ALLENDALE, S.C.  - A new entity will take the place of two current Allendale County groups beginning July 1, thanks to a bill sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hutto of Orangeburg and passed into law by the South Carolina General Assembly.

Supporters say that combining the Allendale County Development Board and the county Aeronautics Commission into one body should make pursuing economic development more effective.

First introduced in May 2007, the bill seeking to create the Allendale County Aeronautics and Development Commission was passed by the General Assembly in February. The measure was among numerous bills vetoed by Gov. Mark Sanford on April 2, but that veto was overridden by both the House and Senate by mid-April.

"A couple of years ago, county council asked our state legislators to look into sponsoring legislation that would create a combined Aeronautics and Development Commission. Council felt that would be more effective because both boards actually share a number of goals that work in concert for further economic development," said Art Williams, Allendale County administrator.

The law creating the new Allendale County Aeronautics and Development Commission became necessary because acts of the General Assembly created both the current Allendale County Development Board in 1962 and the Allendale County Aeronautics Commission in 1973.

Allendale County Council chairman Bill Robinson also serves as the director of economic development for the Southern Carolina Alliance, a regional economic development organization that aggressively markets Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell and Hampton counties for industrial locations. Robinson says it made good sense to Allendale County Council to combine the two entities.

"We think this arrangement for a new Aeronautics and Development Commission will give Allendale County a unified force," Robinson said, "especially since the county airport is seen as a crucial tool in attracting continued economic development. I view it as a win-win situation."

Robinson says the final version of the new law has not yet been delivered to Allendale County officials. The draft version called for the commission to consist of nine members who must be appointed to four-year terms by the county council, with at least one member appointed from each of the five county council districts.

"Once we get a complete copy of the law, we will begin to figure out what needs to be done to bring the new commission into being," Robinson said. "I anticipate an August or September time frame to have the commission foundation process complete. We also will keep the two current boards in place until the new commission is up and running, and we will probably have some of the same members comprise the new commission board."

The draft version of the law gives the new Aeronautics and Development Commission the right to acquire by grant, purchase, lease, or condemnation real property and rights-of-way for aeronautical purposes, approaches and obstruction rights for the Allendale County Airport. The commission may also purchase, own, sell, lease, mortgage, or otherwise deal in real estate for development purposes. The overall charge of the Aeronautics and Development Commission is to advance the welfare of Allendale County citizens through the promotion and encouragement of tourism, industrial development, commercial enterprises, private business and the production of agricultural products.

All funds received by the commission must also be turned over to the Allendale County treasurer and placed in a special fund to be known as the "Airport and Development Fund."

Robinson says the Aeronautics and Development Commission will also have several issues to consider once it has elected officers and begins holding regular meetings.

"The first item we expect to consider will be twofold: New hangars for the Allendale County Airport and a new runway extension of 300-500 feet to the approximately 5,000 feet currently in place," Robinson said. "We certainly will also put out feelers to Hampton County, which has been open in the past to possible consideration of creating a regional airport."

Allendale County Chamber of Commerce President Jim Bryan says the old Allendale Aeronautics Commission, of which he was a member, was very active in helping to improve the county airport to what it is today. Bryan said he hopes the new commission will spur further economic development.

"It simply seemed as though the (old) Allendale County Development Board was almost impotent because the Southern Carolina Alliance was doing essentially the same thing," Bryan said. "(Allendale County Chamber of Commerce) will certainly work with any entity that is trying to attract economic development to Allendale County, and we’ll do whatever we can to help."

Bryan also noted that one issue he feels is crucial to any development in Allendale County is the move to divert heavy traffic from Interstate 95 to U.S. 301 in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

"That is a great idea, a real no-brainer," Bryan said. "I think this could be the first issue that the newly created commission and the Chamber of Commerce could work on together. It’s already been passed in Georgia and Florida, and I think we could work together to push our state legislators to do the same in South Carolina."

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

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