KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Kershaw County Council will cast their final vote on Tuesday evening for the July 2022 to June 2023 budget.
One of the items in the budget is to use a portion of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) a total of $300,000 dollars to transform Mt. Pisgah Elementary School into a community center.
The school was consolidated with Bethune Elementary and Baron-Dekalb to make what is now North Central Elementary, which has left that area with an empty building.
Tom Gardner, Kershaw County Councilman for District 6 says, "The Old Mt. Pisgah school it's been there for ninety-eight years in that community, it means a lot, and everything is centered being very rural around the churches and that school."
Councilman Gardner says it was an idea that came to mind months back and won't cost taxpayers, "It is the ARPA fun we're setting it up three-hundred thousand and basically, it's one hundred for renovations, then two years of operating money, and then at which time we will be creating a non-profit to operate the community center."
The building has brought in several entities to tour and explore options, "We talked to some of our agencies here, the Medical Clinic, United Way, Food For The Soul, Arts Center, Library, they all actually took a tour of the building and they felt like that could provide services that are twenty-five miles away."
Donny Supplee with United Way of Kershaw County is one of those people who came out to see what the building offered, "A bunch of folks who really care about that community and want to make a difference, and so I agreed and we wanted to help as well."
Gardner hopes the process will begin soon, "Hopefully we can get it going once everything gets transferred."