Saturday, January 9, 2016
Vol. 2, No. 1
A Time for New Beginnings by Anne Fulcher Happy New Year! I just can’t believe that an entire year has passed. I have found that the older I get, the faster the years go by and with an upcoming birthday, in a few short weeks, I would be happy for it to slow down just a little. As 2015 rapidly comes to a close and 2016 opens the door for us to enter, let’s take some time to reflect on the past twelve months. In January, we memorialized the ten year anniversary of the tragic train wreck of 2005. I think we can honestly say that event changed our lives more than anything we have ever been through. Finally, the people of the GVW area can now see new beginnings for their community. Recleim opened in the beginning of 2015 bringing jobs and reuse of the old mills. Along with Recleim came the Horse Creek Trust under the leadership of Turner Simkins. The Horse Creek Trust has made one of the MOST visible changes in the restoration of Hickman Hall. These changes bring renewed faith that Graniteville and their neighboring communities are not long forgotten as though it seemed. The Red Shed reopened under the proprietorship of the original owner, Gennie Gunter, and Fire Chief Napier got that new fire station located right next door to the old one. Each and every day, a person can see the visible changes of a new beginning. There are signs of DHEC cleanup at
several of the properties around town and it gives life and hope back where a future seemed so dismal. The Hope Center received a grant from the Aiken
Rotary to begin the Community Garden in partnership with the Graniteville Brownfield Project. And then, there is this special publication called the GVW
Report. We never knew how well it would be received but it has taken off like wildfire. The first edition was in June 2015 as a 12 page monthly publication with four thousand printed by and inserted into the Aiken Standard. By August, the paper increased to 16 pages and in November printed numbers grew to 7000. GRACE Study office manager, Edie Corley-Stone planted the seed for the GVW Report at the Graniteville Brownfield Project’s first workshop by saying people would love to have a newspaper that would let them know what was going on in their tow 2016 will only get better. With people seeing the changes beginning to happen they have faith and hope for the GVW towns that they call home. There are so many more great things in the works as I write and I can only tell you that it’s going to be a new beginning for one and all. Do you love this area where you work and live? If you do get involved because it is pertinent that YOU be involved in rebuilding this wonderful community. There are more classes on healthy living with the Hope Center and the Graniteville Brownfield Project, the Horse Creek Trust has already had their first of many concerts and this is just the beginning of many “New Beginnings.” 2016 will be the best year yet! If you would like to be a part of this, please feel free to contact me and I will share with you the many projects that are upcoming.