Survey: Shoppers want variety

Greenwood chimes in with retail wish list

August 4, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

Following a two-week survey of hundreds of people across the Greenwood area, one thing is sure: Residents want new and varied retail opportunities.
Greenwood economic development firm Partnership Alliance has concluded its Internet survey into what new retail outlets residents want to see in Greenwood. Partnership marketing director John Lowery said 997 people took the survey, which was linked to Partnership Alliance’s Web site.
“We were pleased with the response,” Lowery said. “This will be vital information we can use with retail developers.”
According to Lowery, the survey showed 940 of the 997 people surveyed do their grocery shopping in Greenwood. When asked what type of grocery store they would like to have that is not currently in Greenwood, the clear winner was Publix, with 622 votes.
One of the key initiatives Partnership Alliance has targeted in its retail recruitment efforts is finding out what other areas to which Greenwood County is losing potential shoppers. Again, the results were overwhelming, as 678 people listed Greenville as their preferred shopping destination.
The online survey also included a section that asked responders what type of stores they would like to see in town. Those participating could vote for more than one type of store in this category.
Women’s apparel was the top choice in this category, with 770 responses. Variety stores (such as Target) were second with 680 votes, while home furnishings had 495 votes. Electronics stores and men’s apparel picked up 495 and 425 votes, respectively.
A second question dealing with stores was open-ended, asking responders for specific outlets they want brought to Greenwood. Target picked up 421 votes, easily outpacing the next most-popular choice, Kohl’s, which had just 81 votes.
Lowery added that Home Depot also received consideration.
Similarly, Partnership included a question on the survey that asked for participants to tell what type of restaurant they want to see more of. Being able to choose only one style, fine dining came out ahead with 437 votes. Steak was second with 281.
When asked which specific restaurant they wanted in Greenwood, voters submitted Olive Garden most often, with 431 votes. Carrabba’s was a distant second, with 44.

Danger at every crossing?

Officials stress safety of S.C. bridges

August 4, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

Simply driving over a bridge is something many people took for granted. Following a tragic event earlier this week, however, many will take the safety of bridges more seriously. A heavily traveled interstate bridge in Minneapolis broke apart Wednesday evening and sections fell into the Mississippi River, killing at least five people and trapping an unknown number in submerged cars or beneath debris.
Media reports indicated as many as 50 cars might be submerged in the river or trapped under rubble, while at least eight people are missing. The 40-year-old Interstate 35W bridge, near the heart of Minneapolis, collapsed and fell roughly 60 feet to the water at the height of rush hour.
In response to those events, the South Carolina Department of Transportation has issued some information about bridges in this state. According to the SCDOT, South Carolina has no structures of the type that failed in Minneapolis.
“South Carolina has a critical need for funding in terms of maintaining the bridges and highways in our state,” said Buck Limehouse, SCDOT’s secretary of transportation nominee. “But we are making sure we are doing everything possible to make sure all of our bridges can be used safely.
“Safety is our highest priority, and no one in South Carolina will travel over a bridge that is unsafe to use.”
The SCDOT makes 6,000 inspections per year on state-owned bridges. That number includes bridges that are monitored more frequently to ensure they are safe for the public. It also performs about 65 underwater inspections every year.
Greenwood County engineer Larry Smith said he was saddened by the events in Minnesota.
“It was regrettable,” Smith said. “My first thought was that someone, somewhere along the line didn’t catch something. I believe there was probably a hidden defect somewhere in that bridge.”
Smith also said the bridge’s age likely played at least some small part in it collapsing.
“I’ve always said that time takes its toll on even the best designs,” the county engineer said.
Smith corroborated the SCDOT’s account that there are no structures like the failed Minneapolis bridge in South Carolina, saying the closest thing would be the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston.
He said most Greenwood County bridges are simple span units, and are generally in good shape.
“Our bridges here are in solid shape right now,” Smith said. “The Highway 34 bridge down at (Buzzard Roost) dam was rebuilt about eight years ago, so it is relatively new. The Highway 72 bridge (over Lake Greenwood) is made of pilings and concrete foundations, and it is in good shape.”
Some statistics provided by the SCDOT:
The SCDOT maintains a total of 8,330 bridges.
A total of 1,033 are deemed structurally deficient, meaning they do not meet the standards of the Federal Highway Administration. However, these bridges have not been deemed unsafe.
There are 138 bridges in the state that are load restricted, meaning vehicles exceeding the maximum weight allowance are not allowed on the bridges.
SCDOT engineers have declared 10 bridges in South Carolina closed to all traffic.

Suspect in court escapes custody

August 4, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

A man arrested by Greenwood police and being held at Greenwood County Detention Center escaped following a Friday morning court appearance.
As of 3 p.m. Friday, police and sheriff’s office officials were searching for Barry Myron Patterson, 39, of 212 Woodlawn Road, Greenwood. Patterson is a 5-foot-8 black man who weighs about 170 pounds. He has brown eyes and short black hair.
According to Chief Gerald Brooks, when last seen Patterson was wearing a white T-shirt and dark denim shorts. Patterson was arrested at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and was charged with shoplifting. If convicted, it would be Patterson’s sixth shoplifting offense.
A sixth shoplifting offense carries a maximum 10-year sentence. Brooks said Patterson now faces an escape charge, which also carries a 10-year jail stint as a maximum sentence.
Brooks discussed the circumstance under which Patterson escaped.
“(Friday) morning, Patterson was being transported from the detention center to municipal court so he could be served a warrant for shoplifting and for his bond hearing,” Brooks said. “An officer handcuffed him to a transport chain with several other prisoners who were also appearing in court.”
Brooks said once the group got over to the courtroom, a detective removed Patterson from the transport chain and took him into another room to serve the warrant. Brooks said the detective did this because court was going on at the time, and the detective didn’t want to cause a disruption.
“It was when they returned to the courtroom (that) there was a breakdown in communication,” Brooks said.
Brooks said the detective was under the impression that when he returned Patterson to the courtroom, Patterson was again in the custody of the transporting officer.
Patterson reportedly appeared before the judge a moment later, then went and sat back down next to the other prisoners. However, he was not reattached to the transport chain.
Brooks said that when it came time for the prisoners to leave, they rose in unison and headed down the stairs. Patterson reportedly held onto the chain as the group walked out. Brooks said he is thought to have simply let go of the chain and left the stairway as the group descended.
“When the officer got the group to the bottom, he realized they were one short,” Brooks said.
Brooks asked anyone with knowledge of Patterson’s whereabouts to call 911 or the police department.

California Dreamin’ on the track

Greenwood quartet venture to the Golden State for meet

August 4, 2007

By SCOTT J. BRYAN
Index-Journal staff editor


For four Greenwood athletes, last week’s USATF Championship in Walnut, Calif., offered a wealth of experiences.
Along with competing against some of the top track and field athletes in the nation, one runner overcame a fear of flying, while the entire group got to tour a region they’ve never seen before, other than through television.
Chad Phillips, a USC signee in track and field, and Greenwood High School runners Melekia Simpson, Asia DeLaney and Asia Adams ventured to the Golden State in hopes of posting top performances in the annual meet.
For one athlete, just getting on the plane could be considered a victory.
Simpson, a rising junior at GHS, took some friendly ribbing from teammate and friend DeLaney about the long flight.
“She was scared to fly,” DeLaney said, laughing. “She cried.”
“A few tears came out of my eye, but I wasn’t crying,” Simpson countered. “A tear out of each eye.”
But DeLaney coached her through the flight, even allowing Simpson to hog the window seat.
While competing in the meet, it was mostly business for the Greenwood quartet, but there was some sightseeing involved during the stay.
“We went to Hollywood and really just rode around to places you see on TV,” said Phillips, who competed in jumping events despite a sprained ankle. “We saw Compton, South Central and Inglewood.”
Phillips said it was a good experience, because it allowed the Greenwood contigent to see what needs improvement. He said he enjoyed the opportunity to watch athletes who he’ll likely compete against on the Division I level.
“That was my future competition,” he said. “It was good to see who I’d be jumping against.” Phillips said it also was a good indication of what he must do to prepare for the rigors of college athletics. A dominant star in high school, Phillips likened his new role at USC as starting from the bottom.
“Going to Carolina, I know I’m not going to be the best,” Phillips said. “I have to start from scratch all over again. I have to work hard and work my way up.
“I’m going (to USC) with a point to prove. They’ve got better jumpers and sprinters than me, so I’m going to have to work hard.”
Simpson and DeLaney agreed, since they’re both rising juniors, that the big meet allows them to see what the future can bring with some added effort.
“The competition was real stiff,” DeLaney said. “They were all very fast. It was nice to see what you could do if you work hard.”
Lovvorn had the team’s lone RBI.

Obituaries

Rev. Ernest Cannon

The Rev. Ernest Cannon, 66, of 313 Cannon Road, husband of Easter Cannon, died Friday, Aug. 3, 2007 at HospiceCare of the Piedmont.
The family is at the home.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home is in charge.

Samuel Lucien Cordell

McCORMICK — Mr. Samuel Lucien Cordell of Savannah Heights Living Center, McCormick, died Thursday evening. He was 91.
The body has been conveyed to High Funeral Home, McMinnville, TN, where a funeral service is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 6 at noon in the chapel. Interment will follow in Mt. View Cemetery.
Visitation is 3 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday evening.
Mr. Cordell is the father of Lucia C. Getsi of Savannah Lakes Village.
Beggs Funeral Home, 200 May Ave Lincolnton, GA, 30817, (706) 359-4117, is in charge of local arrangements.
Sign the guestbook at www.beggsfuneralhome.net.

Lee Thomas Hix

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Lee Thomas Hix, 72, Supervisory Patent Examiner, recently of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away Tuesday, July 31, 2007, of complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was born in Commerce, GA, on May 9, 1935, to Lovic Franklin and Eula Martin Hix and graduated from Greenwood High School, Greenwood, SC, in 1953. After graduating from the Citadel in 1957 with a degree in Electrical Engineering, he worked for the Florida Power and Light Company. In 1960 he and his family moved to the Washington, DC, area where he worked for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the next 36 years. In the early 1970s he came home from work and told his children about a patent for a camera that would develop a picture automatically inside the camera. They did not believe him, but in 1973 Polaroid introduced instant photography with the folding SX-70 Land Camera.
Mr. Hix is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary Ann Deal Hix, Jacksonville, FL; one son, Tom Hix, Jr., Frederick, MD; three daughters, Deborah McCoy, Virginia Beach, VA, Patricia Silberstein, Pittsburgh, PA, and Katharine O’Neal, Reston, VA; thirteen grandchildren; and one sister, Barbara Sarkozy, Towson, MD.
A memorial service will be held Aug. 4, 2007, in the chapel of Community Care Hospice, Jacksonville. Eternity Funeral Home, Jacksonville, FL 32217, is assisting with the funeral arrangements. Memorial donations may be made to the Citadel Scholarship Fund, Class of 1957, 171 Moultrie St., Charleston, SC, 29409.

John R. Newton

John R. Newton, 46, died Friday, Aug. 3, 2007 at the home of a sister, in Defiance, Ohio.
Born Oct. 4, 1960 in Defiance, Ohio, he was a son of George E. and Phyllis L. Wasserman Newton.
He worked at Defiance Metal Products, relocating to Anderson Metals as a sales engineer. He was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and Hunters Creek Country Club.
Survivors include his wife, Sherry Prince Newton; children, Noah and Leah Newton; brothers and sisters, Christopher (Karen) Newton, Jeffery (Ezetta) Newton, Laura Coressel, Lawrence (Pat) Newton, Deborah (Wes) Wittenmyer, Eric (Becky) Newton, Mary (Troy) Bowling, Cecilia (Doug) Parsons and Amy (Scott) Galbraith, all of Defiance, Ohio, Theresa (Richard) Clemens of Lima, Ohio and Rebecca (Mark) Hopper of Lexington, SC.
He was preceded in death by a brother Luke Newton and a sister Agatha Newton. Services are 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 6, 2007 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Defiance, Ohio, conducted by Father Tim Kummerer. Burial is in Riverside Cemetery at a later date.
Visitation is 2-9 p.m. Sunday at Mast-Mock-Hoffman-Hanenkrath-Clevenger-Schaffer Funeral Home, with vigil service at 7:30.
Memorials may be made to Noah and Leah Newton or a charity of one’s choice.
Memorial services in Greenwood will be at a later date.
Mast-Mock-Hoffman-Hanenkrath-Clevenger-Schaffer Funeral Home is in charge.

Opinion

Martha Patterson’s life one of service, honors

August 4, 2007

McCormick lost one of its most esteemed citizens when Martha Johnson Patterson died this week at age 92. As a result of her many interests and initiative, the people of McCormick and the State of South Carolina can look back on the history that brought them to this day.
Furthermore, they can look forward and plan, based on the confidence they’ve derived from the efforts of Mrs. Patterson.
She was uniquely involved in so many things that benefitted everyone around her, indeed the entire state, that she was presented the Order of the Palmetto by Governor Mark Sanford. It is the state’s highest honor given to an individual and Mrs. Patterson’s choice to receive it was not a hard decision to make. She earned the recognition in every respect. Her efforts in the fields of history, genealogy and other civic-minded pursuits made her a natural for every honor she received. And, they were numerous.
Perhaps the most lasting and important influence she had was as a teacher. She touched so many lives and, in doing so, gave so many of her students a practical head start in life they honored her. In grateful acknowledgement, the McCormick High School class of 1957 dedicated their annual to its beloved mentor.
Martha Patterson made a difference. What better could said about anyone?