The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page 11

(Die Nats DTal(MLAQ) Greenville Anderson Oconee Monday, January 21 1 985 3B Anderson costs wifth new phone service' ANDERSON Anderson County is saving almost $20,000 a year by switching to one of the new lower cost long distance services. County Administrator David Watson said the We are always looking for ways to economize and improve our operations. In a time when we have greater and greater demands for services ana limited funds to provide those services, any savings is David Watson, county administrator switch is part of a number of meas-ures taken to trim excess costs from the county's $11.5 million operating budget. During the first three months with the new service, the Department of Youth Services, use the phones and reimburse the county for the long distance calls. For the first time, the county can give an accurate figure, rather than an estimate, for the service, Watson said.

Anderson County now rents all of its equipment under a four-year contract. It was offered the opportunity to buy the equipment, but did not have any money budgeted for the purchase when the offer was made. Watson said he plans to examine the possibility of buying if such an offer is repeated. The long distance service switch is the latest in cost-cutting measures employed by the county. The county about six months ago began participating in the federal Commodity Food Program.

Surplus food goes to the county stockade where county and state prisoners are housed and helps reduce the cost of operation. Watson said the county received $12,753.13 in food during the first six months of operation. During the next six months, he estimated the county will receive almost $5,600 in food. "This program is proving to be a tremendous asset to the stockade food program and the county," Watson said. By Bob Paslay the Nub Anderson bureau whom, he said.

Each department has its own code that is used to make long distance calls. That code also provides a monthly list of when the call was made, how long it lasted and who was called. Watson said the new system is designed to limit any abuse of county phones for personal long distance calls. Each department head receives a copy of the calls made by his or her department and then can check them to make certain they were legitimate business calls, Watson said. In addition, several state departments, like the Anderson.

But he said he is looking into adding the remaining phones and increasing the savings. The county budgets $145,000 for phone costs. "We are always looking for ways to economize and improve our operations," he said. "In a time when we have greater and greater demands for services and limited funds to provide those services, any savings is welcome. "The responsibility for managing the amount of money we do makes it necessary to apply the very best financial controls available." One advantage of switching to the discount service is that it provides a better record of who is calling county saved $331 on long distance calls, he said.

Projections for the first year of operation indicate it will cost $12,804 for long distance calls in South Carolina, compared with $31,860 under the time measured discount system that was being used, he said. That is a savings of $19,056. Watson said not all of the county's more than 100 phones are covered by the new discount service because they are scattered in offices around the city of Demolition delayed Possible health hazards must be resolved at jail wrecking companies ranged from $12,000 to $14,000. Crain said that when the county Law Enforcement Center opened in 1979, the old jail became useless. "We had no need for additional office space, and it would have cost a lot of money to renovate the old jail," Crain said.

"One esti juij.j. aniuniiiAitiiijiu.j waanuMWuiuiJn ni rn ifii fw if I i7 ol rp iuzttt IT Mkk mate showed it would take $15,000 just to repair the leaking roof." Crain said the county could not justify spending funrlc nn GK2 By Dale Perry New staff writer WALHALLA Demolition of the 79-year-old former Oconee County Jail has been temporarily delayed because of possible health hazards. County workers and inmates were to start the demolition this weekend, but County Supervisor Norman Crain said that the County Health Department advised that health precautions be taken before the vacant facility is torn down. Crain said health officials have advised that pigeon droppings that have accumulated over the years in the jail could contain disease-causing fungi. "So we are concurring with the health department, and set another date to demolish the jail after possible health hazards have been resolved," Crain said.

Crain said bars in the jail already have been removed, and ornate moldings, banisters and door frames have been rescued from the wrecking ball soon to come down on the jail. "Most everything of any value, historic or otherwise, has already been removed," Crain said. "We still have got to remove the columns on the front of the jail," he said. Crain said the jail will be demolished by county employees and prison inmates, and later the County Council will decide what to do with the vacant lot. Crain said the county expects to demolish the jail for about $2,000, noting that estimates from private Crain the old jail since it was not needed.

But the County Council was willing to listen to people interested in renovating it for whatever use they envisioned, Crain said. The most likely candidate for a renovation project was the Oconee County Historical Society, Crain said. The historical society intended to convert the old jail into a museum. But in the past six years the historical society has been unable to come up with any renovation funds, and Crain said that the society itself has fallen on hard times. "I don't think the historical society has even met in a year or so," Crain said.

The News Dole Perry Old Oconee County Jail on Short Street was scheduled to be demolished this weekend However, the work has been delayed on the advice of the Oconee County Health Department "At this point I'm not going to say that 'yes, the old jail will be torn down," Crain said. "You never know what might could happen on something like this at the last minute." deteriorating condition. Officials also said the structure could become a health hazard. That bit of information from the city spurred action from the County Council to proceed with demolition plans. Commission.

And the news was not good for anyone interested in keeping the old jail. City officials told the county that the old jail was a perfect breeding place for rats and was in a rapidly Crain said the historical society estimated it would cost about $80,000 to renovate the old jail. "But I think that estimate was low," he said. The county, in the meantime, did hear from the city Planning Anderson College schedules events Seneca revitalization group hires downtown director Jan. 31.

"Without the financial support of this prestigious group, Anderson College could not continue to offer a quality education in an environment of academic excellence and Christian principles," according to Mrs. Elizabeth McClellan, director of annual giving and alumni Hungry." The enrichment program is a series of lectures, musical presentations and worship programs. The college also has scheduled an appreciation dinner for those who have contributed to the two-year Baptist institution. The dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m. ANDERSON Anderson College will be holding two events during the coming weeks, officials have announced.

Dr. David Sapp, preacher at First Baptist Church in Chamblee, will be the guest speaker during the Life Enrichment Program at 10 a.m. Jan. 23 in the Fine Arts Center. The topic of his program is "I Was Development, will start work on Feb.

1, and will be introduced at SURE's Feb. 4 meeting at 7 p.m. at Seneca City Hall. Mrs. Field said the key to downtown redevelopment will be establishing an economically healthy central business district, which will be one of Young's major responsibilities.

"We are also concerned about the aesthetic appearance of Seneca, but we Police training program aimed at minorities realize a good economy is the most lm portant thing for downtown," Mrs. Field said. Group confidence Mrs. Field said SURE, which has been working on downtown redevelop ment for almost two years, is more con fident about Seneca's future than in re cent years. By Dale Perry News staff writer SENECA The Seneca United Revitalization Efforts committee (SURE) has hired Michael Young, a Michigan State University graduate, as its downtown director.

SURE chairman Carol Field said Friday that Young was chosen from 36 applicants seeking the position because of his background with and knowledge of the national and state Main Street programs. "The SURE committee was impressed with Mr. Young's knowledge of the Main Street program, and that's a major reason he was selected for the downtown director's job," Mrs. Field said. Mrs.

Field noted that SURE has applied for Seneca to become a Main Street city through the South Carolina Downtown Development Association Inc. in Columbia. Selection The state development association is expected to select five cities to participate in the Main Street program this year, and announcements are to be made Thursday. Mrs. Field said hiring Young as downtown director will boost Seneca's chances of becoming a Main Street city, which will entitle SURE to redevelopment expertise valued at $40,000 to $50,000.

Mrs. Field said Young, a graduate of Michigan State's College of Urban "We have learned a lot about revitali By Cynthia Crossley 5hc Nous staff writer zation since we first organized," Mrs. Field said. "We don't panic now when someone downtown announces they are moving police officers are not considered to be the guy next door," said Mike Humbert, human resources specialist for the city. "We want to make an attempt to change that image." Humbert said the city sent letters to 60 black ministers and to organizations within the black community.

That effort brought the city about 10 inquiries. But the city still is seeking applications. It hopes to get the cadet program rolling by the start of the college's spring quarter in March. The program does not guarantee an immediate job with the police department once the cadet finishes the program, because the department has a low turnover rate, Humbert said. "We lose our officers to retirement, and we're proud of that." Humbert said.

Because of few openings, Humbert said he can't promise those entering the cadet program that they'll become a city police officer immediately. "I can't hire you the day you finish the program," he said. "But, if you successfully complete the program, you would certainly be a high priority candidate." to the (U.S. 123) bypass." A new program to entice more minorities to join the Greenville City Police has been set up by the city through Greenville Technical College and the Job Training Partnership Act. The new police cadet training program will offer a year of free classes in criminal justice at Greenville TEC plus a part-time job with the city police department.

Participants will earn $67 a week in the job, and receive an additional $130 a month from the Job Training Partnership Act for food and living expenses, according to Bob Murray, director of the job training program. Applicants must be at least 20 years old and meet city police hiring requirements before starting the course. Those requirements passing a basic reading and writing test, a physical exam, a vision check and a background check. Potential cadets also must pass the college's entrance tests in lOth-grade math and llth-grade midyear English, Murray said. Murray said the job training program will pick up the estimated $1,100 cost of Mrs.

Field said SURE has gotten tremendous support for revitalization from the public and private sectors, "and we feel we have gotten the groundwork done to see major improvements in our books and tuition for the training at Greenville TEC. Capt. Richard Davis of the city police department said the cadets will be assigned to desk work and possibly traffic direction. He said the department hasn't decided exactly what they would do. "It has to be something that doesn't require enforcing the law," Davis said.

"And they can't carry a gun or go into dangerous situations." Response to the program has been slow so far, and organizers expect it will take 'some time to reach the program's primary goal of getting more blacks interested in police work. "I think it's partly the perception that downtown. "We're all just going to have to coop erate and work together to make our revitalization plans successful," Mrs. Field said. "And hiring a downtown director is a big step for continued redevelopment, she said.

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