Denmark and Bamberg County Residents are One Step Closer to Clean Drinking Water after Breaking Ground on a Rehabilitated Airport Water Tower

Posted by 11/12/2024 Categories: affordable connectivity program Bamberg County Airport Bamberg County Emergency Services bamberg south carolina broadband city of bamberg south carolina community community service democratic party environment government healthcare Keep Bamberg County Beautiful local government Public Works September 11 sheriff department South Carolina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

To: News Media

From: Bamberg County Administration

Date: November 9, 2024

Re: Denmark and Bamberg County Residents are One Step Closer to Clean Drinking Water after Breaking Ground on a Rehabilitated Airport Water Tower

Bamberg, South Carolina (November 2024) –On Friday, November 8, just a little over a year after securing a nearly $600,000 federal grant to rehabilitate the airport water tank, Bamberg County and City Councilmembers, Denmark City Councilmembers, Denmark Technical College and Voorhees University administrators, and other community and state leaders united in a celebratory groundbreaking ceremony.

The grant funds will be used to repair and repurpose the current tower, and an estimated 3,500 Denmark residents could be positively impacted. Although the grant was funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, previously governed under the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) umbrella, serve as the primary liaison between the local and federal government and determine which counties and/or municipalities are eligible.

The SC Revolving Fund, Bureau of Water Director Meredith Amick acknowledged that “a year may seem like a long time, but it really isn’t when it comes to governmental projects. I’m excited to see the positive impact this restored water tower will have on this community.” The estimated project completion time frame is 60 days.

The SC Rural Water Association, a non-profit advocacy group for clean drinking water across the state, also partnered with Bamberg County to secure the grant. Their State and Federal Programs Manager Max Parrish attended the ceremony and stated, “We work to help the smallest and least able SC communities gain access to clean drinking water.”

Bamberg County Council Chairman Evert Comer, Jr. stated, “This is a great day in Bamberg County, and we expect to experience more days like this in the future.”

“Water is the most essential element we can give our people, and we will continue to elevate Bamberg County toward more successful initiatives,” said Bamberg County Councilwoman Sharon Hammond.”

Councilman Spencer Donaldson said, “Water! Water! Water! is the most essential resource. We are grateful to everyone who came together, some behind the scenes, to help us restore this resource to Denmark and Bamberg County citizens.”

County Administrator Joey Preston expressed his gratitude to DHEC, the Bamberg Department of Public Works, Senator Brad Hutto, Representative Justin Bamberg, Project Manager Ken Parnell, Bamberg County Councilmembers, and Mayors Nancy Foster (Bamberg), Gerald Wright (Denmark), and Wilma Edmonds (Govan) as well as Denmark Technical College and Voorhees University for collaborating on the project. “Future infrastructure projects would not be possible without restoring this water tower. This project will allow us to continue to build our infrastructure, which is a key factor in economic development. We applied for this grant three times, and we would not be here without the persistence and hard work of everyone present today.”

The program culminated in the ceremonial groundbreaking.

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For more information on this press release, email info@bambergcounty.sc.gov