Council approves up to $100,000 match for Gateway to Chester County Veterans History Center grant application

Brett Studemeyer presented plans for the Gateway to Chester County Veterans History Center and council authorized up to $100,000 in local matching funds for an application to South Carolina Parks, Recreation & Tourism’s Undiscovered SC grant program.

Studemeyer described the center as a “veterans and battlefields discovery hub” using multimedia, artifacts, recordings and customizable itineraries to guide visitors to county military-history sites, honoring more than 2,100 local veterans and commemorating battles such as Fishdam Ford and Fishing Creek. He said the county contracted HW Designs of Mount Pleasant to design an immersive interpretive environment and that the firm recommended a conservative estimate that capturing 0.5% of the 20 million annual vehicles passing the gateway could attract more than 10,000 visitors per year and inject an estimated $390,000 into the local economy; Studemeyer described those estimates as conservative.

Grant and match details County staff explained the Undiscovered SC grant is reimbursement-based, awards range from $50,000 to $200,000, and generally reimburses up to 50% of eligible costs. The county is proposing a $200,000 project; to meet the match requirement the county would provide $100,000 in local funds. County staff reported the local hospitality/tourism fund balance is $587,000 and that $41,253 had already been allocated to this project; staff requested using $58,747 more from that fund to reach the $100,000 match. Staff said the full grant application is due Aug. 8; projects must begin within six months of approval and be completed within about 20–24 months. Staff and the presenter said the state expressed favorable feedback and considered the application competitive.

Council action and operational questions Council approved a motion up to $100,000 for the match by voice/hand vote. Council and staff discussed operational details including ownership/operation requirements (the grant requires a 20-year commitment and written PRT approval for obligation transfers), design and construction timeline (presenter said six months for design with construction aimed to start in January and finish by the next year), and plans to host a public design workshop with HW Designs on Thursday at the Gateway to gather input from veterans organizations, the Chamber of Commerce and other stakeholders.