12 Cities and Towns Receive 2022 Hometown Economic Development Grants

The Municipal Association of South Carolina has awarded Hometown Economic Development Grants to 12 cities and towns. 

Available in amounts of up to $25,000 each, the grants fund economic development projects that will have positive effects on a municipality’s quality of life, can be maintained over time and illustrate innovative practices that can be replicated in other cities. The grants have matching requirements of either funds or in-kind contributions ranging from 5% to 15% depending on the size of the municipality. 

Many projects supported by HEDG funding have become important parts of their home communities. Walterboro, one of the very first HEDG recipients, put the funds toward the creation of the Walterboro Wildlife Center, which is now an important part of the city’s park offerings, as seen in this Municipal Association Achievement Award video. 

Here are the recipients in the 2022 cycle: 

• City of Bennettsville: Downtown Business Façade Program – Bennettsville will use grant funds to continue its downtown redevelopment by partnering with local businesses to improve their facades. 
• Town of Bethune: Main Street Park and Amphitheater – Bethune has partnered with Sandhill Telephone Cooperative to construct a park and amphitheater that will anchor a comprehensive main street revitalization effort. 
• Town of Blacksburg: Lime Street Park Amphitheater – Building on its success from a previous HEDG award, Blacksburg will build an amphitheater as a town gathering space at its Lime Street Park. 
• Town of Bowman: Inner Park Facilities Improvements – As part of a larger effort to make Bowman an agritourism destination, the town will use its funds for improvements and development of its Inner Park.
• Town of Cheraw: Cheraw Theatre on the Green Renovations – Lacking accessible facilities at its historic Theatre on the Green, Cheraw will use grant funds to upgrade the theater’s facilities to ensure it remains a community space for all residents and visitors. 
• City of Conway: Downtown Business Environmental Refuse Facility – Envisioned in its Riverfront and Downtown Master Plan, Conway will use grant funds to eliminate the clutter of refuse containers and capture stormwater downtown by constructing a multipurpose environmental refuse facility that will be made available to all of its downtown businesses. 
• City of Landrum: Farmers Market Pavilion Expansion – Seeking to accommodate more community events and visitors, Landrum will use grant funds to improve a vacant property that will expand its farmers market pavilion. 
• Town of Pendleton: Pendleton Oil Mill Redevelopment Plan – Through a public-private partnership, Pendleton will use town funds and grant funds to clean up and make plans for the redevelopment of a decades-long blighted industrial property at the entrance to its Village Green. 
• Town of Ridgeway: Town Park Facilities Improvement Project – Ridgeway will use grant funds to develop adequate facilities at the town’s iconic School Arch and surrounding parks which draw visitors and residents year-round. 
• Town of Summerton: Round & About Summerton Downtown Marketing Plan – In an effort to boost downtown businesses, Summerton will develop and execute the Round & About Summerton marketing plan that will seek to draw motorists and visitors off the interstate and into town. 
• City of Tega Cay: City Center Marketing Plan – Tega Cay will use its funds to develop a marketing plan for it first-ever mixed-use development. The City Center District, which will create a “distinctive place of community,” is a key component of the city’s 2015 – 2025 comprehensive plan. 
• Town of Ware Shoals: West End Business District Storefront Project – Partnering with the town, Ware Shoals’ west end businesses will get a boost from grant funds to improve their storefronts and eliminate blighted areas of the business district. 

A full list of all HEDG recipients beginning with the first round of funding in 2016 is available on the Association’s website.

Action Needed on the Municipal Information Dashboard by November 21

Each fall, the Municipal Association of SC asks every city and town to review, update and verify its listed information using the Municipal Information Dashboard, which feeds information to the Association’s Municipal Directory. This year, the deadline for doing so is Monday, November 21. 

Cities and towns can also update their information with the Association throughout the year. Updating frequently helps the Association effectively engage with municipalities on key issues affecting their operations and residents. With accurate and up-to-date contact information, the Association can provide local municipal staff with 

• updates on legislative action at the State House that can have a major impact on local government operations;
• registration opportunities for meetings, conferences and workshops, including the Association’s Annual Meeting and Hometown Legislative Action Day; and 
• other training opportunities from the Association’s affiliate organizations and Risk Management Services. 

The Municipal Officials and Legislative Directory is available online as well as in limited printed quantities. It features contact information for all 271 municipalities. It also lists the specific form of government for each city and town, the regular schedule of council meetings and the names of all elected officials and key staff positions. It also includes a listing of all legislators with the municipalities they represent. In the online version, users can search for legislators by municipality and find links to the legislator’s pages on the South Carolina State House website. The online version of the directory allows users to search for municipalities based on characteristics like the county in which the municipality is located or its population. 

In order to ensure the accuracy of all submitted information, the Association allows only one person from each municipality to handle the annual update — the municipal clerk or the clerk’s designee. The Association’s website has instructions for how to manage the updates, as well as explanations for frequently asked questions, like how to handle newly elected officials who have not yet been sworn into office. 

For assistance, or to make a new designation for the person responsible for the update, contact Joanna Ayers at jayers@masc.sc or 803.933.1259.