ROWESVILLE, S.C. — The Town of Rowesville has reopened its community center to the public for the first time since the pandemic, and it is now available for rentals.
The center is 2,100 square feet and can seat up to 120 people. Before it closed, it generated about $6,000 in annual revenue.
According to Mayor Paul Bishop, most of this money has been used to keep the venue afloat by covering most of the utilities.
“It basically covers the cost if we can rent it twice a month then we’re able to put some aside to go into replacements or whatever,” Bishop said.
With the help of Orangeburg County’s most recently issued penny sales tax, the town was able to invest about $35,000 into renovations. These renovations include new flooring, painting, and new light fixtures. The center also has a full kitchen available for caterers.
Hanging on the walls are old photographs of what the town used to look like.
“Like we say, Rowesville is a new world with a little southern charm to it,” Bishop said.
Bishop says the town is within 10 miles of four industrial parks, making it a prime location for potential visitors.
“It is a nice community, but it’s going to improve with the more manufacturing coming in. People are gonna need a place to stay,” Bishop said.
People will have to pay $350 to rent the center for a day. They will also have to pay an additional $100 for a reservation fee and $100 for a refundable deposit.