May is winding down and several of the ongoing city projects are coming to completion.

The Fuller Park PARD grant for the Fuller Park basketball courts and hill only require the paving of the parking lot for completion. This will be completed next week.

Hopefully Barnwell residents will be happy with the landscaping of the hill; this is one of the first areas seen by visitors to the city.

We are 90 percent complete on the Circle traffic upgrades with only one handicapped area and parking lines left to be installed.

The city is going to wait for the S.C. Department of Transportation to pave the Circle prior to putting down the parking lines. This should take about 90 days. The city thanks all its residents for their patience while work was going on, especially the downtown merchants who were most affected by construction.

Phase two of the Lemon Park sports complex is moving slowly due to the rain. Construction should be back on track within a week. The playground equipment will arrive in four weeks and work will begin on this part of the project.

Parking has been a challenge on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays due to the number of games being played.

The city underestimated what parking would be needed and now has started work on a third parking lot on Lemon Park Drive. The city is expediting this construction so it will quickly be available for use.

On Hagood Avenue, the major storm water work has been completed and final grading and seeding of the road shoulder will begin next week.

Tournaments for Lemon Park continue to be planned beside the inaugural one that was May 23 and 24 sponsored by East Coast Ball.

On June 20-26th, the Dixie Youth district tournament will be held at the Park. This one-week long tournament is sure to bring major excitement to Barnwell. Good Luck to all the teams.

The repair of the gazebo at Collins Park is now complete; this renovation has made a major improvement for the park. Hopefully Barnwell citizens will continue to use this fine park.

The new recreation summer program guides are out. Look them over to see all the great events that Recreation Director Emily Randell and her staff have planned. The guide can also be seen on the city Web site, www.cityofbarnwell.com. All questions should be directed to Randell at (803) 259-3317. The city Looks forward to a great summer of recreational activities.

Other programs that the city is involved in include the Clemson Extension 4H20 program during the week of June 15-18. Call Clemson Extension for details on this program for youth ages 8-12.

The city is also working the county museum and other organizations to have a storytelling celebration, June 12-13. This will be a fun and entertaining Friday evening and all day Saturday event. Tickets will be available soon.

A July 4th family fun fest and fireworks is being scheduled for July 4, so hopefully all those who will be in town will have an evening of fun.

Questions regarding any of these programs can be directed to Lynn Cox at (803) 541-6555.

The City Council has passed ordinance 2009-3 adopting and enacting the new city code. For anyone interested in viewing all of the city ordinances these are now on the city Web site. This has been a major step for the city to provide the city ordinances in a readily accessible way to its citizens, businesses and visitors. For any questions concerning these ordinances, please do not hesitate to call city hall at (803) 259-3266.