Clearwater plan welcome
4/28/2008 12:32 AM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend


Clearwater Finishing Plant has been an eyesore in the Clearwater community and for the thousands of motorists who drive past it each day. The former textile plant has sat vacant for years with its exterior decaying and the inside being an easy target for vandals.
Its current owner is now talking about working with Aiken County government on a cleanup and redevelopment plan for the 84-acre site. That is good news for residents of the area who have had to look at the rusty fence surrounding the plant and its parking lot overgrown with weeds. It is also good for the economic viability of an area that is already showing signs of growth.
Aiken County officials were given a presentation last week from members of the Urban Land Institute of South Carolina with suggestions for cleaning up the one-time textile finishing plant and developing the area. This first step is a good one in gaining support from Aiken County government to find ways to work together to remediate the property.
Councilmember LaWana McKenzie, who represents the district of which Clearwater Finishing Plant is a part, said she would like for a "standard" to be set with the work there. As she noted, the work done at Clearwater could be the first step toward future development in that part of U.S. 1.
"Whatever we do there will be watched," Ms. McKenzie said.
And so it will. Initial steps are good, especially for a site that has been empty for so long. But it will be the efforts over the long haul, for both owner Bob Tharpe and for Aiken County, that will tell whether this is just another false start or the beginning of a project for which we can all be proud. Let's hope it is the latter.

---

Share this story:

                           

• COPD: Breathe a little easier
• HPV: Every woman's concern
• FoodSchool 101: You really are what you eat
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy : Cutting edge wound healing
• Visit AikenRegional.com

• Cooper-Miller 7/19/2008 10:19 PM
  
• Jones-Bean 7/19/2008 9:52 PM
  
• Robinson-Saum 7/19/2008 9:47 PM
  
• McKnight-Blocker 7/19/2008 9:47 PM
  
• Busch-Montgomery 7/19/2008 9:36 PM
  
• Sessions-Klekamp 7/19/2008 9:36 PM
  
• Tucker-Sacks 7/19/2008 9:36 PM
  

• Wedding announcement form
• Engagement announcement form

• Sudoku
• BlogSpotter
• coming soon! - More stuff just for fun!
• Snopes.com - urban legends laid bare

Cooper-Miller

Allison Nicole Miller of Aiken and Chad Marion Cooper of Aiken were married May 17, 2008, in St. Paul United Methodist Church, New Ellenton. The bride was given in marriage by her father. The Rev. B ...
7/19/2008 10:19 PM

• Wedding announcement form

• Bookings for July 19 7/18/2008 6:57 PM
  
• Bookings for June 27 through July 3 7/4/2008 9:31 PM
  
• Bookings for June 20-26 6/27/2008 8:54 PM
  

• Kathryn 'Cass' D. Wilson 7/19/2008 8:54 PM
  
• Mildred Phillips Taylor 7/19/2008 8:54 PM
  
• Doris Godwin Neal 7/19/2008 8:54 PM
  
• Andre Garrett 7/19/2008 8:54 PM
  
• Shirley Mae McKevie Seawright 7/19/2008 8:49 PM
  
• Alberta Stinson Owens 7/19/2008 8:49 PM
  
• Marjorie W. (Stroker) Nelson 7/19/2008 8:44 PM
  
• Shirley Ann Lex 7/19/2008 8:44 PM
  
• Clifton Floyd 7/19/2008 8:44 PM
  
• Mary Moody Williams 7/18/2008 9:59 PM
  

• Births for July 20  7/19/2008 9:52 PM
• Anslee Marie Heath  7/19/2008 9:52 PM
• Births for July 13  7/12/2008 10:05 PM