Volume 13 Issue 3 November-December 2010

Earl Gohl, Federal co-chair ofthe Appalachian Regional Commission(ARC), visited the Appalachian regionof South Carolina on September 16th

and 17th. Mr. Gohl was appointed to theposition by President Obama and con-firmed by the Senate on March 10,2010. Accompanying Mr. Gohl wasGuy Land, ARC chief of staff. Theywere joined on the visit by Grant Gilles-pie, legislative advisor to GovernorSanford; Bonnie Ammons, assistant di-rector of Federal programs at the S.C.Department of Commerce; and DaleCulbreth, ARC program manager at theS.C. Department of Commerce. Alsoaccompanying the group on portions ofthe visit were Philip McMullen, ARCprogram manager for the TennesseeValley Authority (TVA) and LauraBauld, Upstate director for SenatorLindsey Graham’s office.

ACOG executive directorSteve Pelissier and Dirk Reis, GrantsServices director, conducted the tour,beginning with a visit to the offices ofthe Appalachian Development Corpora-tion (ADC). Dave Mueller, ADC’s ex-ecutive director and CEO, gave a pres-entation concerning the AppalachianLoan Fund which, in conjunction withprivate lenders, provides low-cost, long-term financing for businesses whoseprojects will result in job creation.ARC has provided $6.4 million in seedmoney to capitalize the loan fund.

The Easley campus of Tri-County Technical College was the nextstop, where the group was met byDr. Ronnie Booth, president, and JohnLummus, vice-president for Economicand Institutional Advancement at Tri-

County Tech, and Chappell Hurst, Pick-ens County administrator. Dr. Boothand Mr. Lummus, along with severalmembers of the staff and faculty of thecollege, explained the purpose of thenew QuickJobs Center and conducted atour of the new multi-purpose class-room building, set to open to students inJanuary. ARC had recently awarded$500,000 to Pickens County for im-provements to Powdersville Road infront of the campus. These improve-ments will enhance safety for studentsand local residents.

A tour of the Pickens CountyCommerce Park followed. PickensCounty received ARC funds for streetsand storm drainage for the park.Mr. Hurst and Ray Farley, director ofAlliance Pickens, discussed the parkand the six businesses that have locatedthere, creating approximately 885 jobs.ARC also provided funds for a sewerline to serve the St. Jude Medical facil-ity within the park, which now employssome 370 people in two facilities.

(ARC Visit continued on page 3)

ARC Federal Co-Chair VisitsRegion

The Appalachian Council ofGovernments is pleased to welcomeTim Womack as their new receptionist.A graduate of Easley High School andWinthrop University, Tim worked as asupervisor at Alice Manufacturing for10 years, and then at BMW as a produc-tion associate. He is eager to forwardyour call to those who help serve ourcommunity.

David Shellhorse was born andraised in Cartersville, Georgia. Aftergraduating from the University of Geor-gia in 2002 with a B.A. in English andPolitical Science, he earned his Master'sof Public Administration from the Uni-versity of Kentucky in Lexington.David has worked in community and

(New Staff continued on page 2)

ACOG WelcomesNew Staff

Suzanne Dickerson, Earl Gohl, GuyLand and Grant Gillespie during atour of CU-ICAR

VIEWPOINTPage 2

he U.S. Commerce De-partment's Economic De-velopment Administra-tion (EDA) recently

awarded a $50,000 grant to ACOG tosupport the development of InfoMap2,an integrated web-based data analysistool, to enhance economic development,planning and entrepreneurial endeavorsin the Upstate.

For over 15 years, ACOG hasmaintained and continually upgradedthe InfoMentum suite of services to pro-vide economic development researchtools through customized geographic in-formation system (GIS) applications, anindustrial properties database, and hun-dreds of socio-economic data tables.The current version of InfoMap is aweb-based application enabling site se-lection consultants across the globe toexplore the Upstate’s offering of avail-able industrial buildings, sites andparks. Based on outdated software, itoffers only limited customization forbasic interactive mapping tools. Thenew InfoMap2, built using the most cur-rent ArcGIS Server software, providescritical services on a regional scalethrough ArcGIS Online for imagery andcenterlines, and utilizes Business Ana-lyst Online for drive-time analysis. In-novative public/private partnershipswith the Upstate SC Alliance and theEDIS Partnership enable cost savingson technology for each participatingagency.

ACOG staff will use the awardwinning regional Property Navigatorapplication (originally developed for theUpstate SC Alliance) as a template tointegrate state-of-the-art mapping anddata technology into the new InfoMap2websites for all ten counties of the Up-state if they choose to participate. EachInfoMap2 site will reflect the uniquegraphic design of the host agency, fo-cusing on the economic developmentassets of the county. Eventually, the en-hanced web tool will also completelyreplace the desktop version of the Info-Mentum decision support tool and theoriginal InfoMap web application.

This project will be accom-plished in two phases, first establishinga public website customized for eachcounty to market their assets, and thenimplementing a password-protectedarea to provide more detailed researchand data management tools for re-searchers and planners. Small businessdevelopment tools will also be incorpo-rated into web applications, eventuallyreplacing the current version of Plan-A-Biz.

ACOG Executive DirectorSteve Pelissier comments, "In a globalbusiness market that relies on the Inter-net for primary information, it is impor-tant for each Upstate county to quicklyand clearly present their strengths in or-der to optimize competitive opportuni-ties for new capital investment andpositive job growth in the region."

The transition of the region’spresent decision support software to amore modern, robust, flexible and main-tainable format represents a crucial stepin ensuring that the Upstate of SouthCarolina remains competitive.

This year, the U.S. EconomicDevelopment Administration (EDA)marks 45 years of public service, with amission of leading the Federal eco-nomic development agenda by promot-ing competitiveness and preparingAmerican regions for growth and suc-cess in the worldwide economy. EDA isan agency within the U.S. Departmentof Commerce that partners with dis-tressed communities throughout theUnited States to foster job creation, col-l a b o r a t i o n a n d i n n o v a t i o n .www.eda.gov

For more information aboutthe project, please contact Carol Ander-sen, ACOG Information Services, at( 8 6 4 - 2 4 2 - 9 7 3 3 ) o r a n d e r -sen@scacog.org.

ACOG Earns EDA Grant

economic development for the past sixyears. His professional career began as agrant writer for the CSRA RegionalCommission in Augusta, Georgia. Afterserving as a project manager in the Au-gusta area, he became an economic de-velopment field representative for theGeorgia Department of Community Af-fairs, covering the 28-county area whichmakes up Northeast Georgia. David wasresponsible for administering a variety ofstate and federal financial programs, in-cluding CDBG and ARC.

With his knowledge and experi-ence, he will provide support to citiesand counties on a wide range of eco-nomic and community development is-sues. David will help local communitiesdevelop Village Renaissance Plan appli-cations for the state's CDBG programand guide them through the planningprocess. He will also provide a range ofassistance on economic and communitydevelopment projects - from askingstakeholders to identify projects, to im-plementation steps such as creating de-velopment agreements and identifyingfunding mechanisms for projects.

He lives in Greenville with hiswife, Doris, who is employed by Mitsu-bishi Polyester Film in Greer. Marriedsince December 2008, they have a catnamed Gloria and dog named Maggie.

(New Staff continued from page 1)

Did You Know?Anderson County was named

for General Robert Anderson, a hero ofthe Revolution. Anderson County wascreated in 1827 from parts of the OldPendleton District. This county was thesite of the first successful transmissionof high-voltage electricity over a longdistance.

Page 3 VIEWPOINT

uring the late 1990’s theAppalachian Council ofGovernments’ Planningstaff assisted several mu-

nicipalities in developing comprehen-sive plans to meet new state regulatoryrequirements. These plans have servedas guides for making public policy deci-sions on land use, as well as infrastruc-ture, economic, and community devel-

opment projects. However, no plan canbe effective unless the goals and strate-gies set forth are examined regularly toassess their effectiveness. With this inmind, the legislation included a re-quirement that comprehensive plans bereviewed every 5 years and completelyupdated at least every 10 years.

With current economic uncer-tainties, aging infrastructure and ex-ploding regional growth, now is theright time to evaluate and accommodatethe direction and needs of the commu-nity. Almost as important, State Plan-ning Enabling Legislation carriesclauses stating that, without an update,land use regulations such as zoning,subdivision regulations, and designguidelines are at risk of being invali-dated.

Plan updates are important.The Appalachian Council of Govern-ments staff can provide project manage-ment and/or technical assistance. Formore information, please contact ChipBentley at 864-242-9733.

Steve Erwine, controller, conducted atour of the facility, which makes com-ponents for heart pacemakers and defi-brillators.

Buncombe Road Park, adja-cent to the Swamp Rabbit Trail in theCity of Travelers Rest, was the nextstop. Here, City Administrator DiannaTurner and Drew Gonnick, with theGreenville County Recreation District,thanked ARC for its funding of a por-tion of the Swamp Rabbit Trail and ex-plained the importance of the trail inboosting tourism and economic devel-opment.

Friday began with a presenta-tion by ACOG staff of the ongoingwork involving the InfoMentum andPlan-A-Biz efforts to support businessdecisions and small business develop-ment. The group also heard about therecently completed Broadband Studyinvolving Anderson, Oconee and Pick-ens Counties, which was funded in partby a $65,000 ARC grant. This study as-sisted Oconee County in securing anearly $10 million grant from stimulusfunding.

In Fountain Inn, SenatorDeMint’s Upstate director, DanielleGibbs, joined the tour. Mayor GaryLong and other Fountain Inn councilmembers, staff, and local business own-ers showcased efforts to stabilize thedowntown area and recruit new busi-nesses to locate there. Those efforts in-cluded streetscape improvements, par-tially funded by a $200,000 ARC grant;a farmers’ market; and the historicalcenter/visitors center. Mr. Gohl alsoannounced that Fountain Inn was justawarded another $250,000 ARC grantto continue streetscape activities thatwill connect the former Woodside Millsite to the downtown business district.

The SC Technology and Avia-tion Center (SCTAC), formerlyDonaldson Center, was the next stop onthe tour. Jody Bryson, executive direc-tor of SCTAC, and Jack Ellenburg, dep-uty secretary for New Investment at theS.C. Department of Commerce, spoke

(ARC Visit continued from page 1) about the mission of SCTAC and its im-portance to the Upstate. ARC fundshave been used through the years forseveral upgrades at SCTAC, includingfacilities where 1000 workers are em-ployed by Lockheed in aircraft mainte-nance and modification. Other projectshave included the parallel taxiway, newramp facilities, and the AutomaticWeather Observation System (AWOS).The impact of the new Berkeley CountyBoeing facility on the SC Upstate wasalso discussed.

The next stop was the ClemsonUniversity International Center forAutomotive Research (CU-ICAR).Suzanne Dickerson, manager of market-ing and business development, andDr. Imtiaz Haque, executive director ofthe Campbell Graduate EngineeringCenter, provided on overview of the ac-tivities ongoing at CU-ICAR and con-ducted a tour of the facility.

Dr. Para Jones, president ofSpartanburg Community College, andHenry Giles, vice-president for businessaffairs, met the group at the CherokeeCounty campus in Gaffney to provideinformation and conduct a tour of theclassroom building, constructed in partwith $500,000 in ARC funds. This fa-cility, opened in April 2007, is the firstgeneral classroom building on the newCherokee County campus.

Mr. Gohl and Mr. Landthanked the state officials and ACOGstaff for arranging the visits to the vari-ous sites. Because of time constraints,we were unable to visit projects in allsix counties in the region, but invitedMr. Gohl back to see other projects inthe near future.

Municipalities Review and Update Comprehensive Plans

Comprehensive plans requirereview every 5 years withcomplete updates at least every 10years.

Fact….Cherokee County was formed

in 1897 from parts of Spartanburg, Un-ion, and York Counties. Named for theCherokee Indian Nation, it is also thesite of Cowpens National Battlefield.

VIEWPOINTPage 4

he purpose of the LongTerm Care OmbudsmanProgram is to advocatefor residents in long term

care facilities. One way the ombuds-men dothis isthroughe d u c a -t i o n a ltrainingfor thestaff andfamiliesw h ocare forthe residents. One very popular pro-gram, Dementia Dialogues, educates in-dividuals who care for persons who ex-hibit signs and symptoms associatedwith Alzheimer’s Disease or related de-mentias.

An estimated 22 million peo-ple worldwide have Alzheimer’s dis-ease and approximately 5 million ofthose live in the United States. Thenumber of people with the disease dou-bles every 5 years. In South Carolinaalone, it is reported by the Alzheimer’sDisease Registry that 7.8 percent ofpeople over 65 and 31 percent of peopleover 85 have the disease. An estimated16,000 new cases occurred between2005 and 2010.

Although much research hasbeen conducted on the cause and cure ofAlzheimer’s disease, little informationis available about hands-on care. De-mentia Dialogues provides the mostcurrent and practical information in thecare of people with dementia.

At ACOG, ombudsman JamieGuay has presented this program to sev-eral facilities across the region sinceApril 2010. In that time, 148 individu-als have graduated from the program,deeming them “dementia specialists.”One goal of the ACOG Long Term CareOmbudsman Program is to get as manystaff members as possible trained in the

Dementia Dialogues. This will improvethe care for these residents.

Throughout South Carolina,over 13,000 direct-care staff and care-givers have been trained in DementiaDialogues, and over 6,000 have com-pleted the course. The 5-part trainingprogram assists caregivers through thefollowing topics:

• Part 1: The Basic Facts (An Intro-duction to Dementia)

• Part 2: Keeping the Dialogue Go-ing (Communication Skills)

• Part 3: It’s a Different World(Environment: Safety and HelpfulHints)

• Part 4: It’s Nothing Personal(Addressing Challenging Behav-iors)

• Part 5: Now What Do I Do?(Creative Problem Solving)

Each of the 5 sessions is ap-proximately 90 minutes in length. Par-ticipants are awarded a Dementia Spe-cialist Certificate after completion of all5 sessions. It is recommended that par-ticipants include CNAs, PCAs, nurses,family members, activity directors, andanyone who interacts with individualswith dementia. The training is providedat no cost to participants.

If you are interested in partici-pating in this program, please contactJamie Guay at (864) 242-9733.

Dave Mueller, Executive Di-rector of the Appalachian DevelopmentCorporation, will participate in the Mid-year Meeting of the South CarolinaEconomic Developers’ Association(SCEDA) as a presenter. He will be partof a panel discussion led by GreggWhite of the U.S. Department of Agri-culture and Steven Hawkins, Presidentof the Western Carolina Railway Ser-vice Corporation headquartered inAnderson. The SCEDA Midyear Meet-ing will be held at the Spartanburg Mar-riott Hotel on October 14th through the15th, and the theme of this year’s meet-ing is “South Carolina’s Road Ahead.”

Mr. White, who heads up theUSDA’s Rural Development Programsin Columbia, invited Mr. Mueller as aresult of the ADC’s efforts in lendingunder the Intermediate Lending Pro-gram (ILP). Mr. Hawkins was invited asa result of having received both an ADCloan and a USDA Business and Industry(B&I) loan through the ADC.

Western Carolina RailwayService Corporation, which was formedto purchase 12.74 miles of railroad lineserving various businesses and indus-tries located near Belton, Pelzer andEasley, is a current borrower from theADC. CSX Transportation had aban-doned this line and its service to OwensCorning, Hydro in Belton, the DukeEnergy plant on the Saluda River inPelzer, and several others. This impor-tant service was reinstated when West-ern Carolina Railway took over this railline.

Dementia Dialogues: Becoming ADementia Specialist

DevelopmentCorporation News

Jamie Guay (left) discusses causesof dementia.

Page 5 VIEWPOINT

Medicare PrescriptionDrug ProgramNovember 15—December 31

Medicare beneficiaries canswitch to a new Medicare drug planfrom November 15 through December31 each year. Coverage will begin Janu-ary 1, 2011. Once enrolled in a Medi-care drug plan, consumers are generallyenrolled for a calendar year.

For assistance in comparingplans, individuals can contact the Appa-lachian Area Agency on Aging. Indi-viduals on our staff serve as MedicareSHIP (State Health Insurance Program)counselors and assist consumers by pro-viding up-to-date information on Medi-care, supplements, and health insuranceto consumers. Information and appli-cation assistance on Medicare Prescrip-tion Programs and Medicare SavingsPrograms are also provided. It is im-portant to note that Medicare SHIPcounselors assist consumers and are notaffiliated with any individual insuranceproduct.

During the annual enrollmentperiod, our office will be offering en-rollment events in each county(Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Spar-

(Enrollment continued on page 6)

ACOG’s Governmental Ser-vices staff urge local entities to beaware of expenditures from victim’sassistance funding, as there have beenrecent changes. Proviso 89.65, Part IB,Act No. 291 of 2010 requires entitiesthat receive funding from victim assis-tance to submit their budgets to theState Office of Victim Assistance(SOVA) for approval and provide ex-penditure/program data as requested bySOVA. This requirement is foundsolely in this proviso and does not existin permanent law.

If SOVA finds an erroneousexpenditure or an expenditure on unau-thorized items, the local entity is af-forded 90 days to rectify the error. Ifthe entity fails to rectify within that 90-day period, a penalty in the amount ofthe error, plus $1,500 is assessed. IfSOVA does not receive payment within90 days, the local governing body is towithhold the amount of the penaltyfrom the entity’s subsequent fiscal yearappropriation.

The proviso also provides that,if the State Auditor finds that anycounty or municipal treasurer, magis-trate, or clerk of court improperly allo-cates revenue generated from courtfines, fees or assessment for purposes ofcrime victim funds, the State Auditorshall notify SOVA, who is authorized toconduct programmatic reviews of theentity.

Please visit www.sova.sc.govfor more information.

WorkLink Workforce Invest-ment Board has awarded IncumbentWorker Training Grants to 12 busi-nesses in Anderson, Oconee and Pick-ens Counties. The grant awards total$167,400. Incumbent Worker Traininggrant recipients include Metco, Inc.,Sargent Metal Fabricators, and SouthEastern Machining in AndersonCounty; Covidien, Johnson Controls,P a r k w a yP r o d u c t s ,Inc., Ul-brich Preci-sion FlatWire andUS EngineValve inO c o n e eC o u n t y ;and CornellDubilier Marketing, Imperial Die Cast-ing, Richmond Gear and Tri-Tech USAin Pickens County.

The businesses receiving IWTgrants for 2010-11 will train employeesin a variety of courses - from leanmanufacturing standards to supervisorytraining. Companies will also be partici-pating in training through the mecha-tronics program at Tri-County Techni-cal College’s Corporate and Commu-nity Education Division.

WorkLink Workforce Invest-ment Board receives funds designatedfor training incumbent workers from theU.S. Department of Labor through theSouth Carolina Department of Employ-ment and Workforce. Employers thathave at least one employee and are cur-rent on all South Carolina state tax obli-gations are eligible to apply for reim-bursable training services and expenses.Grants are awarded on a first-come,first-served basis, and priority is givento businesses in the automotive, ad-vanced manufacturing, energy, or bio-science industries. This year’s awardswere determined by a committee of the

(Training Grant continued on page 6)

Annual EnrollmentPeriod

Medicare recipients mayswitch drug plans during theannual enrollment period, fromNovember 15 throughDecember 31.

Victim’s AssistanceFunding Faces StricterMonitoring

WorkLink AwardsIncumbent WorkerTraining Grants

VIEWPOINTPage 6

ob seekers looking forwork in advanced manu-facturing or truck drivinghad the opportunity to

meet with employers and explore jobtraining options at the QuickJobs Train-ing Fairs offered in Anderson, Oconeeand Pickens Counties in October. Thesepre-employment training fairs were heldat Tri-County Technical College cam-puses and provided information aboutcertifications for MSSC ProductionTechnician, Mechatronics Technician,CNC Operator and CDL Truck Drivers.

Attendees could participate ina screening interview with potential em-ployers and meet with representativesfrom area agencies who can provide fi-nancial assistance for the QuickJobstraining programs. Representatives fromTri-County Technical College, OneStopWorkforce Centers, and Adult Educa-tion were onsite to help job seekersreach their educational goals throughGED programs, the Workforce Invest-ment Act program and other financialaid.

Most QuickJobs courses take90-days or less to complete and lead toan industry-recognized certificate. Thisstatewide initiative, developed throughthe SC Technical College System, is de-signed to quickly meet the needs of dis-located workers and other eligibleadults and to provide the trainingneeded to move them into employment.

ArcGIS 10 ESRI Authorizedtraining classes are now available.ACOG is pleased to announce that ourinstructor, Amy Wright Webber, hasmet all of the new additional ESRI re-quirements to teach ArcGIS 10 classes,including earning the Certified Techni-cal Trainer certification by CompTIA.As a result, ACOG now offers the fol-lowing classes:

• ArcGIS Desktop II: Tools andFunctionality is scheduled for No-vember 15-17, 2010, at the ACOGoffices in Greenville. The cost perstudent is $695.

• ArcGIS Desktop III: GIS Work-flows and Analysis is scheduled forNovember 18-19, 2010, at theACOG offices in Greenville. Thecost per student will be $490.

Please note that tuition ratesare 50 percent less than the cost chargedfor the same course offered at ESRI’soffices in Charlotte. Please contactAmy at webber@scacog.org for moreinformation regarding training availabil-ity and course content.

he WorkLink WorkforceInvestment Board YouthCouncil provided trans-portation funding for

more than 5,000 eighth- and ninth-gradestudents in Anderson, Oconee and Pick-ens Counties to attend the Business &Industry Showcase in Clemson’sLittlejohn Coliseum on September 29,2010. The event offered students, par-ents and educators the opportunity tolearn what area businesses do, whatcareers are in-demand, and what educa-tion is needed for various career paths.

Students explored their careeroptions and can now better answer thequestion, “What do you want to bewhen you grow up?” Students mustanswer this question as they developindividual graduation plans required bythe Education and Economic Develop-ment Act, a process that includes select-ing a field of study or a career cluster toguide their academic studies.

The Pendleton Regional Edu-cation Center sponsored the event, inpartnership with the Anderson CountyOffice of Economic Development,Oconee County Economic DevelopmentCommission, Alliance Pickens, localbusinesses, and the school districts inAnderson, Oconee and Pickens Coun-ties. This year’s showcase expanded onthe success of the Industrial ProductShowcase organized annually by theOconee County Industrial Group(OCIG) to make known the productsmade by local companies and to informcitizens about the importance of manu-facturing.

QuickJobs TrainingFairs Offered inOctober

tanburg, Pickens and Oconee) to assistbeneficiaries. For a schedule of theseevents, or to request assistance in com-paring plans, please contact agency staffat (864) 242-9733 or (800) 434-4036.

(Enrollment continued from page 5)

Local Workforce Investment Board inAugust.

WorkLink’s business servicesstaff will be working with these busi-nesses throughout the grant period. Formore information about WorkLink’sservices, visit www.worklinkweb.com.

(Training Grant continued from page 5)

Pickens County QuickJobsDevelopment Center

ArcGIS 10 TrainingOpportunities

Moving Youth Towarda Career Path

Page 7 VIEWPOINT

I nhonor ofE l e c t i o nDay onNovember2nd, pleasenote these“ Q u i c kF a c t s ”from theSouth Carolina State Election Commis-sion.

• Each year South Carolina holds ap-proximately 300 elections.

• South Carolina was the first state tohave a statewide voter registrationsystem.

• South Carolina was the secondstate to provide online access to itsvoter registration database to allcounty boards of voter registration.

• Nearly 18,000 poll managers servethroughout South Carolina in astatewide General Election.

• South Carolina was the first state tohave its voter registration applica-tion on the Internet.

• Husbands and wives cannot votetogether in the same voting booth.

• Primary elections, conducted by thecounty election commissions, areheld to determine who will be thatparty's nominee.

• Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and remainopen until 7:00 p.m.

• You may obtain the names of yourelected officials and polling placeby contacting your county voterregistration office.

• A person who does not live withinthe municipality, but who ownsproperty within the municipality,would not be considered a residentfor the purpose of voting in a mu-nicipal election.

In an effort to improve effi-ciency in 2011, the Viewpoint and theSix-Month Report will be offered inAdobe PDF format for delivery by e-mail. Traditionally, these publicationshave been distrib-uted by way ofstandard mail. Ifyou have e-mailcapability, we en-courage you tochoose the e-maildelivery option. If you would like tocontinue receiving these publications,please contact Olivia Harris at har-ris@scacog.org to specify your desireddelivery method. As always, you canfind these reports online atwww.scacog.org.

The South Carolina Depart-ment of Health and Environmental Con-trol (DHEC) is currently renewing thewastewater permits along the SaludaRiver for Easley Combined Utilities,Renewable Water Resources, the Citiesof Belton and Williamston. During thisprocess DHEC identified the potentialfor levels of phosphorus in dischargesto create water quality problems in theSaluda if all facilities were operating atmaximum capacity.

DHEC recognized that specificchanges to the phosphorus limits inthese permitswould requiresome providers toupgrade their fa-cilities. In lookingfor a solutionDHEC asked theACOG to workwith the providers.The goal was tofind a way to protect water quality andreduce the need for additional invest-ment in facilities through some type ofpartnership.

DHEC proposed the groupimplement a pollutant trading approachthat allows sharing the total phosphorusallowed. Each discharger would have apermit limit on phosphorus, however, aslong as the total for the group is notexceeded, an individual facility thatexceeds its allocation is not consideredin violation. This allows facilities thatmight have trouble meeting the newphosphorus limit to have more time tofind a solution for reducing phosphorusin their discharges.

Over the last year the ACOGhas worked with all the stakeholders ona partnership agreement that will helpmeet these goals. This agreement isexpected to be finalized in the next fewmonths. When in place, it will provideeach discharger with a clear picture ofthe long term permitting picture so thatthey can plan more effectively.

Election Day Facts ACOG ReportsOfferedElectronically

Connect to WorkLinkon the Web

WorkLink would like to inviteyour business or organization to con-nect with www.worklinkweb.com foremployment resources. By linking tothe website and other social media, youcan keep up with the latest workforcenews in Anderson, Oconee, and Pick-ens Counties and enhance your ownwebsite. Please add a link towww.worklinkweb.com or friend andf o l l o w u s o n F a c e b o o k -http://www.facebook.com/worklinka n d T w i t t e r -http://twitter.com/WorkLinkWeb.

Saluda River BasinPhosphorus TradingAgreement—Building aPartnership

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGEPAIDGREENVILLE, SCPERMIT NO. 1604

VIEWPOINT

Appalachian Council of GovernmentsP. O. Box 6668Greenville, South Carolina 29606

Address Service Requested

Mauldin City Council members Bob Cook, Gabe Hunter and Patricia Gettys (not pic-tured), Mayor Don Godbey, Administrator Trey Eubanks and Nancy Fitzer from UpstateForever discuss a number of city topics. ACOG staff member Olivia Harris facilitated theretreat.