BELL’S BITS
By Shawn Bell
Fountain Inn City Administrator
For Immediate Release
Bell’s Bits – Happy New Year! I know many were ready for 2021 after one of the most difficult years any of us can remember. Unfortunately, turmoil in our nation’s Capitol amidst rising COVID-19 numbers hasn’t yet brought the reprieve we were all looking for. The year is young though, and I’m still hopeful for a return to normalcy.
Join us for the grand opening/ribbon cutting of Gio’s Pastry Shop on January 24th at 2:00 p.m. at 218A South Main Street. Our new year’s resolutions may not thank us for this, but the City of Fountain Inn welcomes this new Italian bakery opening in downtown specializing in breads, cookies, desserts, and pastries.
Several Fountain Inn tidbits have recently made regional news:
• Due to the Laurens County Capital Sales Tax (penny sales tax) referendum passing in November 2020, Sanctified Hill Park is set to receive at least $53,000 worth of upgrades
• City Council has annexed approximately 61 acres along North Woods Drive near Harrison Bridge Road and I-385; the landowner is teaming up with a development partner to construct a large mixed-use development (commercial and market-rate multi-family residential)
• We have acquired a 9-acre parcel of land on the Laurens County side of Fountain Inn from ReWa to construct a new Fountain Inn Natural Gas & Public Works facility; we have outgrown the current facility on Jones Street located on a 1.5-acre site
• The City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to the development community seeking bids to develop the 28-acres along Fairview Street & Diamond Tip Boulevard on the site of the former Fountain Inn cotton mill
• Bobby’s BBQ received national attention when it was featured on the Tamron Hall Show
Longtime City of Fountain Inn employee, Public Works Director Roger Case, has announced his retirement as of June 30, 2021. Mr. Case has worked for the City for over 32 years and has been a staple of the community for just as long. We can’t thank him enough for his years of service and dedication. If you or someone you know may be interested in applying for this position, visit https://www.fountaininn.org/human-resources-1.html for more details.
Look for a new City of Fountain Inn website towards the end of February. Additional details will be provided as we get closer to the new site going live, but the vendor, CivicPlus, also created the Cities of Greenville and Greer municipal websites.
I hope you were able to take a moment to reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy on January 18th. Also, as we move into February, let us not forget about African American History Month, the annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.
Shawn Bell is the City Administrator of Fountain Inn. He is an ICMA-Credentialed Manager. For more information, go to www.fountaininn.org, call 864-862-4421, or email shawn.bell@fountaininn.org.■
