Just reading the "ezine newsletter" from the City of Hartsville and they have a Trick or Treat event scheduled for this evening at Byerly Park from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Also in that newsletter is a very short news piece that reminds us that nearly $80 million has recently been invested in and around downtown Hartsville. There continues to be news about things going on downtown, like the pending opening of a new restaurant Bow Thai, which should happen early next week.
And, we have the election for Mayor and three city council members coming up on November 3 in Hartsville. Had a coffee last night on Mayoral candidate Mel Pennington, who has been holding a series of meetings at the Midnight Rooster to take about city issues. And, this past Tuesday there was a Forum at Second Baptist Church for the City Council candidates to talk about their ideas for the city. Only one of the three races for City Council is contested this year.
While on updates, the citizen journalism website that is owned by THE MESSENGER crashed a few weeks ago but it is back UP AND RUNNING thanks to a great deal of hard work from a Media General web guru and the founder of the site, Doug Fisher. The HVTD.com site is where you get your Hartsville news quicker and well worth a visit.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Mayor's Candidate Forum Interesting Event
A good sized crowd was on had for the Mayor's Candidate Forum on the campus of Coker College in Hartsville on Tuesday evening. Candidates Pam Sansbury and Mel Pennington presented some of their views about moving Hartsville forward in these down economic times. The Forum showed two good candidates for Mayor and also highlighted some of the issues that face the city as it hopes to continue moving forward. There is a link here to the Jim Faile news coverage of the Forum that appears this morning in both THE MESSENGER and MORNING NEWS. The video clip that is included here is just to give readers a flavor of the scene. Dr. Jim Lemke of Coker College moderated the Forum.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Hartsville Musem feels pain of vandalism
It is never easy to figure out why some people are so absolutely STUPID. Why would anyone with any kind of thought process find it amusing to destroy. The people who help preserve Hartsville’s past are trying to figure that out. Thom went into the Hartsville Museum on Saturday and found that the “Byerly Baby” statue had been horribly vandalized. Today, when you go by the garden between the Museum and the Hartsville Chamber of Commerce you will notice the head missing from the statue, which used to frolic in the Rose Garden at The Byerly Hospital.
In this blog the subject is community building and community thinking and one thing we all understand is that our community is strong because of the links to our past. Those at the Hartsville Museum are protectors of this past and they feel, as I am certain do a great many people in the community, a sense of betrayal by the senseless vandalism. These kind of senseless acts bring out the not-nice side of some of us, wishing that we might be able to use those who do things like this as punching bags for an hour or two or three or… In my case, I am thinking of a Twilight Zone type of retribution that has the spirits of the Byerly babies haunting the person’s nights so that every time they close their eyes for sleep another macabre scream shocks them awake. I know, too much thinking about retribution takes away from the continued building that needs to be accomplished.
The trip over to the Museum did uncover a great deal of activity that is ongoing in the efforts of protecting and promoting our past. Penny Anthony said orders are coming in for a book the Museum has published called Postcards from the Hartsville Museum Collection. The books will be available in November and they are selling for $22.95.
Kathy Dunlap, Director of the Hartsville Museum, also noted that progress is now being made on the annex the Museum is developing across Fifth Street from the Museum. The Hartsville Design and Review Board has signed off on the plans for the new façade and the Museum is going forward with the renovation of this space in two Phases. Fundraising has provided enough funds to get Phase One off the ground and the Museum personnel are confident that they will also be able to raise the funds for Phase Two in the near future. Their renovation plans for the buildings took a hit with the economic downturn and this news that things are again moving forward is good news for the community.
In this blog the subject is community building and community thinking and one thing we all understand is that our community is strong because of the links to our past. Those at the Hartsville Museum are protectors of this past and they feel, as I am certain do a great many people in the community, a sense of betrayal by the senseless vandalism. These kind of senseless acts bring out the not-nice side of some of us, wishing that we might be able to use those who do things like this as punching bags for an hour or two or three or… In my case, I am thinking of a Twilight Zone type of retribution that has the spirits of the Byerly babies haunting the person’s nights so that every time they close their eyes for sleep another macabre scream shocks them awake. I know, too much thinking about retribution takes away from the continued building that needs to be accomplished.
The trip over to the Museum did uncover a great deal of activity that is ongoing in the efforts of protecting and promoting our past. Penny Anthony said orders are coming in for a book the Museum has published called Postcards from the Hartsville Museum Collection. The books will be available in November and they are selling for $22.95.
Kathy Dunlap, Director of the Hartsville Museum, also noted that progress is now being made on the annex the Museum is developing across Fifth Street from the Museum. The Hartsville Design and Review Board has signed off on the plans for the new façade and the Museum is going forward with the renovation of this space in two Phases. Fundraising has provided enough funds to get Phase One off the ground and the Museum personnel are confident that they will also be able to raise the funds for Phase Two in the near future. Their renovation plans for the buildings took a hit with the economic downturn and this news that things are again moving forward is good news for the community.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Economic Discussion at SCANPO Round Table
Did you know that the total employment in the United States has dropped between June 2000 and August 2009. This means that even though the population in the United States has grown, we have fewer jobs today than we had in 2000. So, according to Dr. Donald Schunk, the Research Economist at the BB&T Center for Economic and Community Development at Coastal Carolina University, the continuing recovery is very likely to be felt as a "jobless recovery." For non-profit organizations and others in South Carolina this slow recovery could feel like no recovery.
The next part of the meeting was a panel discussion of selected non-profit organizations discussing what they have tried to do to withstand the ravages of the current economy. This session shared some of those things we like to call "best practices" among organizations.
A key idea for me from this panel discussion was the overall agreement among the panelists that keeping their stakeholders at every level informed of what was happening and what was being considered, was one of the most useful strategies. As a communicator, I see most crisis situations as needing some form of strategic communication and the panelists put an exclamation point on my belief. John Singerling, chief operating officer of Palmetto Health Richland, told the audience that he was about to start a speaking tour that will have him in meetings with all of the thousands of employees in his organization. He stressed the need for total transparency in these times and he noted that these face-to-face meetings helped ensure the necessary transparency. Also on this panel were Mac Bennett, CEO of the United Way of the Midlands, Dr. Elizabeth Flemming, president of Converse College and Ken Trogdon, CEO of Welvista.
SCANPO President Mason Hardy and his staff did a good job of putting together a strong, relevant Executive Round Table.
The next part of the meeting was a panel discussion of selected non-profit organizations discussing what they have tried to do to withstand the ravages of the current economy. This session shared some of those things we like to call "best practices" among organizations.
A key idea for me from this panel discussion was the overall agreement among the panelists that keeping their stakeholders at every level informed of what was happening and what was being considered, was one of the most useful strategies. As a communicator, I see most crisis situations as needing some form of strategic communication and the panelists put an exclamation point on my belief. John Singerling, chief operating officer of Palmetto Health Richland, told the audience that he was about to start a speaking tour that will have him in meetings with all of the thousands of employees in his organization. He stressed the need for total transparency in these times and he noted that these face-to-face meetings helped ensure the necessary transparency. Also on this panel were Mac Bennett, CEO of the United Way of the Midlands, Dr. Elizabeth Flemming, president of Converse College and Ken Trogdon, CEO of Welvista.
SCANPO President Mason Hardy and his staff did a good job of putting together a strong, relevant Executive Round Table.
New Carolina (Tm) Opens for Business
There is a multi-page advertisement in today's STATE Newspaper that provides an introduction to an organization called the S. C. Council on Competitiveness and their economic development campaign they are calling NEW CAROLINA.
From a community building and community thinking perspective, this NEW CAROLINA campaign is both exciting and interesting. One of the major reasons for excitement is the composition of the board of this council. There are surprises. Some of the surprises come from the diverse backgrounds of the movers and shakers that have signed on to be part of this New Carolina movement. One of the surprises is the theme of this movement -- NEW CAROLINA. One thing that is not very popular in South Carolina is significant change and the organization is calling for a significant new perspective on our State.
Several years ago, 2004 or 2005, I had the opportunity of being interviewed by one of the graduate students working with Michael Porter of Harvard University on the study of South Carolina's competitiveness. The unveiling in the STATE today lays out some of the key strategy that has been developed from that study. The points coming from Michael Porter's study are exciting, especially if those in the leadership positions can begin to make this cluster concept take hold in the minds and actions of South Carolinians. I know there was a meeting of economic development directors from around the S. C. in Greenville this past weekend. I wonder if they were briefed on the unveiling of the NEW CAROLINA program? They are among the people who can help craft new attitudes because many of them are already part of public/private partnerships with clear missions.
Here is some of what the website says about the mission of this new organization:
South Carolina must re-learn to compete. We must become a New Carolina.
South Carolina's Council on Competitiveness is a public-private partnership working with partners to increase per capita income and drive the movement towards a New Carolina – a South Carolina with a brighter future and a competitive, winning economy.
We have a clear, measurable definition of success. Steadily raise the average income of South Carolinians, which is now just 82% of the national average. Our focus is on Harvard Professor Michael Porter’s strategy to:
* Play to the strengths of our core industries: find, birth, build and celebrate clusters
* Change the economic environment through innovation in business and education
* Connect the dots across efforts and start conversations around positive change
There are some key players from the Pee Dee who have been ground-floor leaders in this new initiative and they include Harris DeLoach, President of Sonoco, and Darla Moore, who has been very active the past few years working to make South Carolina more competitive. It is Moore's name that graces the entrance ways of the University of South Carolina award-winning business school.
Community thinkers and community builders in South Carolina need to pay some close attention to how they might get on board this NEW CAROLINA movement.
From a community building and community thinking perspective, this NEW CAROLINA campaign is both exciting and interesting. One of the major reasons for excitement is the composition of the board of this council. There are surprises. Some of the surprises come from the diverse backgrounds of the movers and shakers that have signed on to be part of this New Carolina movement. One of the surprises is the theme of this movement -- NEW CAROLINA. One thing that is not very popular in South Carolina is significant change and the organization is calling for a significant new perspective on our State.
Several years ago, 2004 or 2005, I had the opportunity of being interviewed by one of the graduate students working with Michael Porter of Harvard University on the study of South Carolina's competitiveness. The unveiling in the STATE today lays out some of the key strategy that has been developed from that study. The points coming from Michael Porter's study are exciting, especially if those in the leadership positions can begin to make this cluster concept take hold in the minds and actions of South Carolinians. I know there was a meeting of economic development directors from around the S. C. in Greenville this past weekend. I wonder if they were briefed on the unveiling of the NEW CAROLINA program? They are among the people who can help craft new attitudes because many of them are already part of public/private partnerships with clear missions.
Here is some of what the website says about the mission of this new organization:
South Carolina must re-learn to compete. We must become a New Carolina.
South Carolina's Council on Competitiveness is a public-private partnership working with partners to increase per capita income and drive the movement towards a New Carolina – a South Carolina with a brighter future and a competitive, winning economy.
We have a clear, measurable definition of success. Steadily raise the average income of South Carolinians, which is now just 82% of the national average. Our focus is on Harvard Professor Michael Porter’s strategy to:
* Play to the strengths of our core industries: find, birth, build and celebrate clusters
* Change the economic environment through innovation in business and education
* Connect the dots across efforts and start conversations around positive change
There are some key players from the Pee Dee who have been ground-floor leaders in this new initiative and they include Harris DeLoach, President of Sonoco, and Darla Moore, who has been very active the past few years working to make South Carolina more competitive. It is Moore's name that graces the entrance ways of the University of South Carolina award-winning business school.
Community thinkers and community builders in South Carolina need to pay some close attention to how they might get on board this NEW CAROLINA movement.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
"Tomorrow's Philanthropy Today "
was the theme of the Executive Round Table, an initiative of the South Carolian Association of Non Profit Organizations (SCANPO) that was sponsored by Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. in Greenville, SC on October 15 and 16.
The Executive Round Table had been cancelled in 2008 as the crippled economy made it difficult for any organization to think about much more than its own existence. The 2009 Executive Round Table had 80 people registered. Mason Hardy, President and CEO of SCANPO said this was the largest crowd that has participated in this invitation-only event. There was a great deal of interesting information shared among the participants and, as most can imagine, the primary topic of concern was the economy.
Dr. Donald Schunk
Dr. Schunk is a Research Economist at Coastal Carolina University and though he wanted to deliver a Good News/Bad News presentation on the state of the economy, the ultimate conclusion is that while technically he agrees the recession is over, realistically it is going to be another year and, perhaps two, before it feels like it is over for most people.
Here are a couple of interesting bullet points from this presentation:
** This is very likely to be a jobless recovery.
** The government stimulus probably kept us from a more severe recession or even depression but, as an economist, he is ambivalent on the governmental actions
** South Carolina has the second highest level of home ownership in the United States and he said, I believe, that West Virginia is first. The mobile home was one of the reasons given.
** His discussion on job creation was very interesting because it showed just how devastating the job losses have been in this current recession. That was important information for this audience because many of the non-profit organizations in the room depend on contributions from individuals for their life blood of funds.
** A portion of the good news of his presentation was that the Dow had gone over 10,000 but he tempered that good news with the caution that the market might not yet be in a steady upward climb. This was of importance to many in the audience, like the Foundations, whose finances have taken hits in the 23 to 33 percent range over the past couple of years and some upward movement of the Dow feels very good.
Will end this blog here to keep it readable and post more about the Round Table in subsequent notes.
The Executive Round Table had been cancelled in 2008 as the crippled economy made it difficult for any organization to think about much more than its own existence. The 2009 Executive Round Table had 80 people registered. Mason Hardy, President and CEO of SCANPO said this was the largest crowd that has participated in this invitation-only event. There was a great deal of interesting information shared among the participants and, as most can imagine, the primary topic of concern was the economy.
Dr. Donald Schunk
Dr. Schunk is a Research Economist at Coastal Carolina University and though he wanted to deliver a Good News/Bad News presentation on the state of the economy, the ultimate conclusion is that while technically he agrees the recession is over, realistically it is going to be another year and, perhaps two, before it feels like it is over for most people.
Here are a couple of interesting bullet points from this presentation:
** This is very likely to be a jobless recovery.
** The government stimulus probably kept us from a more severe recession or even depression but, as an economist, he is ambivalent on the governmental actions
** South Carolina has the second highest level of home ownership in the United States and he said, I believe, that West Virginia is first. The mobile home was one of the reasons given.
** His discussion on job creation was very interesting because it showed just how devastating the job losses have been in this current recession. That was important information for this audience because many of the non-profit organizations in the room depend on contributions from individuals for their life blood of funds.
** A portion of the good news of his presentation was that the Dow had gone over 10,000 but he tempered that good news with the caution that the market might not yet be in a steady upward climb. This was of importance to many in the audience, like the Foundations, whose finances have taken hits in the 23 to 33 percent range over the past couple of years and some upward movement of the Dow feels very good.
Will end this blog here to keep it readable and post more about the Round Table in subsequent notes.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Hartsville Interfaith Ministeries Food Bank Near Empty
The following notice came from HARTSVILLE MATTERS an hour or two ago on October 13. The news is that the emergency food bank at the Hartsville Interfaith Ministry office is near empty:
Our Hartsville
Friends: We just received this information from faithful volunteer of HIM, Linda Yount: "I worked at HIM this morning and Linda Watford would like to tell you how barren the Food Bank is. The shelves are pretty empty. They really need everythi...ng......canned fruit, beans, soups, canned meats, etc. You could hardly go wrong if you take anything. Many thanks!!" Please
share this information with your family, friends, coworkers and church
members. Hartsville Interfaith Ministries is located off 4th Street:
210 Swift Creek Rd Hartsville, SC 29550 (843) 857-9003
Our Hartsville
Friends: We just received this information from faithful volunteer of HIM, Linda Yount: "I worked at HIM this morning and Linda Watford would like to tell you how barren the Food Bank is. The shelves are pretty empty. They really need everythi...ng......canned fruit, beans, soups, canned meats, etc. You could hardly go wrong if you take anything. Many thanks!!" Please
share this information with your family, friends, coworkers and church
members. Hartsville Interfaith Ministries is located off 4th Street:
210 Swift Creek Rd Hartsville, SC 29550 (843) 857-9003
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Hartsville not yet on the list
So, when you begin an initiative like Selling Hartsville, what would be one of your greatest wishes -- maybe to be listed among the ten coolest small towns (cities) in America? This morning, the lead story on the Yahoo web site is about those cities and towns and it seems that maybe reading about those who have earned that designation might even give some ideas for coming closer here in Hartsville. We certainly have many of the ingredients mentioned in some of the short write ups.
Last week, with some others from Hartsville, I had the opportunity to travel to Wilson, NC, to see some of the things they have going on in their city, home of a Coker College rival - Barton College. Wilson is significantly larger in population than Hartsville -- they are about 50,000 -- close to what we might be if you included what I like to call the retail trade zone. Wilson has a vitality that is obvious, challenges that are also obvious and a vision of service and excellence that seems to permeate the town. The major purpose for the trip was to see what they call "Project Greenlight." This program has the city of Wilson providing free WiFi throughout their downtown area while serving all of their citizens with the opportunity of purchasing cable television, internet and even phone services from the city. They are seeing income and they expect to very soon have enough customers for another dependable revenue stream for the city. We certainly know that we need some new revenue streams for our small city and this trip helped to provide a benchmarking opportunity. Wilson like Hartsville has been designated an All America City. They have received the designation several times and that is probably another target for which we should be aiming -- sooner rather than later == I hope.
One of the things that Wilson is most proud of and you can find these around their city -- Whirligigs -- they even have a festival for these metal-art creations.
Last week, with some others from Hartsville, I had the opportunity to travel to Wilson, NC, to see some of the things they have going on in their city, home of a Coker College rival - Barton College. Wilson is significantly larger in population than Hartsville -- they are about 50,000 -- close to what we might be if you included what I like to call the retail trade zone. Wilson has a vitality that is obvious, challenges that are also obvious and a vision of service and excellence that seems to permeate the town. The major purpose for the trip was to see what they call "Project Greenlight." This program has the city of Wilson providing free WiFi throughout their downtown area while serving all of their citizens with the opportunity of purchasing cable television, internet and even phone services from the city. They are seeing income and they expect to very soon have enough customers for another dependable revenue stream for the city. We certainly know that we need some new revenue streams for our small city and this trip helped to provide a benchmarking opportunity. Wilson like Hartsville has been designated an All America City. They have received the designation several times and that is probably another target for which we should be aiming -- sooner rather than later == I hope.
One of the things that Wilson is most proud of and you can find these around their city -- Whirligigs -- they even have a festival for these metal-art creations.
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