T&D TOP 10 OF 2019: New construction celebrated in region; more buildings on the horizon – The Tand D.com

The T&D Region saw a year of growth in 2019, with groups and government bodies throughout the area improving old facilities and adding new ones. And more work is underway.

A list of some of the new work is listed below.

Claflin University

Claflin University kicked things off when it celebrated the completion of its Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Wellness Complex in January 2019.

The new construction expanded the former Jonas T. Kennedy gym. The facility now includes a modern weight room, group fitness area, community kitchen, indoor walking track, auxiliary gym and classrooms.

It is a two-level structure, the first floor being occupied by the weight room, classrooms and the community kitchen. It also includes an auxiliary gym with a walking track above.

There is also a space that could be used for a farmers market.

The second floor features treadmills and other workout equipment, as well as meeting rooms and a room for a kinesiology lab.

S.C. State

South Carolina State University also made strides by bringing Camp Harry Daniels in Elloree back to life.

The universitys 1890 Research and Extension Program received a $3.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to construct a new 1890 Research and Extension Center on the Camp Harry Daniels property near Elloree.

S.C. State President Dr. James Clark took university trustees and presidential cabinet members on a tour of the renovated 10,000-square-foot conference center located at the university-owned property.

The 16 cabins, which can serve as lodging for those who use the camp, are also being updated and renovated.

The USDA grant has enabled the university to demolish some of the dilapidated cabins and other facilities on the north side of the lake for construction of the new 1890 Research and Extension Center on the site.

The new, 15,000-square-foot center will include research laboratories, a nutrition lab, training rooms, a community multipurpose meeting space, classrooms and a technology room equipped to deal with the latest technology like multimedia conferencing.

The university, through federal dollars received by its 1890 program, is also building a similar center on campus and one in Charleston.

Orangeburg

County DSS/DHHS

April 2019 marked the ribbon cutting for the new, $5.6 million Orangeburg County Department of Social Services/Department of Health and Human Services building.

The single-story, 30,000-square feet building is located near The Technology Center on Magnolia Street. It houses about 120 employees.

The new building includes several Department of Health and Human Services and economic services interview rooms, job development space, two visiting rooms, an observation room and a board room.

County officials say the new building will provide more security to families and children going through the child welfare and foster care systems.

The new building also has a number of windows, unlike the former DSS building on St. Matthews Road, which was formerly warehouse space.

Bamberg-Barnwell center

The Regional Medical Centers $8.6 million Bamberg-Barnwell Emergency Medical Center opened in April.

The 20,500-square-foot facility is located at 1524 Barnwell Highway (Highway 70 between Denmark and Barnwell).

The emergency department is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Outpatient services are offered from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The outpatient side includes lab, ultrasound, radiology and CT. All these services will also be available to the emergency department.

The facility also features nine observation rooms and is equipped to handle ambulance and walk-in traffic. The facility includes consultation rooms, triage rooms and observation rooms.

BlueBird Theatre

Entertainment options expanded with the reopening of Orangeburg's BlueBird Theatre following structural repairs and other improvements made at the historic theater in 2019.

Structural problems were discovered in the theaters roof in the spring, forcing its closure.

The roof was repaired. Other work includes a repainted interior; the building of three terraces to replace the former sloped floor; the replacement of chairs with wider, lumbar-supported seating; and the replacement of interior lighting with energy-efficient LED fixtures.

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In addition, the lobby has been reconfigured to include a concession/retail sales area, as well as a technical control room.

Decorative doors have also been installed to separate the auditorium from the lobby and bathrooms have been remodeled.

With the renovations, the theater will be able to host a variety of events, along with the ability to offer dinner-theater style performances for a limited number of guests.

The Orangeburg Part-Time Players BlueBird Theatre is frequently the location for shows performed by both children and adults of the Orangeburg community, as well as students from Claflin and South Carolina State universities.

Gnotec

In the area of economic development, a Swedish automotive supplier cut the ribbon on its Orangeburg County plant in September.

Gnotec Group is investing $5.9 million and creating 78 new jobs over the next five years at the plant.

The 30,000-square-foot production facility is located in Carolina Regional Park off of U.S. 601 near Interstate 26.

The building formerly housed flooring company Mohawk Industries Inc. It is expandable to 50,000 square feet.

Denmark-Olar

In the area of recreation, it was in August that Denmark-Olar High School cut the ribbon on a new stadium, which has the capacity to seat 1,500 and the power to switch lights on and off with a smartphone app.

Todd McElveen, senior project manager of Thompson Turner Construction, has said the completion of the football stadium, concession stand and restroom facilities is part of a multi-phase project.

As part of the first phase, Thompson Turner renovated classrooms at the high school and built the new stadium.

McElveen said the second phase will include constructing a gymnasium.

Orangeburg

park complex

The Orangeburg community got its first look at the City of Orangeburg's new North Road recreational park complex during its own ribbon-cutting ceremony in December.

The complex is located behind Orangeburg Preparatory Schools North Road campus.

It has two clusters of baseball and softball fields, restrooms, walking and biking trails, picnic tables, playground equipment and open green space.

The complex also has two press boxes, concession stands and more than 500 parking spaces.

The facility has been touted as an ideal site for collegiate tournaments as well as youth softball and baseball tournaments.

The park's 1.9 miles of walking trails and open spaces will be free and open to the public from dawn to dusk. Individuals wanting to use the fields and pavilion will need to contact the Orangeburg Department of Parks and Recreation prior to use.

Projects underway

Farmers market/pavilion: The Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Associations farmers market/pavilion on the square is scheduled for a mid-January opening.

The 6,000-square-foot, open-air pavilion will serve as the permanent home of the downtown farmers market. It will also host other community events.

The pavilion is located at the site of the former Sifly furniture building at the corner of Church and Russell streets.

The pavilion will have 12-foot high ceilings with room for storage, office space and two climate-controlled, handicapped accessible, multi-stalled restrooms. Fans and lighting will be installed.

The pavilion will also have natural and mechanical ventilation. Operators will be able to close it to the elements during inclement weather.

The facility will be able to house 32 10-foot by 10-foot vendor spaces. Power and water will be available for vendors.

OCtech's Nursing and Health Sciences building: Classes are set to begin in January for Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical Colleges new $12.5 million, 30,000-square-foot Nursing and Health Science building.

The structure features a large tiered classroom, computer lab, study rooms, skills practice lab and simulation labs with the latest technology to prepare students for careers as health care professionals.

Orangeburg-Calhoun Detention Center: Orangeburg County will be opening a new jail in 2020.

Enhanced safety is a priority with the construction of the new, $26 million jail.

With the new jail, everything is on one stretch. When you have somebody working in the control room, they'll actually be able to see the entire area with all the cells. All the areas let out into one hallway so that it's easier to do surveillance and maintain our security, our protocol, because you have the ability to see from the hallway in both directions, County Administrator Harold Young said.

The facilitys precast cells also have more security.

The jail's nurses facility will also be placed near the front of the jail rather than having to take the inmate throughout the facility.

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T&D TOP 10 OF 2019: New construction celebrated in region; more buildings on the horizon - The Tand D.com