Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor:

There are several organizations in Edgefield County that must be rebranded or replaced with leadership because we are going in the wrong direction.

There is a project in the southern part of Edgefield County that involves a large amount of taxpayer’s money. The project, named the Sweetwater Community Center, located on Sweetwater Road, cost approximately four hundred and thirty thousand dollars. The amount of money spent on the Sweetwater Project is unusually large. The engineering service cost $26,990.00. Also, the construction and renovation service cost $277,092.00. The total amount of this service is $304,082.00. There were additional costs that brought the total to $450,000.00

This money came from taxes paid by the citizens of Edgefield County which includes me. It has been stated that a great amount of the tax revenue for this county comes from the southern area of the county. I would like to state that through my family, beginning in 1870 with my grandfather Norman Youngblood, my family has been paying property taxes on 13 acres of land, now with a clear deed title. My contribution to the tax base is eight acres of land, several houses plus several valuable, highly taxed items also with clear titles. A great amount of tax revenue.

Once again, the money for the Sweetwater Community Center project came from taxes paid by the citizens of Edgefield County. Can anyone of you remember the County Council Meeting of October 7, 2014 when the Chair stated the money would only come (only) from donations, not taxes; and the Administrator said, yes?

Furthermore, to compare this project with other county nonprofit recreational projects, namely the Colliers Community and the Johnston Area Center, this project cost more than all other county projects combined in the last twenty years.

My “parchesia” is to speak to the powerful leaders without fear.

To provide additional information about Edgefield County, I am calling on the people and agencies below to help in giving transparency to Edgefield County projects.

The State Newspaper

Washington Post, attention: Mr. Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist and MSNBC commentator (parents live in Orangeburg, SC)

The Carter Law Firm, Eleazor R. Carter

Gist Law Firm P.A., Columbia S.C.

Government Accounting Office, 441 G St. SW, Washington DC 20548

Norman Dorn
Former Edgefield County Councilman