Bell’s Bits – These are certainly challenging times. Public access to all City facilities are being limited/restricted to appointment only. Most of our City Hall employees are working remotely from home. All Municipal court proceedings other than bond hearings have canceled until June. Contractors needing to acquire permits and/or business licenses are being asked to call City Hall and have those processed over the phone or on-line.
City Council held an emergency Council meeting on March 23rd to adopt an emergency ordinance which will allow City Council meetings to be conducted via teleconference and will allow citizens to attend the meetings via the internet. You can watch a video recording of the meeting on the City’s Facebook Page and can listen to the audio on our website.
All City of Fountain Inn parks and playgrounds are closed until further notice. All our Recreation programs, including senior activities and the Activities Center, have been canceled until further notice. The ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for Emanuel Sullivan Sports Complex has been postponed. Opening day at our beautiful new facility has also been postponed.
Registration is still open for the Fountain Inn Police Department’s first annual Special Needs Awareness Superhero Run/Walk 5K. It has been rescheduled for April 25th at 8:00 a.m. in downtown. Adult fee is $40, Kids ages 8-12 fee is $15; and kids ages 7 and under are free. This is a certified 5K route and the proceeds promote the inclusion of the Special Needs Community throughout the Upstate. Go to http://www.itsabouttime.run/superheroes5k to register.
The Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce has postponed the Annual Networking Dinner/Oyster Roast. Our first ever Breakfast with the Easter Bunny has been canceled. We will be issuing refunds. The 14th Annual Mac Arnold Cornbread & Collard Greens Blues Festival is still scheduled for April 23rd – 25th in Commerce Park. We will be monitoring the situation closely.
Fountain Inn Natural Gas has suspended cutoffs for nonpayment at this time. All Fountain Inn Natural Gas payments can be made over the phone, online, or through the drive-thru.
Public Works has been continuing to pick up recycling, trash, and yard debris but we are emphasizing that all trash must be bagged for the safety of our employees. We have stopped picking up inmates during these unsettling times so citizens can expect delays. At this time, our annual Spring Cleaning throughout the month of May will still take place. However, this may change as circumstances continue to evolve rapidly.
March 18th was National Natural Gas Utility Workers Day. We are blessed to have our own Natural Gas Utility, but all of the good things they do wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of our Fountain Inn Natural Gas employees.
Upcoming shows at the Younts Center for Performing Arts have been postponed.
Shawn Bell is the City Administrator of Fountain Inn. For more information, go to www.fountaininn.org, call 864-862-4421, or email shawn.bell@fountaininn.org♣
