00a0Pennington. \u201cWe have seen tragedies and disasters, both natural and unnatural, and we have rallied to provide shelter, aid and compassion for our neighbors.\u00a0 In the first few weeks of the New Year I have witnessed an outpouring of love, people banding together during trials, quite literally, by fire, and like gold it has only made our values stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennington then addressed several areas in detail in which he said the city is working towards improving, including beautification and technology.<\/p>\n

He cited the\u00a0City Council passing a nuisance ordinance that will prevent property owners from allowing their yards to grow wild with a gross amount of weeds, bushes and undergrowth.\u00a0 He said the city has over 75 condemned houses slated for demolition starting in this summer and received $400,000 in grant money from the\u00a0EPA for the revitalization of former industrial and commercial sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnkempt lots and abandoned buildings create fire hazards, provide venues for crime, and lessen the value of our homes,\u201d said\u00a0Pennington. \u201cThey are public eyesores and infringe on rights of others to have a safe and beautiful community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennington then said that he had met with Sonoco officials to discuss the creation of a city wide recycling initiative \u201cto keep\u00a0Hartsville beautiful for our children and our children\u2019s children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also need to think of beautification in a broader sense, and do more to help the environment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In the area of technology,\u00a0Pennington said the city has explored the creation of a city-wide\u00a0fiber opticnetwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have sought government grants to fund the implementation of an infrastructure that would allow the city to provide\u00a0fast internet access, high-definition cable and a dependable phone service to our own citizens,\u201dPennington said.<\/p>\n

He said city\u2019s\u00a0finance department has implemented online bill pay which provides a faster, easier, way to pay our utilities.\u00a0Pennington then cited a $1.5 million grant the city recently received for digital water meters that can be checked wirelessly, increasing efficiency and saving the city money. He also mentioned the implementation of Nixle, an\u00a0online public safety system that allows citizens to receive emergency notices from the city via email or text message.<\/p>\n

The mayor recognized Darlington County Sheriff\u2019s Department\u00a0Chief Deputy Jerry Thompson, who is presently serving as the city\u2019s\u00a0interim police chief.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder his direction we have seen a greater police presence, including regular door-to-door patrols downtown, increased patrols around the city and checkpoints throughout,\u201d\u00a0Pennington said. \u201cOur police department is working tirelessly to ensure that\u00a0Hartsville is made safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennington then said that he believes there may be a correlation between increases in criminal behavior and increases in unemployment.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany out of work often feel the pressure to turn towards a life of crime, and though it makes their actions no less condemnable we need to understand,\u201d\u00a0Pennington said.<\/p>\n

On the subject of education,\u00a0Pennington made reference to the recently announced PULSE initiative funded by $5 million from Sonoco. The initiative involves a cooperative effort between\u00a0Coker College, the Governor\u2019s\u00a0School of Science and Mathematics and Yale University\u2019s Comer Project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis could put our education system in competition with the best in the state and give our children a better future,\u201d said\u00a0Pennington.<\/p>\n

Pennington said he sees many positive signs in regards to the city\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe with uncompromising faith that our local economy will get better because of its entrepreneurial spirit,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are a city filled with passionate people, and by following that passion and capitalizing on their dreams, we create jobs right here in\u00a0Hartsville.\u00a0 Our small businesses provide the city a selling point to bigger business and change the perceptions of what one can expect from a small southern town. Large companies will continue to invest in\u00a0Hartsville after seeing what we have to offer\u2014dozens of community owned and operated businesses that prove we are capable of sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennington said the city will continue to pursue private dollars or state and federal money. He said that in 2010 the city was able to secure funds for more than $400,000 for water improvement in South\u00a0Hartsville.\u00a0 He said last week the city was notified that the fire department has received a grant tor $95,000 to purchase updated equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year we\u2019ve made a commitment to more actively seek outside funding for our city,\u201d said\u00a0Pennington. \u201cWe will be meeting with department heads to see what they need to do their job more effectively and develop grant making strategies.\u00a0 We also want to better publicize the recipients of those grants, their general approach and the reasons for applying.\u00a0 By doing this we hope to inspire others in\u00a0Hartsville who have ideas for a program or initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before closing\u00a0the mayor recognized new\u00a0City Manager Natalie Zeigler. He said that she \u201chas already done an amazing job getting us refocused.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also said the city plans to announce the hiring of\u00a0a special projects manager and create a public information\u00a0officer position to help the city better communicate its agenda to the people.<\/p>\n

Prior to giving the address,\u00a0Pennington gave thanks to his wife and daughters for their support. He recognized city council members individually and thanked S.C.\u00a0Sen. Gerald Malloy and\u00a0S.C. Rep. Jay Lucas\u00a0for their support of\u00a0Hartsville. He thanked\u00a0Coker College for the use of the theatre and said it was \u201cproof of a strengthening relationship, a bridge between the city and the campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor also thanked Sonoco, HilexPoly and\u00a0Progress Energy for \u201ctheir continued support of our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennington made it a point to thank\u00a0Hartsville residents and asked for their support.<\/p>\n

\u201cOdds are that if you are here you believe in something greater and more consequential than yourself, that you have a vision for\u00a0Hartsville,\u201d\u00a0Pennington said. \u201cBy attending tonight, by taking an active interest in the state of your city, you have made a commitment to help realize that vision. You recognize that only together can we move forward. With a sincere and unified effort we can forge an even better place to live, work, study and raise our children.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HARTSVILLE–Mayor Mel Pennington addressed an audience of 329 people Monday on a wide range of topics, including achievements in education, crime, the economy and a potential city-wide recycling initiative in what was said to be Hartsville\u2019s first ever State of the City address. Throughout the 15-minute speech given inside the Watson Theatre of Coker College\u2019s\u00a0Elizabeth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5349"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5354,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5349\/revisions\/5354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}