Council supports farmers market but not unfunded pavilion plan
BLYTHEWOOD – What began Monday night as a proclamation in support of a permanent farmers market pavilion in Doko Meadows Park evolved into an hour-long debate over lack of finances, planning and process, and ended with no action taken to move forward with the construction.
During the discussion at Monday night’s town council meeting council members and Mayor Sloan Griffin clashed over how the project has been handled, with several Council members saying they support the farmers market itself but could not support moving forward with a resolution built on funding the town has not yet received and costs that remain unknown.
At the center of the debate is a proposed $650,000 state earmark secured through state Rep. Kambrell Garvin at the request of Mayor Sloan Griffin. Council members said they were not involved in seeking the earmark and learned of it only after Garvin notified the town.
Complicating matters further, the General Assembly removed earmarks from the state budget last week, while lawmakers continue negotiations, meaning the town has not received the money and will not know until at least September whether the appropriation survives the budget cut.
Town Administrator Doug Polen cautioned council that even if the funding becomes available, the proposed timeline is “very aggressive.”
The resolution called for substantial completion of the pavilion by the opening of the 2027 farmers market season, which would be next spring.
“I think it may be possible to be open next year,” Polen told council, “but I don’t think it would be as soon as the beginning of the season.”
Polen also noted that the project would require planning, engineering, permitting, bidding and contracting before work could even begin.
Another issue arose when Councilman Donald Brock noted that the Doko Meadows Park Foundation, identified in the resolution as the organization that would solicit private donations for the market pavilion, is not currently an active 501(c)(3) nonprofit because its filings had lapsed.
Foundation Chairman Paul Moscati acknowledged the problem, telling council the organization expects its nonprofit status to be restored soon.
“We filed late,” Moscati said.
Council Members Question Finances
Councilman Donald Brock repeatedly stressed that if the Town proceeded with the project now, it would be committing itself to a project without knowing the final cost.
According to the Park Foundation’s own estimates, the pavilion could cost more than $2 million, leaving roughly three-quarters of the funding still unidentified.
“So as of right now, the $650,000 ‘donation’ is not coming to Blythewood,” Brock said. “That’s what we have to base our decision on.”
Brock also questioned whether the town could afford both the construction costs and future operating expenses.
“Our greatest asset can very quickly become our greatest liability,” he said, noting that the existing Doko Manor event facility has operated at a loss since it opened in 2013.
Councilwoman Andrea Fripp echoed those concerns.
“It puts the town on the hook for an unknown amount,” Fripp said. “We’re literally voting not knowing how much money the town would be on the hook for.”
Fripp said no one was opposed to the farmers market itself, but council could not responsibly approve what amounted to a blank check.
“There’s not a single person sitting in this audience that would give a blank check,” she said. “We’re charged with spending your money.”
McKenrick: Council Left Out of Process
Councilman Rich McKenrick said he supports the farmers market but believes the proposal has been mishandled from the beginning.
He noted that the current fiscal year budget contains no funding for the pavilion because council was never asked to include it during budget workshops.
“We are just one year into a budget that doesn’t include any of the money we’re talking about,” McKenrick said. “No ask was made.”
McKenrick also objected to language in the resolution stating the town “accepts” the $650,000 state appropriation.
“We all are sitting here tonight knowing that is not the case,” he said. “There is no $650,000 for us to accept.”
He urged the mayor to “back up, work with the town manager, work with council, get it in next year’s strategic planning” and revisit the project through the normal budgeting process.
Councilwoman Trish Hovis said she had requested background information from Griffin on June 4, including concept drawings, engineering studies, cost estimates and documentation related to the project, but said she never received a response.
“I’m data-driven in my decisions,” Hovis said. “Without that information, it is difficult for me to make a decision.”
Supporters Defend Project
Moscati said the concept of a permanent pavilion has been part of Doko Meadows’ master plan for years and would serve far more than the weekly farmers market.
He said it could host weddings, family reunions, community gatherings and other events throughout the year.
Farmers Market Manager McKala Barno said a permanent facility would dramatically improve the market by providing shelter from rain and heat and eliminating the need to set up and dismantle tents every Wednesday.
“It’s the Wild West,” Barno said of the current arrangement. “When you have a permanent location… it brings so much more participation.”
Barno disputed suggestions that the foundation had not worked to raise money, saying volunteers had spent years pursuing large donations that ultimately failed to materialize.
“The Park Foundation has not asked anybody to write a blank check,” she said. “We have been unsuccessful in fundraising. That doesn’t mean we have not been fundraising.”
Former Mayor Weighs In
At Griffin’s insistence, former Mayor Keith Bailey addressed council, taking credit for the farmers market concept, stating it had been envisioned years earlier as a community gathering place.
He defended the concept and questioned why council was objecting to a project that had long been discussed.
Bailey also noted that the town purchased the McLean property without first budgeting for it, suggesting the same flexibility could apply to the farmers market project.
No Vote Taken
Although the agenda listed the resolution as an action item, no council member made a motion either to approve or postpone it.
After consulting with Town Attorney Pete Balthazor, Griffin asked twice whether any council member wished to make a motion to postpone the matter until the state completes work on earmarks.
No motion was offered.
With no motion before the council, Griffin simply moved to the next agenda item, leaving the proposed resolution without action.
Following the discussion, Brock asked Balthazor to prepare an ordinance or resolution for a future meeting that would require at least two council members to approve adding items to the agenda before they can be considered by the full council.
Has state budget agreement kicked BW’s $650,000 market offer down the road?
by Jack O’Toole | The Statehouse Report
COLUMBIA – S.C. House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement Wednesday that they say will allow both chambers to pass this year’s $15.6 billion state budget sometime in the next two weeks. But they did it more by finessing their differences than resolving them.
State agencies have been operating at last year’s funding levels since July 1, when the fiscal year began without a budget due to the Senate’s refusal to accept $315 million in House earmarks [which includes $650,000 for a farmers’ market shelter for Blythewood] as well as the House’s refusal to go along with the Senate’s $250 million in permanent property tax cuts for senior citizens.
Under this week’s agreement, earmarks will be stripped out of the 2026-27 budget and handed off to a House-Senate committee for further consideration between now and Sept. 30. Meanwhile, the tax cut was slashed to a one-time $80 million reduction.
Negotiators also agreed to fund a $32 million settlement of an environmental lawsuit involving Captain Sams Spit on Kiawah Island, and up to $150 million in cost overruns at the state-subsidized Scout Motors manufacturing site in Richland County.
Assuming the deal passes both chambers on schedule, additional dollars for roads and bridges, teacher and state-employee pay raises, and health and welfare programs should begin flowing in mid-August.
Speaking to reporters after the agreement was reached, lawmakers were clear-eyed about the scale of the accomplishment.
“What we’ve done today,” Beaufort Republican Sen. Tom Davis said, “is agree on what we can agree on.”