At the Richland County Council meeting this week, students from Horrell Hill Elementary School read remarks about their experience celebrating Farm City Week. Timothy Allen II and Joseph Norris, along with several teachers and representatives of Farm City, presented the council with a basket filled with examples of products grown in Richland County.

The students’ class put together a cookbook containing recipes for homegrown fruits and vegetables. Farm City is an annual and growing commemoration of the link between local farms and the cities they support. Students across the area compete for prizes that define the subject. Horrell Hill Elementary received seven awards this year.

The National Farm- City Council has been in existence since 1955 and furthers the idea of linking farms and nearby cities to promote cooperation between the two groups. The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District sponsored the area contests and awards.

A major step toward actually achieving success along the Gills Creek Watershed was announced by three groups who are combining efforts to reduce the pollution and increase the water quality of this urban waterway long identified as an example of urban water quality failure.

Carol Kososki, of the Conservation Commission, announced a joint venture between the Commission, the Gills Creek Watershed Association, and AT&T. The two conservation groups will donate $ 8,500 each and AT& T executive Ted Creech presented an additional $11, 500 to the effort. AT&T will also be a link in the actual project. I-Phone apps will be available to volunteers to report any potential pollution sites along the creek and adjoining lakes. The apps will identify the exact location of the pollution, automatically notify area officials, and send information to the Gills Creek Watershed Association. The idea is to reduce the labor involved with volunteers trying to pinpoint trouble areas and notify the correct body to get results.

In a third presentation, Morihiko Nakahara, music director of the S.C. Philharmonic, thanked members of the council for their support and gave them an update on how the financial support increases the overall funding and private support of the philharmonic. Robin Hallyburton also spoke to the council, explaining how the organization partners with other area nonprofit organizations by offering free tickets to the groups to use to raise money.

About a month and a half ago, a group of concerned citizens spoke at the council meeting, asking for help in preventing an adult care facility from being allowed in their neighborhood. The council, led by Gwen Kennedy, voted unanimously to deny the claim.

State law requires any county that denies such a request to form a committee with the proposed owner of the facility and seek other properties that might satisfy the needs of the petitioner. Since the homeowner already owns a property for that purpose and has little interest in buying another property, such committees usually fail. Council member Greg Pearce said at this meeting he had never seen a successful search in his time on council.

The culprit is a poorly written, poorly thought out state law. Counties in South Carolina have very little opportunity to satisfy neighborhood groups who are leery of such ventures as adult residential care facilities. At tonight’s meeting, the county staff announced that no suitable property had been located in the 45 day time period, so the owner would be allowed to establish the