Residents urge improved transit access, downtown development support and road drainage fixes in Sumter County public comment

During the public comment period, residents raised three issues for council attention: public transportation access to Central Carolina Technical College, a downtown redevelopment proposal at the historic Southern Power Plant, and local road drainage and sheriff’s staffing.

Linda Hasty urged the council to consider public transportation solutions that would allow young people across the county to reach Central Carolina Technical College for vocational training and workforce development. Hasty cited national research about links between public transportation and increased county-level median income, and said improved transit access could help local residents reach job training and employment opportunities.

A speaker presenting a downtown project identified as "Southern Power Bridge" said the proposal covers two lots at 301 and 303 South Main Street totaling about 1.66 acres and includes the historic municipal power plant, which the speaker described as more than 100 years old. The presenter described planned uses including workforce-development programming through a technology incubator hub, co-working space, mixed-use development, cultural space and destination uses; the speaker requested county assistance with downtown parking (including the downtown Sumter parking garage), façade preservation funding, potential developer tax credits, and offered to host a site visit for council members.

A resident from Westfield thanked county crews for road resurfacing but warned that shoulders must be graded to maintain drainage so overlays do not fail. The speaker also asked for clarification on current manning levels in the sheriff’s department and whether the county has reached full staffing; the transcript records the question but no staffing numbers were provided during the meeting.

These remarks were comments for council consideration; no formal actions were recorded at this meeting item.