RIDGEWAY – The Ridgeway Town Council voted unanimously last week to bring a new lawman to Ridgeway. At the conclusion of the executive session a motion was made to hire Richard (Rick) Wayne Skrabak as the Town’s new police officer. Scrabak is retired after 27 years with the Forest Acres Police Department. He and his family are residents at Lake Wateree.
Council considered four bids to paint the Ridgeway Water Tower and selected Southern Corrosion with a bid of $83,500. Director of the Ridgeway Water Department, Robert Arndt recommended the company based on past performance. Southern Corrosion offered a discount of 10% if the contract is signed by Nov. 30. 2022, making their bid amount $75,910.
Other bids were Leary Construction Company, Inc. at $54,745.25; Custom Coatings, Inc. at $112,000; and a verbal bid from Performance Painting of $423,000.
The project is being paid for with a $100,000 state earmark.
Mayor Heath Cookendorfer announced that a $25,000 MASC 2022 Hometown Economic Development grant was awarded to Ridgeway, and that the money would be used to build restrooms for the Ridgeway Park on Church Street.
Cookendorfer also announced that Ridgeway had won the recent Christian Assistance Bridge (CAB) food drive competition, providing 602.5 lbs. of food versus 588 lbs. of food from Blythewood. The Fairfield County Food Drive has expressed interest in a similar competition.
Randy Bright spoke to Council about the possibility of the Fairfield County Republican Party using the Town Hall for their monthly meetings in 2023.
Mayor Cookendorfer confirmed new hours for Town Hall: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, closed on Wednesday. The Drop Box is available 24/7 for water bills. The Town currently has no Town Clerk, but council plans to hire ADECO agency to search for a Clerk who has experience with the government side of the job.
The next Ridgeway Town Council Meeting is scheduled for the second Thursday in December.
