Spring is not here yet but the city recreation department is hard at work on the Lemon Park ballfields.

Workers are currently redoing the infields and adding 25 tons of professional clay to the infields. This will allow the fields to better absorb rainwater and recover to a playable state faster than last year. The city's first tournament this year will be in early March. The exact time will be announced later. The tournament will be sponsored by the South Carolina Independent School Association.

Work is complete on landscaping the city hall parking lot. This work was done through a $3,080 grant the city received from Palmetto Pride.

The Barnwell Police Department also received a grant from the Palmetto Pride program for $5,000 to be used for litter control cameras.

These cameras will be used in high-litter areas to cut down on the amount of liter being dumped there. The city greatly appreciates these grant awards from Palmetto Pride.

Work on the city park at Jackson and Wellington Streets by Lake Brown continues. Workers from the city water and street departments are now clearing and contouring the park.

Once completed, the park will contain about six picnic tables with grills and a fishing area. Swimming will not be allowed at the park.

Remember the 2010 Census will be April 1. Most individuals will receive their 2010 census questionnaires by March. With only 10 questions, the questionnaire takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The City Council Complete Count Committee wants to remind citizens again that filling out the questionnaire and sending it back promptly is very important to the city and its residents.

The Barnwell County Relay for Life will be held in the downtown Circle area again this year. The dates for the Relay are April 23-24. The Relay begins at 7 p.m. and is planned as an all-night event.

Please support this cause, which helps the American Cancer Society in research. The money is also used locally for assistance through the ACS for cancer patients.

For information regarding ACS, visit www.cancer.org.

There are several fundraisers Relay teams countywide are doing in the next few months. The goal in Barnwell County is $50,000. The county Relay Web page is www.relayforlife.org/barnwellsc.