CAMERON, S.C. — If you drive into Cameron, you'll be greeted by a "Welcome to Cameron" sign. The signs are brand new and made possible with about $30,000 in state funding.
“I think the new signs have been an asset to Cameron, we’ve had signs before, they were worn out and not as visible as these were. These really make a nice statement," said local business owner Wayne Polin.
It's part of about $700,000 being allocated to Calhoun County for various projects. This includes $100,000 for a walking trail in Sandy Run, $450,000 for a new sports complex, and $100,000 for a restoration of the St. Matthews Railroad cut.
The mission is to help increase the town's visibility.
“A very rural town that definitely struggles with little things like finding the funding to replace town welcome signs that haven’t been done in decades," Representative Russell Ott.
Polin owns a hair salon in Cameron and also serves on the town council.
“We’re a small town. We still try to keep up the community and try to make the appearance of the town nice and stuff and that’s how it got the name pretty little town because everybody keeps stuff nice and neat around here," he said.
Polin says the town's history is centered around its railroad. That's why the town is looking to revamp its railroad depot into an event space. The plan is to attract more people to the town.