County planning grand opening for new training facilities after groundbreakings and construction

County officials told the Marion County Council that construction has begun on a detention center storage facility and that a law‑enforcement training center, indoor and outdoor shooting range, and a countywide fire training facility are nearing completion.

Deputy Administrator (unnamed) said the detention center storage facility has broken ground and that scheduling conflicts prevented a formal groundbreaking ceremony. He asked council members to reserve dates in October for a combined grand opening and said the county hopes to invite the governor, the chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the state director of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR), and the state fire marshal.

The deputy administrator described the fire training facility as having advanced features (a rappel tower, multiple training props and both indoor and outdoor training elements), and said the county expects regional fire departments and state agencies to use the facility. Concrete work for the law‑enforcement training facility and range was described as substantial — the official said about 1,000 yards of concrete were poured and the work was finished the morning of the meeting. County staff said they intend to charge a nominal fee to outside departments to help with maintenance costs and that training will be supervised by county fire personnel to prevent equipment misuse.