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Hampton agency gets $8.3 million for wastewater projects

SC Promise Zone
A wastewater treatment facility in Yemassee, S.C.

A wastewater treatment facility in Yemassee, S.C.  Photo courtesy Lowcountry Regional Water System.

SEPT. 17, 2015 — Lowcountry Regional Water System is the first recipient of a multimillion dollar grant package through the new South Carolina Lowcountry Promise Zone, officials announced today.

A $1,864,000 grant and $6,480,000 loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow the Hampton County-based water and sewer agency to make improvements that will expand sewerage capacity, which will make the county more attractive for economic development, said Brian Burgess, general manager of Lowcountry Regional Water System. The project also will allow the agency to rehabilitate sewer lines in Hampton, upgrade the agency’s water meter system throughout the county, and paint and repair water towers in Yemassee and Gifford. Read more →

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Dore encourages Promise Zone partners to engage

SC Promise Zone
More than 50 partners and supporters met Sept. 9 at USC-Salkehatchie to plan and engage with the Promise Zone.

Partners and supporters met Sept. 9 at USC-Salkehatchie to plan and engage with the Promise Zone.

ALLENDALE, S.C.  |  More than 50 partners and supporters of the South Carolina Lowcountry Promise Zone on Wednesday witnessed the strong commitment of the federal government for working with them to reduce poverty and grow economic opportunity in the six-county region.

Dore

Dore

“We want to ensure the federal government is a good partner,” said Vernita F. Dore, a South Carolina native who serves as deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the state’s Promise Zone. “There’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it.”

Danny Black, president and CEO of the SouthernCarolina Alliance, said Mrs. Dore’s appearance in Allendale underscored the possibilities available through the Promise Zone designation.

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NOBLE: Promise Zone offers long-term hope

SC Promise Zone

Charleston businessman Phil Noble offered the following observations in August 2015 in a column picked up by newspapers throughout South Carolina.  An excerpt:

PromiseZone_logoOne of the most shameful and enduring problems in South Carolina is the huge gap between the prosperous/urban and poor/rural areas of our state. Most of these poor/rural counties are along Interstate 95, dubbed The Corridor of Shame – and it is.

But some recent big news offers real, long-term hope for the southern part of the corridor. It’s called the Promise Zone. Read more →

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S.C. Promise Zone to bring more to area

SC Promise Zone
Jasper County residents discuss big ideas in July.

Jasper County residents discuss big ideas in July.

Excerpted from The (Beaufort, S.C.) Island News, 8/6/15:

90,000 residents. 28% in poverty and 15% unemployment. This is reality for the South Carolina Lowcountry Promise Zone, a federally-designated region encompassing portions of Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper Counties. Through the combined efforts of partners, supporters and local communities, the SC Promise Zone aims to bring millions of dollars in federal funding to spur economic development and improve quality of life for the region. Read more →

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