Blackville Town Council heard complaints from a resident on nuisance dogs in the town at its regular meeting Jan. 19.

Mary Lucas gave Mayor Jackie Holman and town council a list of dogs, which were of concern to her.

Lucas said she had been chased and even had to climb a tree, to evade one particular dog on Hampton Avenue.

Lucas wanted Holman and council to be aware of the ongoing problems but also wanted the town to construct a holding area for strays or nuisance dogs picked up by the animal control.

Lucas said sometimes when dogs are picked up, there is no room at the county shelter and by constructing a temporary holding area, the town could keep nuisance dogs off the street until there is an opening at the shelter.

Lucas also wants owners of nuisance as well as neglected dogs to be held accountable.

She said there are instances of dogs without shelter in town.

"I think we need to start making people responsible," Lucas said.

Holman asked her to report any dog problems to the police department.

Holman said he would have the police department to look into the dogs on the list.

Lucas asked if she could get a citizens group together to raise funds to construct temporary holding pens which Holman gave his approval.

Laura Buice, chairman of the Barnwell County Animal Shelter Board spoke to council about the growing problems at the county shelter and to lend her support to Lucas.

Buice asked the town to support the animal shelter in whatever way possible.

Holman asked Buice what the other municipalities had done to support the shelter.

Buice said Williston had updated their animal ordinances and hired a part-time animal control officer.

She said Barnwell had a full-time animal control officer.

Buice said the Shelter Foundation supports a low cost and no cost spay and neuter program for so all residents can afford the procedures for their animals.

She said funding for the shelter comes directly from the county, however funds have been cut over in recent years.

She said the shelter now only has one full-time and one part-time employee.

In other business:

Holman said the town has had some issues with copper being discovered in the town's wastewater.

He said it was only found in the wastewater not the drinking water.

He said the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has issued fines totaling nearly $11,000 but he had negotiated a reduction. The fines now are $3,600, he said.

Holman said the source of the copper had been traced to two industrial sites, Allied Air and Eastern Motorcycle.

Ed Rockwell updated council on the progress of upgrading the town's lift stations. Two lift stations had been upgraded and others should be completed soon.

Holman said he should have the town's new employee policy manual for council review by the next meeting.

Holman also assigned departments to each councilmember. For the streets and sanitation department, he assigned Vivian Alston, Ann Pernell and Rubert Reed.
Holman also assigned each council member municipal committees.
For street and sanitation: Ann Pernell, Vivian Alston; for civic club; Alston and Pernell; for downtown development: Alston, Kelvin Isaac and Allen Harrison; for recreation department: Michael Beasley and Harrison; for police: Harrison and for fire: Rubert Reed.