LIVINGSTON, S.C. - A letter verifying a reduction in the ISO fire rating reduction in the town of Livingston is now available to resident homeowners, Mayor Bobby Gordon reported during the February town council meeting.

The Neeses Volunteer Fire Department, whose fire service area includes Livingston, has been awarded an ISO fire rating of Class 4 in both towns.

Gordon said the letter will be provided to any Livingston homeowner who requests one from him. The letter, once provided to an underwriter, can result in a substantial savings on homeowners' insurance.

Gordon said the previous ISO rating for Livingston was a six or seven.

Also during the meeting, the mayor reported there are still some trouble spots in town with regards to code violations for dilapidated private property, although the town has sent letters to the owners of such property warning of the consequences.

The council agreed to allow Orangeburg County officials to handle enforcement of the code violations. Failure to clean up or repair the property could result in county crews doing the work, with the cost being placed on the property owner's tax bill.

In other business, council addressed the need for a volunteer athletics director to coordinate increased use of Livingston's lighted ball field and walking track and the municipal building for private events. Gordon said the facilities are provided for the benefit of the residents of Livingston and the surrounding area, but all are being woefully under utilized, including the municipal building which has a seating capacity of 250 but only has an average of two events per month. Anyone interested in volunteering for the position should contact Gordon.

The council also:

* Agreed to put up two new street lights on U.S. 321 in the next month.

Requested that Gordon check with the state Department of Transportation to see if DOT crews currently working along U.S. 321 will take measures for grass abatement on the sidewalks along the highway.

Discussed installing state-of-the-art playground equipment at the Livingston Municipal Building later this year once funding, hopefully from other assistance grants, can be procured.

Agreed to check houses in town to see which ones still have no 911 regulation size address numbers on them.

Noted that Livingston's Adopt-A-Highway cleanup date is set for the week of March 17-22. Residents can pick up the trash on their streets, then contact Gordon or their respective council member for pickup of the rubbish.

T&D Correspondent Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at pmhsarata@aol.com.

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