By Molly Parker
mparker@scbiznews.com
Published Sept. 8, 2009

Dorchester County Council is expected to vote tonight on whether to allow the county to issue up to $15 million in bonds to purchase and expand the sewer and wastewater treatment facility owned by the town of St. George.

Of that, $900,000 will be combined with a $1 million state grant secured by the Upper Dorchester legislative delegation to purchase the facility, said County Administrator Jason Ward. The remaining money will be used to expand the sewer system over time by an additional 1 million gallons, from 800,000 gallons to 1.8 million gallons.

The purchase is part of Dorchester County’s effort to lure industry to the upper part of the county. St. George is situated at the intersection of interstates 26 and 95.

“The upper end of the county has the potential to become the economic backbone for us,”

Dorchester County Economic Development Director Jon Baggett said.

Tonight’s vote is a third and final reading of the resolution.

In January, the state certified the 600-acre Winding Wood Industrial site as “shovel ready” for a new company. It is the only site in the Tri-county region to receive this certification from the S.C. Department of Commerce.

Additionally, the county is studying the possibility of a system that would allow water from the system to be used as a cooling agent for industry, a cost-saving measure for businesses. There is also a plan afoot to join the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency and utilize surface water for a storage tank in Harleyville, where a number of cement plants are located.

“There are a number of things going on related to water and sewer infrastructure as a part of economic and community development,” Ward said.

County Council also is expected to take up a resolution tonight to apply for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant that will allow the county to purchase land next to the library in St. George. The goal is to expand the library, Ward said.

Reach Molly Parker at 843-849-3144.