Economist says "prepare for change"

The Oconee Alliance welcomed Dr. Bruce Yandle, Dean Emeritus of the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson University, to its January meeting for the third consecutive year. An audience in excess of 100 heard Yandle say that the economy is showing signs of recovering from the Recession and that 2010 will bring a turnaround. He said, however, that there will be rising unemployment into the third quarter of 2010. The recession ended, he said, in August or September of 2009.

One observation by Dr. Yandle was that we do not know what is real improvement or what is a reflection of one of the stimulus plans. People are, therefore, confused and are fearful. Fear has caused unheard of growth in total personal savings. People are paying down credit card debt. Retail purchases are declining. Yandle said that fear will be eliminated when people have jobs.

Other observations were:

Jobs in healthcare, government, and education are increasing. There are more females employed in these sectors.

Companies have found methods to be more efficient, to be as productive while employing fewer people. During the recovery, hours will increase, temporary jobs will increase, and finally full-time jobs will increase.

He predicts 2.5% GDP growth in 2010.

Inflation will grow by the end of 2011.

The number of factory workers on the factory floor in the U.S. is the same as 1939.

Oil prices will likely be $83 to $100 per barrel in 2010.

Things will be better!

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CHANGE

At the December 10, 2009 educational meeting of the Oconee Alliance, the topic was CHANGE.

Todd Bennington, Vice President of Operations at Borg Warner, said that they have faced some of their most difficult times ever, but they are experiencing a turnaround. Employment has increased from 114 to 400. Jobs and orders are coming back, but they are having a difficult time purchasing enough product from their supply base. He said a silver lining to this horrible economy is that people and businesses no longer  have an entitlement mentality. Good jobs and ample business are not a right.

The president of Tri-County Tech, Dr. Ronnie Booth, said that industry, business, and school districts must work together. He predicts that funding will be the most significant change in higher education. At one time, Tri-County received 54% of its funding from the State of S.C. Today, that figure is 20%. The flip side is that the citizens of the area have realized the need for more training and education. This need has caused a surge in enrollment, from 3612 in 2001 to 6758 today, an 87% increase. Enrollment is up 18% when you compare 2008 to 2009. He foresees that enrollment will increase between 9,000 to 12,000 students within 10 years. Booth closed by saying that we must support economic development so that job opportunities will increase and students who complete their study at Tri-County will have a place to work.

The CEO of Blue Ridge Bank, Glenn Buddin, said that the events of 9-11-2001 changed the landscape of the financial marketplace forever. Most of today's transactions are processed electronically. Internet banking has grown, but the next major change will be cell phone banking to apply for loans, to open new accounts, to take cash out of your account at an ATM, etc. He said 95% of us will eventually use cell phone banking. He stated that there will always be a place for community banks. They will thrive on personal service, not price. He anticipates that interest rates will remain flat through next May or June, but might increase rapidly after that. He said "they went down fast, so they can go up fast". He said the economic outlook is good. In closing, he reminded the audience that there have been no bank failures in S.C.

John Powell, owner of Powell Real Estate, has seen major change in this area during his life here. His favorite fishing hole as a kid is now under Lake Keowee. That lake, along with Lake Hartwell and Lake Jocassee, has led to dramatic change in this area and to a change in lifestyle. He recalled being told in the 7th grade that land along the new lake would sell for $500.00 per acre. Others called this price nonsense. John said that when he sold his first lakefront lot for $12,000.00, he couldn't believe that someone was agreeing to pay that price. Although life in the area has changed, our culture has remained basically the same. There are simply more people here today and they have brought different cultures with them. He urged the members of the audience to seek Better-Better, not Bigger-Bigger for our area. He urged us to protect our swimming holes. Powell concluded his remarks saying that "water has changed our area, we must protect it!"

Barrett, Ruff speak to the Alliance

Congressman Gresham Barrett and Ellen Ruff, President-Office of Nuclear Development for Duke Energy, were the speakers at the November 12, 2009 meeting of the Oconee Alliance.

Barrett gave a brief update about House and Senate initiatives in Washington.

Ruff said that Duke's charge is to provide clean, reliable, and low cost energy. She said our nation must address the need to modernize generating fleets and must address environmental issues such as decarbonization. According to the Energy Information Administration, our energy sources are coal (48.5%) natural gas (21.3%), nuclear (19.6%), hydroelectric (5.9%), petro and other gases (1.4%), wind (1.3%), and wood, waste, geothermal (1.7%). The generation capacity of renewables, specifically wind and solar, is highly variable, day-to-day and even hour-to-hour. Her recommendation is that we need more nuclear generation now in order to counter the variability of renewable resources and to assure that electricity is available when consumers need it.

We have enjoyed 30 years of safe nuclear operations. In the Carolinas, there are 7 nuclear units that provided 90%+ of Duke's capacity  last year. It takes 10 years to complete the construction of a nuclear facility. Although the upfront capital costs are significant, nuclear is ultimately the most cost effective for the customer.

While stressing that we need to build more nuclear now, Ruff said that the U.S. must get in cue with other countries to buy the equipment that is necessary to construct a nuclear facility. 

Conservation and Health Information are topics at the Oconee Alliance Meeting

Brad Wyche, Executive Director of Upstate Forever, and Marla Rabalais, Co-ordinator of the Health Resource Center at the Oconee Medical Center, were guest speakers at the October 8, 2009 educational meeting of the Oconee Alliance.

Wyche stated that with the pace of growth in our area and the growth that is anticipated, land conservation is a primary issue. A conservation easement/agreement is a great solution for land use planning. He said that if you are a property owner and you care about your land, you cannot do nothing. Property owners have the right to sell the land, to give it away, or to protect it with a conservation agreement.

The agreement is voluntary, offers government tax incentives, and permanently restricts uses and activities on the property. It continues to be privately owned. It can be sold or donated, with easement restrictions. The easement can apply to all or a portion of the property.

The tax incentives are based on a comparison of the land value before the easement with no restrictions to the land value with restrictions after the easement. Tax benefits are only available if the public benefits in a significant way. There are also estate tax benefits because of the reduced property value.

Ms. Rabalais said that the Health Information Resource Center at the Oconee Medical Center is a new service made possible by a grant from the Duke Endowment.

Their goal is to provide the public with access to the most accurate, timely health medical information. They have a health educator and volunteers who will assist citizens with the computers or with finding the best websites. They do not provide specific medical advice nor recommend or interpret any specific treatment.

The center is open to every member of the community from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. There is no charge for the service and all questions are handled in a confidential manner. Use of the center should enable citizens to make better decisions about their healthcare and to have better discussions with their physicians.

The Center is located off the new Patient Tower Lobby in the Oconee Medical Center.

What is Happening in Westminster and Seneca?

Derek Hodgin, Mayor of Westminster, and Greg Dietterick, Seneca's City Administrator, were guest speakers at the September 10 Oconee Alliance educational meeting.

Hodgin opened the meeting by announcing that the restoration of the Depot in Westminster is finished and that they were able to preserve much of its historical significance. He discussed other highlights: they are the best rural water supplier in S.C., they will have a new restaurant in October,the Emergency Operations Center is moving forward,  and they have recently erected a dog park at Anderson Park. He stated that the re-opening of the race track has added to the local economy. Some business owners are reporting increased sales on Friday night race nights and some have extended their hours of operation. There is a plan to establish a disc golf course at Chau Ram Park.

Dietterick, who followed Hodgin,said that there are lots of projects underway in Seneca, and that he has to wear lots of hats to keep everything moving forward. His overall goal is to help make Seneca better than they found it.

He described the enhancements to the downtown park. Seneca is "now in the events business" and these events are resulting in the park being packed. In fact, the park is becoming a centerpiece for downtown Seneca.

Seneca is about partnering. Included are Duke Energy (water and sewer) and the School District of Oconee County (athletic fields). In addition, the CATS bus system was created to help people. To date CATS has created 24 jobs, has brought millions of dollars of Federal tax money into the County, and reports "ridership is through the roof".

The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism has sponsored 11 - 12 tournaments this year and has generated economic activity in the County. The girls softball tournament, for example, generated over $500,000. The city is working with the School District to add fields at the new Blue Ridge Elementary school. This would enable Seneca to attract more and potentially larger tournaments.

Mr. Dietterick discussed the quality of the city's infrastructure. The water system is very good today and easily expandable for growth. Similarly, the sewer system is being engineered for growth.

Dietterick concluded his presentation by showing a video of Seneca. He said that they are recruiting new citizens from across the US, targeting people who plan to retire within 3 years. He said that "the future is so bright".

S.C. Economic Development Official

Talks with Local Community Leaders

Director of Community and Rural Planning and Development in the S.C. Department of Commerce, Maceo Nance spoke to an Oconee Alliance audience on July 9, 2009.

He said that there needs to be a growth plan for Oconee County and that all citizens need to lead the community into the future. He reminded the audience that not all leaders are elected.

Nance pointed out that despite the poor economy, 2008 was a record year for economic development in South Carolina. New investment totaled $1.4B. Foreign companies were responsible for 44% of the investment and 28% of the new jobs. This growth occurred despite the fact that S.C. is often badly beaten by states that have a lesser tax burden than S.C. He said that the state needs to do something about the tax burden that it places on businesses.

He commended Oconee County for its two industrial parks and urged officials to keep spec buildings available. Many prospects "pass you by" if you do not have a building(s) to show them. Nance said that 75-80% of the calls that come to the Dept. of Commerce ask about AVAILABLE buildings. Futhermore, these callers normally inquire about the availability of high ceilings, square footage of available buildings, and environmental conditions. In conclusion, Mr. Nance challenged the audience to do something along I-85. It is important, he said, to be ready for the growth that will occur again.

Crenshaw talks Drought

Valerie Voss Crenshaw, meteorologist, told an audience at the Oconee Alliance that the current drought conditions in Oconee County are abnormally dry to moderate. This is a great improvement over the last 6 months. During that time, we have progressed from exceptional, to extreme, to severe, and to moderate. More improvement is expected during the next few months. To completely eliminate the drought, we need 18 - 23.5 inches of rain in the next 3 months. This amount of rain is unlikely and the long range forecast is for dry conditions.

We have been in drought conditions for 3 out of the last 5 years. Although 2007 was our worst year, we were at the lowest point ever in December, 2008.

Brooks Center @ Clemson University

The Oconee Alliance welcomed Lillian "Mickie" Harder, Director and Curator of the Brooks Center, to its April, 2009 education meeting. She gave a behind the scenes look at what the audience does not see during the wonderful performances.

She said that they always seek and present outstanding artists and attractions. They present emerging artists. Another significant part of their mission is to develop and to educate people from the cradle to the grave. Finally, they support the mission of the Department of the Performing Arts at Clemson.

Each year 14,000 to 15,000 children, grades K - 12, are entertained at the Brooks Center. Mickie's philosophy is that children will not thirst for the arts if they have never tasted the arts.

Mickie followed these remarks with numerous examples of how her "glamorous" job is really one of crisis management. They do what ever is necessary to accomodate the artists so that they will be at their best in front of the audience.

ARTS Opportunities Abound in Oconee County

Nine representatives of the Arts in Oconee County addressed over 60 people at the March 12 meeting of the Oconee Alliance.

Highlights were as follows:

The Blue Ridge Arts Council is "Bringing Arts to the People and People to the Arts". They are advocates for the artists and they educate all ages so that they will enjoy the arts. They partner with festivals, promote cultural heritage, participate in special events like Downtown Go 'Round, and support multi-county arts tours.

The Historic Ballentine House promotes tourism and offers cultural classes through the heritage lecture series. They exhibit art, host traveling art exhibits, host special events such as weddings, receptions, and fund raising. They are a designated site of the S.C. National Heritage Corridor.

Started in September, 1971, the Oconee Community Theater brings fine arts to the upstate and Oconee County. They will offer Nightwatch beginning April 10 and the First Baptist Church of Ivy Gap beginning May 29. There will be a Youth drama camp July 20 - 31 and the 2009 childrens production will be The Childrens Nutcracker. There are volunteer opportunities available.

The Artists Loft was established in September, 2007 and is all about the artists. They currently have 17 artists with diverse talents. They offer art education programs and opportunities to interact with the artists. Meeting space is available in the gallery.

The Oconee Conservatory of Fine Arts offers ability level training and individual instruction. In their recent talent competition, 75-80% of the participants were from outside Oconee County.

Described as the "grand lady", the Walhalla Civic Auditorium opened in 2003 and remains dedicated to providing and enhancing the arts in Oconee County and the extended area. It is on the national register of historic places and plays host to concerts, comedy, and the Walhalla Civic Players (see below). A reception hall is available.

Live theater using local talent is what the Walhalla Civic Players is about according to Doug Lucas. Their goal is to be entertaining and of quality. Snow White will debut April 3, 2009. Over 500 people attended their first performance: "It's a Wonderful Life". They are working with Walhalla High School.

The Westminster Chamber of Commerce supports events year 'round that add to the quality of life in the Westminster community. Some of the events that they promote are the Apple Festival, Christmas Parade, Music on Main (beginning in May at 6:00),the Oconee Bale Trail, "Boo on Main" at Halloween, Westminster Pride Day, and the Christmas Tour of Homes. They anticipate that they will be back in the Depot this Fall.

Duke Energy and the World of Energy attract 10,000 visitors from throughout the world to its shows. They offer art exhibits about four times each year, hands on demonstrations, a quilt show, metal work, and woodwork. They attempt to provide opportunities for people of all ages. The World of Energy will celebrate its 40th Birthday in July, 2009.

Yes, Oconee County is very fortunate to have such a wide variety of arts to offer its citizens and visitors. You are encouraged to support these groups who promise to offer high quality fun.

Upstate Reality Check

Ms. Jennifer Noel presented the concept surrounding the April 8, 2009 10 county Reality Check  that will be conducted at the Carolina First Center in Greenville. The event will begin at 8:30 AM and will conclude by 3:30 PM.

This regional visioning effort will focus on the future and the concept of making the 10 county area the best place to live, work, and play. We need to be smart in our planning and when we contemplate how we will grow. We WILL grow, so we need to ask: Will growth control us or will we control it? By 2030, there will be 234,000 new residents in the 10 county area, 118,000 new households, and 203,000 new jobs. With these increases, regionalization is all about collaboration so that we can be more competitive. It will be necessary for us to discover and to articulate our regional values and vision.

Ms. Noel stated that the ideal situation will be for each of the 10 counties to have 40 citizens attend the Reality Check. This way, those in attendance will be able to address problems and opportunities. We will also be able to increase our understanding of the importance and benefits of regional planning.

For more information, go to: upstaterealitycheck.com

Economist Dr. Bruce Yandle says to expect little good news before 2010

Dr. Bruce Yandle told an Oconee Alliance on January 8 that we are facing a recession similar to the one that was experienced in 1981-1982. We will likely experience zero economic growth in 2009. Yandle said that some indices might show some positive movement, but that the recovery will not appear until late 1st quarter 2010.

Yandle, Dean Emeritus of the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson, said that there is some good news. Lower gas prices equate to a $200 billion annual gain for American consumers. Lower mortgage rates equate to approximately an $800 billion gain for American homeowners. 91% of the people in Oconee County who are looking for work have a job. Credit card/mortgage delinquencies in this region are in the safe range. Housing prices are hold up, on average, in the upstate. Although the unemployment rate is high and will go higher, there is some good news in that people are moving to this area and the labor force is growing.

Dr. Yandle, who served as director of the Federal Trade Commission, said that as of October, 2008, all states in the U.S. were in a recession or were at risk for a recession. He showed that Industrial Production Growth in the U.S. has been on a steady decline since June, 2005. Slow growth will extend to February, 2010 in the extreme case, to June, 2009 in the mild case. From 1981 until June, 2001, the unemployment rate in South Carolina tracked that of the U.S. Our S.C. unemployment has exceeded the nation's rate since that time. Also in 2001, the unemployment rate in Oconee County began to exceed that rate in S.C. The per capita personal income (PCPI) in Anderson, Greenville/Mauldin/Easley, Spartanburg,Charlotte/Gastonia/Concord continues to decline. At the same time, the PCPI in Columbia and Florence is holding steady at a fairly high level.

In summary, Dr. Yandle said:

1.The U.S. is in a recession that will be deeper and longer lasting than the 2001-2002 recession. Slowdown about like 1982-1983, 18 months in duration.

2. GDP growth will be weak through 2009, with the pulse beat getting stronger toward the end of 2009, but with slow growth going into early 2010.

3. Sale of new houses, autos, and other large ticket items will suffer during the recession. Sale of existing houses should pick-up.

4. South Carolina's economy is weaker overall than the U.S. economy, but there are bright spots.

5. The brighter spots are generally found in association with the new knowledge economy, with brains and human capital.

Seneca Madrigal Singers and Dr. Jim Rex

People attending the December 11, 2008 Oconee Alliance meeting were treated to two programs in one. First, the Madrigal Singers from Seneca High School performed several songs of the season. Diane McFarline, who directs these 14 talented students, invited the audience to tonight's performance by five Seneca H.S. choirs at Seneca First Baptist Church at 8:00 PM.

Second, Dr. Jim Rex, Superintendent of Education in South Carolina, spoke to the group and answered questions. He stated that he campaigned on five initiatives:

His first initiative is innovation in education, how to better meet the needs of the students. Second is greater public school choice. He stated that Americans want choices in all areas of life, including education. Areas of choice mentioned were: magnet schools, single gender schools/classes, and montessori.  He does not support school vouchers. He believes that vouchers will harm public schools. The third initiative is Accountability. All that is done in schools and school systems must lead to improvement. We have about 700,000 students in South Carolina. History reveals that a high percentage of them will never leave the state. Addressing No Child Left Behind, he said that he would not throw it out, but he said that it needs major modifications. His fourth initiative is: Elevate and Rejuvinate the teaching profession. Many teachers will retire in the next 3 - 5 years and S.C. will face a teacher shortage, especially in math, science, and special education. Serious teacher shortages already exist in parts of the state where systems are finding it difficult to attract teachers to their area. He said that, in the past, females and minorities found teaching to be attractive. This is much less true today and several reasons are: working conditions, pay, and lack of status. Finally, funding of education in the state is initiative number five. He reiterated that all geographic areas of education in the state are not equal and that we need to take action to reduce disparity. He said we must use available funding to assure that every child receives a quality education so that each person can live the American dream.

Additional thoughts that he presented were: another 6% budget cut is anticipated this year, there is work being done to exclude or re-phrase and strengthen the S.C. constitutional language which only requires a "minimally adequate education for all students", he suggests that local citizens and businesses get involved with local education and its leaders, he recommends that we contact our Senate and House members to share our recommendations about education, and that S.C. educators are aggressively addressing the issue of dropouts.

TriCounty Technical College Update

Dr. Ronnie Booth, President of TriCounty Tech, presented a look at the current educational environment at TriCounty and in the state of South Carolina. Booth stated that everyday is a challenge, but they are committed to their Mission: economic and lifelong development, making things better for the people who live in the three counties of Oconee, Pickens, and Anderson. Their goal is to be a role model for community college education. He said they are here to make the community better.

Last year, TriCounty faculty taught 110,000 credit students and 150,000 non-credit students. Enrollment has increased 30% since 2000.They anticipate 450 TriCounty to Clemson Bridge students next year. They have 55% female students and 45% male students and 58% of their students attend as full time students.

They are receiving less money from the state and are lookinfg for other sources of income via their Foundation.They have experienced budget cuts of 17.8% this year and anticipate another 5%. He said that the S.C. Education Lottery is essential today. Student fees will cover only 50.9% of the fiscal year 2009 budget. Even with these cuts, they are not reducing faculty slots because these positions are critical to the mission. In summary, enrollment is up, state funding is down, and tuition is up.

TriCounty will soon have a campus in each of the three counties. Programs discussed were the LPN, Bridge, University Transfer, and Dual enrollment.

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Financial Rescue Plan and Illegal Immigration

Kevin Bishop, a member of Senator Lindsey Graham's staff for more than 12 years, was the featured speaker at the October 9 meeting of the Oconee Alliance.

Bishop said that necessary changes were made in the original bailout bill and thus passage was achieved. He said that the bill is designed for the bailout to occur and then the federal government should be able to re-coop its money. He touched briefly on the fact that the economy is an issue in several other countries.

As for illegal immigration, there was discussion about the next president having to deal with this issue. A couple different approaches that have been recommended are to enforce existing laws or to have the illegals to live under our terms.

The Mysteries of Economic Development

September 11, 2008

Wesley Crum, an attorney who specializes in economic development and fee-in-lieu, talked about property taxes as well as local incentives. He stated that the tax rates in our area are higher over a 10 year period than those in neighboring areas such as Hart County, Georgia and Burke County, North Carolina. These counties are competing for the same businesses that consider relocating to or expanding within Oconee County. These property taxes are an operational expense for the businesses and thus place us in a competitive disadvantage. We, therefore, have to offer fee-in-lieu to have a chance to attract the businesses. Our industrial tax rate, per the S.C. constitution, is 10.5% (owner occupied homes and agriculture are taxed at 4% and commercial at 6%). This rate can be reduced to 6% with fee-in-lieu.

One issue that Crum discussed was the impact of new business  on the local economy. If we attract new business, more is required of the education system. Employers often require additional training for their new employees. Other county services are also required to support new industrial businesses. With fee-in-lieu, property taxes are actually reduced and these property taxes are the funds that support education. More is required of education, but fewer funds are available. He said that the county decision makers must understand what they are chasing, i.e. new industry. For instance, does the ultimate value of the project justify the cost of new infrastructure.

Crum stated that the expansion of existing industries is smart growth because less infrastructure is required. They also normally hire more local people and thus there is less need for new subdivisions and schools.

In conclusion, the current property tax structure for industry is not competitive. For this reason, we must have fee-in-lieu.

August 14, 2008

New Development in Oconee County

Developer Tom Winkopp and local businessman and commercial builder Neal Workman (Trehel Corporation) were speakers at the August Oconee Alliance meeting. They used aeriel photos to show and to describe an exciting new lakefront development on Lake Hartwell. Highpointe and Pointe West will eventually be home to students, individuals, families, and retirees. In addition, there will be retail establishments and restaurants, open to the public.

The project is designed and being built in an environmentally friendly manner. Mr. Winkopp stated that 85% of the material that has been removed from the former JP Stevens site is being recycled. There will be 7 parks, up to 3 acres in size, and a 7 acre green space. The entire project will be walkable. The green space may be used for intramural activities and/or college soccer.

Currently, 108 4 bedroom, 4 bath student condos are complete and students will begin moving in on August 16.Ultimately, they plan to have 750 units for students. This site will also be home for the Clemson - Tri-County Tech Bridge Program for the next 5 years. To accomodate the Bridge Program, there will be 4 classrooms and a large meeting room. Within 7 years, 3,000 students will reside in Highpointe. The student area will be gated with 24X7 security.

Phase 1 of Pointe West (off Cherry Road) will be complete in the late spring or early summer of 2009. This development of single family residences, with 80 waterfront lots and 230+ interior lots, will not be gated. The entry level price point will be about $300,000. There will be a 10-12 acre interior lake, many view corridors, a wellness center, CAT bus service, a 10 acre continuing care retirement center.

This development will create new job opportunities and will ultimately create a tax base of $350,000,000. The 2009 tax base will be $60,000,000.

ADHD

School District of Oconee County School Psychologist Bridgett Briley addressed the Oconee Alliance audience on July 10.

She stated that 5-8% of school age children and 2-4% of adults are affected by ADHD. The diagnosis is left to members of the medical profession, not school personnel. School psychologists, however, collect data and attempt to provide the best treatment and educational programming for the students by targeting individual needs. Teams are formed at the schools to focus on behavior and to assist the teachers. If a determination is made that the educational environment is contributing to a problem, the team attempts to make modifications to the environment. The goal is to keep these students in the regular classroom and to improve their academic performance.

Ms. Briley said that common characteristics that they deal with are: forgetfullness, easily distracted, difficulty focusing, carelessness, poor listener, unsustained attention or effort, disorganization, and losing items.

She also said that these students almost always have average to above average intelligence and they often have the ability to be quite good at playing video games.

While addressing employers, she said that employees with ADHD are fun to be around and that there is not a skill deficit. These employees sometimes struggle with performance in the typical work environment. She urged employers to seek to create the best environment to meet the needs of these employees.

Ms. Briley graduated from Southern Wesleyan University with a BS degree in Special Education. She earned her Master of Science degree in Psychology from Capella University in Minneapolis, MN. She holds an Educational Specialist Degree in School Psychology.

Tourism and the S.C. National Heritage Corridor

Michelle McCollum, President of the S.C. National Heritage Corridor, told an Oconee Alliance audience that Oconeee County is on the cutting edge of growth in the tourism industry. She said that tourism is South Carolina's largest industry and that Heritage Tourism is the fastest growing segment of tourism. Heritage tourists, according to McCollum, are the best educated and they spend more money. They like to shop in small shops, to participate in outdoor activities, and to visit cultural and historical sites.

In order for us to grow tourism in our area, we need to protect our heritage resources, be pedestrian friendly, have arts and culture, have aesthetically pleasing downtowns, and present an overall pleasing quality of life.

The Heritage Corridor, which was started by the National Parks Service but is managed by local communities, is in 40 areas across the U.S. The South Carolina Corridor, the third largest in the U.S., goes through 17 S.C. counties and covers over 300 miles from Charleston to Oconee. Services offered are Product Development, Marketing and Public Relations, Group Tours, and Hospitality Training. Niche trails that have begun are: Military Heritage, Agriculture Tourism, Arts, Garden Trails, and Kids Trails. 

Strom Thurmond Institute Director Looks at Change

Bob Becker was the guest speaker at the May 8, 2008 educational meeting of the Oconee Alliance.

Becker said that the Oconee County area is poised for "neat things" in the future. We have experienced nice population growth, not explosive growth, that is close to the state average. He said that our poverty rate is 6th from the bottom of all counties in S.C., making it one of the lowest in the state. Our median household income is about the state average and ranks Oconee 12th in the state.

Our area took off as a retiree location in the 90s. This results in lower income growth because retirees bring wealth but no wage increases. Being sound in its wealth, Oconee County will find it easier to recover from economic downturns. S.C. ranks 5th in the U.S. in retiree relocation. Why? We have good medical facilities, lakes, and quality of water.

Housing is basically sound. Our median home values are sustainable.

College students have migrated to S.C. since 1970. We were at 11 grads per 100 population. We are now at 24 per 100 with a reasonable distribution of talent throughout the state. There has been flight from rural areas to urban areas.

Business, in addition to retirees, will be looking at this area because of our mountains, water, temperature, and elevation change.

In the current economic clamate, S.C. will likely be last in and first out. No sectors in Oconee County are showing a real weakness and we have assets.

Oconee Heritage Center Director/Curator shares a Brief History of Oconee County     

He informed the audience that there have been humans in this area for at         least 10,000 years and that this was a central location for towns of the Cherokee nation. The first railroad, the Blue Ridge Rail Road, came through the area in the 1850s. During this same period, the Germans settled in Walhalla. Oconee County was established in 1868. Prior to then, Oconee was part of the Pickens District.

About the time that Oconee was established, Seneca City (1873), and Westminster were established. Textile mills had their birth in Newry. Simultaneously, tenant farmers and sharecropping were sources of income for the residents. In addition, there were logging and mining job opportunities.

Dr. Bruce Yandle addresses the Oconee Alliance