A potentially dangerous intersection was one of the main topics at last night’s Laurens City Council meeting. Council was informed that a building in the northwest corner of Main Street and North Harper has been declared by the State Highway Department as a danger to motorists. The state highway department has already closed the sidewalks beside the building, and they’re reportedly threatening to close the intersection, as well. Council last night was informed of unsuccessful efforts to get the building’s owner, listed as Carless Taylor, to either fix or remove the structure. Mayor Sharon Brownlee and City Clerk Gary Coleman both spoke of efforts to get the owner to fix the dangerously deteriorated building.

  City Council last night approved a Resolution to address the subject of dilapidated buildings in town. This adds an annual fee of $20 to each improved parcel of land in town. The funds generated are to be used to tear down unsightly old buildings that have been abandoned.

  The budget includes an increase for the Building and Zoning Department, charged with managing the removal of abandoned structures. City Council last night approved assessing a $20 annual fee on each parcel of land that holds buildings or other improvements.

     Laurens City Council last night gave 1^st reading approval to a 2013-2014 budget of  $6,883,000. The new budget reduces the funding for Police and Government functions in order to move $189,761 to a new budget line for a Judicial Department. City courts will now have additional independence from the police department.

    In other financial matters approved last night, Laurens City Council gave 1^st reading approval for Resolution 5-13-01, which allows municipal revenue to be used for general funds. Council narrowly approved increasing the annual fee charged for vehicles owned by city residents. The extra $10 fee is to help fund the streets and sanitation department. The vote was debated and only passed by one vote with council members Martin Lowry, Sylvia Douglas and Marian Miller against the increase. The main opposition noted was the wording of the ordinance, which states the funds will go to the general fund, instead of being specifically designated for street repair.

  Laurens City Council last night also approved a resolution to extend the exception to Sunday Blue laws another six months. This allows stores in town more flexibility on their Sunday operating hours.

   Warrants were served yesterday on a Joanna man accused of an assault and sex crime against a woman this past Saturday. 25-year-old Jeffrey Allen “Jeffrow” Arrowwood was captured by Sheriff’s Deputies after reportedly being found hiding in a house on Shady Grove Church Road.

Bonds were set at $50,000 yesterday on charges of Criminal Sexual Conduct 1^st Degree and on a Kidnapping charge. He was also charged with Criminal Domestic Violence of a High and Aggravated Nature and with Possession of a Controlled Substance.

  Deputy Bollman states that on May 18^th Jeffrey Allen Arrowwood seized, kidnapped or abducted a victim from South Hampton Street Joanna, that he then engaged in sexual battery in a field in Joanna by forcing the victim to perform oral sex on him while the victim was also a victim of kidnapping. Sgt. Bobby Galarza alleges that on May 18^th Jeffrey Arrowwood beat the victim with a stick about her face and body, causing treatment at the Emergency Room of the Laurens County Hospital. Deputy Carter states that on Tuesday, May 21^st Jeffery Arrowwood possessed a schedule IV controlled substance without authority to do. This is from his arrest at 1362 Shady Grove Church Road,Clinton.

  Bonds on the four charges totaled $120,000. Jeffrey Allen Arrowwood remained in theLaurenscountyDetentionCenterthis morning.

  At yesterday’s meeting of the Laurens County Development Corporation it was announced that the bidding process for a new ‘spec’ building had been completed.  The successful bidder was Sherman Construction, the same firm that recently completed the extensive addition to theLaurensCountyHospital.

  Total cost for the spec building project will be approximately 1.1 Million Dollars for the 50,000 square foot building.  According LCDC Executive Director Marvin Moss, footers are being poured this week and exterior walls for the new building should be up about six weeks from now.

 The new building will be onOwings Park Boulevardnot far from the ZF transmission plant.

  Speaking of ZF, we asked Mr. Moss about the number of current employees at ZF.  He says the plant already employs around 700 workers with an eventual employment of about 1200.  The plant has installed about half of their equipment so far he said.

The Laurens County Health Care System’s Board of Directors this week voted to extend their Memorandum of Understanding with the Greenville Hospital System. The understanding states an intention to lease the Laurens County Hospital to the Greenville Health Care System, with the local board still remaining in tact to monitor that lease arrangement. The original Memorandum of Understanding was for a six month lease. Monday night’s vote of the Laurens County Hospital Board was to extend that understanding for another six months, to give more time for the needed details to be worked out.

  In other action, the Laurens County Health Care System Board approved the purchase of a small wooded tract of land at the corner of US Highway 76 and Templeton Road. The land adjoins the hospital’s property, so it increases the road frontage the hospital owns on out to the intersection with Templeton Road.

 Tools used for monitoring the water level of the Reedy River were reported stolen from a monitoring site near Neal Shoals yesterday afternoon. Sheriff’s Sgt. John Carter was dispatched to the site off James Elledge Road at 2:07 yesterday afternoon and spoke with an employee of a firm that checks monitoring sites. She reported arriving around 1:30 yesterday afternoon to take samples and found two padlocks on gates had been cut. Several tools that were inside a fence on the bank of the river were found stolen. A check with computers that monitor the levels remotely indicated there had been an issue with the power to the monitoring station at 8 last Friday evening. The case of stolen scientific measuring devices was being referred to Investigations.

   Financial improvements could be seen in the classrooms of School District 55 this fall. At last night’s District 55 School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Billy Strickland noted “We have a history of being conservative in our spending, and had to make hard and difficult choices in the past, but the new budget will reduce some class sizes and restore teachers that had to be laid off.”

     In his legislative update, Dr. Strickland said that the state budget is on senate floor will begin its second week of discussion, with no major changes. He said there is the possibility of having money in the budget to purchase new school buses, but he is not sure of the exact number.

     Strickland said that this is good news since many of District 55’s busses have very high mileage.

     In his monthly financial update last night, District 55 Chief Financial Officer Rodney Smith reported a general fund balance of $10,223,865. Last month’s expenses were $27,903,145 with revenues of $30,341,010; for a gain of $4,437,865.