Marion County council discusses long-term fix for animal shelter flooding, approves staffing and contractual moves

Marion County officials on Aug. 14 discussed a multi-step plan to study and design a permanent drainage solution that county leaders say would address repeated flooding at the Marion County animal shelter, and took several administrative actions including approving a memorandum of understanding for prison-camp staff training and several personnel- and contracting-related motions.

The county administrator told the council the South Carolina Association of Counties will send Ben Penson on Aug. 20 to review the shelter and help develop a long-term plan. The administrator said the South Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) estimates a culvert replacement large enough to handle the drainage would cost about $2,100,000 and recommended starting with a design study funded through a transportation committee allocation of roughly $200,000.

Why it matters: Council members said repeated temporary repairs have not solved chronic flooding that affects the shelter and nearby facilities along Highway 76; the administrator and staff framed the CTC-funded study and a subsequent state appropriation as steps toward a permanent remedy rather than continued piecemeal patches.

County administrator (unnamed) described the scope and the proposed timeline. “We don’t wanna piecemeal anymore. We wanna fix this problem,” the administrator said, urging patience while staff pursue the study, design and appropriation process. The administrator said DOT would manage the project and…