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March 31st, 2009 FORECLOSURE Edition

 Foreclosure Opportunities in Greenville SC
The foreclosure rate in Greenville County is the highest in the state, but has slowed a little in the wake of Fannie Mae's moratorium on foreclosures for both owner-occupied homes as well as rentals.   That moratorium ran out in March for owner occupants, and will lead to a flurry of activity in the next couple of months as these properties hit the market. There are about 175 properties scheduled for auction at the county courthouse on April 6, which is up about 75% from the previous month. Most of these will not be purchased, but will end up being listed by an agent as bank owned property. Currently, there are approximately 110 units of these properties for sale in the greater Greenville area, with a median price of $99,445, and 106 properties pending with a median price of $78,750.  40 units were sold in March with a median price of $66,700.  These numbers indicate that most of these bank owned properties are entry level or investor properties, with the bulk of the listings below $130,000.  Some notable properties that in my opinion represent good purchases we have listed later in this newsletter.

Greenville SC mentioned in Money Magazine
Money magazine has published their Housing Forecast: When Will Your Market Turn? which predicts when housing prices will bottom out at various cities around the country.  The good news is that Greenville was mentioned specifically in the tier of cities that will recover first, with the median price of homes sliding only 0.2% in the next 12 months.  Other southeastern cities in this tier are Charleston and Columbia, SC; Raleigh and Greensboro, NC.  Money magazine cites Moody's Economy.com prediction of  a nationwide trough at the end of the year, but that could take longer depending on how President Obamas recovery efforts take effect. (Click this link to see the full Money Magazine)

National Karate Championships coming to Greenville SC
Greenville has landed the USA-NKF National Karate Championships and US Team Trial for 2010, out bidding several other larger cities which had hosted the event in past years.  The competition is scheduled in July 8-10 of 2010 (next year) and will bring in about 5000 athletes and another 5000 support personnel with an estimate $4 million in economic impact.  Tommy Hood, a local karate trainer and senior US Team coach had a lot to do with bring Greenville to the attention of the committees.  The Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau also help put together a package that put Greenville in first position for this event. 

"American Pie" for the Whole Family
The vacant building formerly occupied by Tony Romos at restaurant row off Pelham Road had been gutted and transformed into the American Pie Factory.  They will specialize in New York Style Pizza, wings, and homemade desserts and see themselves as a family style restaurant based on the concept of going out to pizza after Little League games.  Owners Joe Mahaffey and Ron Mueller have a little experience with that; they played Little League together in Greenville years ago and were bonded by the pizza experience.  While the restaurant caters to the family crowd most of the day, it also transforms into an upscale sports bar for the mature crowd.
 

American Legion Baseball in Greenville, SC
Speaking of good old baseball days American Legion baseball has a long history in Greenville showcasing high school players since 1933.  But because of a tough economy with declining attendance and sponsorship, 2009 will be the first since its inception that Greenville will not host a team.  Thats a far cry from years past when fans used to turn up in abundance at Stevens Field in Greer, Duncan Park in Spartanburg, Meadowbrook Park in Greenville, and Artillery Field near Wade Hampton.  Not only has the money and ticket sales dried up, but the Municipal Stadium in Mauldin where the AA Braves used to play is no longer available and the leagues have to rent fields elsewhere.  Thats a sad state of affairs.  Nationally, 55% of Major League baseball players came through the American Legion system, showing how popular and instructive the system is for budding ballplayers.

Upcoming Events
Spring Break is  coming up for Greenville County schools from April 6th-10th.
Easter is on April the 12th this year.

Easter Weather
We had sun for the past few days, but rain is in the forecast for Tuesday - Thursday but that should taper off with clearing on Friday and all day sun on Saturday with highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s. It's a little too early to call Easter, but it looks like a pattern of showers for two days with clear skis for two days for the next 10 days. If the same pattern holds we could have sunny days for Friday and Saturday, and lets hope Easter Sunday.

FEATURED FORECLOSURE PROPERTIES

MLS # 1178650 List Price: $125,900 5 Reid Valley Ct, Taylors, SC

MLS # 1178567 List Price: $158,900 2 Roxton Loop, Simpsonville, SC

MLS # 1178595 List Price: $256,900 1025 Westbrooke Ln, Easley, SC

MLS # 1178697 List Price: $146,900 119 Feldspar Ln, Greer, SC

HELLO!!!







Galen with balloons the balloon man makes at local restaurant every Thurs. night

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March 16th, 2009 Edition

Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009
The recent credit crisis and severe economic recession shows you what can happen when financial institutions lack guidance in the real estate process.  March 11th, 2009, President Obama signed into law the FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act that permanently prohibits banks from entering the real estate brokerage and management businesses. The bill includes the provision NAR has been seeking on behalf of members and consumers to maintain the national policy against mixing banking and commerce and reinforce that real estate is commerce and not financial in nature. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has won an important victory that prevents further degradation of this process by protecting consumers from potential conflicts of interest that may have occurred if banks had been permitted to engage in real estate transactions. This has been a long standing fight started in 2001 when NAR opposed a proposed rule that would allow banks into real estate. You can see the anti-competitive and anti-consumer nature of banks being real estate brokerages by considering that banks would have controlled the whole home buying process from listing to selling, including financing. An independent real estate agent is self-employed and works for the client, with the end goal of matching consumers with the best housing solution and A VARIETY of vendors to create a positive experience. Also, had banks been allowed to participate in real estate they would have been able to use money loaned to them from the government at very low rates (for financial purposes) to compete with current brokerages. The new Act is definitely a positive for everyone.

Haynie-Sirrine Re-Development
The Haynie-Sirrine area of downtown Greenville has a long history, but has fallen into disarray in recent years.  Things are on the cusp of a big change though, many aging residential structures have been demolished in an effort to revitalize the working class community.  The most evident change is the craftsman style homes behind Scott Towers, where 11 rental houses have been constructed by the non-profit Homes of Hope, using federal and state funding.  Eighteen more homes are scheduled to be built this summer.  Named Chicora Crest after the Chicora College for Young Ladies which burned down in 1910, the homes will used for local senior citizens or folks who earn less than 80% of the areas median income.  Across Church Street, near the recently converted Brio condominium complex and Sirrine Stadium, a six-acre parcel awaits development after several dilapidated houses were demolished.

Setback for Commercial Development
The large commercial development planned at State highway 14 and I-85 in Greer has received a serious setback from the state Attorney Generals office. The office said in an opinion that a 2006 law offering tax breaks for extraordinary retailers is probably not constitutional.   The law specifically grants tax breaks to build infrastructure elements such as roads, museums, and exhibits.  The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism is concerned about the ownership of these infrastructure improvements; the law currently could allow these to be owned by the retailer.  A second consideration is that the law discriminates against smaller retailers, a view Governor Sanford has voiced since the inception of this project.  It looks like this project will get cooled off by more than just the lagging economy as the legislature and courts decide on the interpretation of the law.   In order to qualify for the extraordinary retailer status, the location must be within two miles of an interstate or in a county that attracts more than 3.5 million visitors annually.  At least 35% of the visitors must have come more than 50 miles to reach the destination.  Sounds like a lot of costly red tape just to see if you qualify. 

 
Andrew Wyeth Collection at Local Museum
A good rainy day activity is the Greenville County Museums collection of the late Andrew Wyeths works, which has recently reopened after the artists death in January. The collection of Americas Painter is one of the three largest of his works with pieces that span his entire life and include his best known subjects such as the Maine and Pennsylvania landscapes, his wife Christina, and Helga. The history of the Greenville Collection dates back to 1979 when a local textile magnate Arthur Magill donated 26 tempuras and watercolors. Since then, many of these pieces have come and gone, but the museum has steadily procured additional works to bolster the collection.
 
Spinners Local Ride Starts Up
For bicycling enthusiasts, the weekly rides with the Greenville Spinners Bicycle Club have started at the Donaldson Center.  There are several levels of abilities that will fit any cyclist.  For the experts, the A and B groups circle the 7.2 mile perimeter road with a police escort, but if you join this group, be ready to really fly.  For slower riders, the C group heads into the countryside for about a 25 mile loop.  That group has four subgroups from fast to no riders left behind.  Rides start at 6:00 p.m. until Daylight Savings Time end this fall.  For more info see the Spinners website (click Greenville Spinners)

Upcoming Events
Greer Chili Cook Off March 19th 6-10pm in Historic Downtown Greer. 
 
Spring (Vernal Equinox) Weather
Boy, its been raining pretty steadily over the weekend, which is good for area lakes and streams, but that should taper off with clearing on Tuesday. You can expect to see mostly clear skies the rest of the week, with highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s.

Vernal Equinox is March 20th at 11:44pm.

 FEATURED LAND (112 Emma Bryant Way, Greer, SC 29650) this week 







Lee and Kaitlyn Rose at Brasstown Bald in the North GA Mountains.

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March 4th, 2009 Edition
(Snow Days in Greenville-Kailtyn Rose)
Stimulas Package 2009
Everyone has had the stimulus package on their minds for several months now.  From a real estate perspective, one of the main components of this package is the inclusion of the $8,000 tax credit for first time home purchasers.  If neither you nor your spouse has owned a principal residence in the last 3 years, and purchase between Jan 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009, you may qualify for the tax credit that will come directly off your tax liability.  This plan differs from the $7,500 tax credit of 2008 that required purchasers to pay back the credit interest-free over 15 years.  The 2009 credit does not need to be repaid, which is a really a great deal for purchasers in this category, and, if you cannot use all of the $8,000, then you will receive a refund.  However, if you sell the residence within three years of purchase, the credit must be repaid.  The full credit is limited to individuals with an adjusted gross income of less than $75,000 ($150,000 for a joint return), and decreases for incomes above $75,000, phasing out for individuals at $90,000 ($170,000 joint).   

Haywood Road Branding
If you are wondering what will the Haywood Road shopping area look like in a few years, you are not alone; the City of Greenville has begun a project to analyze possibilities and rebrand the area.  Designers have begun the process and laid out a tentative uptown version of Haywood Road that transforms it into a pedestrian and cyclist-friendly area with connecting parks, amphitheater, and nightlife destinations that would attract recreation.  The area currently includes the largest indoor mall in the area, the Fluor (engineering) campus, a plethora of retail space, and substantial traffic flow.  While it has not begun to age too badly, improvements to landscaping, additional trees, a trolley line, and underground utilities are upgrades that local business owners are clamoring for.  The master plan should be finished in June of 2009.  

Trail Overhaul for Downtown Greenville
The trails through Cleveland Park in downtown Greenville may get an overhaul this year in instead of being extended through the Parkins Mill area to Lake Conestee as planned. The 30 year old trails in the park have been well used in the past and are now seeing increased traffic since it is now part of the Reedy River trail running to Travelers Rest. The extension of the trail on the southern side of Cleveland Park through the Parkins Mill area is still a planned project, but is having issues with routing, making the Citys limited funds better suited for current maintenance needs. The improvements planned will widen the trail to 13 feet and install a rubberized running surface. 

Upcoming Events
2009 Southern Home and Garden Show at the Carolina First Center in Greenville SC March 5th - 8th.
32nd Annual Carolina First REEDY RIVER RUN March 7th, 2009 in Downtown Greenville.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS - Sunday March 8th - Spring Ahead mean to set your clock ahead by an hour.

Spring Weather?
Well, we managed to get our only snow storm of the winter in last night (O.K. now this would be Sunday night).  With 4.3 inches recorded at the GSP airport, that seems like an awful lot for Greenville this time of year-hey anytime of year. While roads were a little slippery this morning and the traffic crawled along, the sun is out today melting things off, and things should return to normal soon. It will be clear the rest of this week with freezing nights but highs around 50.

Here are a few shots of our Snow Days.

                  (Galen playing in the snow the 1st night)                          (Neighbors Igloo - 6 hours to build...just in case you are thinking of doing one yourself)

For the FEATURED HOME click here

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February 17th, 2009 Edition

Project Teal Unveiled
The Teal has landed in Greenville County. Project Teal is the recruitment of Samsung Networks America (SNA). Greenville County unveiled the details of Project Teal with the announcement that Samsung Networks America (SNA) will open a large customer service center in Mauldin this spring, creating about 1000 jobs over five years.  Again, the Upstate of South Carolina proves that strong companies can thrive in a tough economy and many of them are looking to this area for future growth.  The SNA center will be located just off I-385 near Charter Communications in the CenterPoint Business Park and is looking to fill a variety of positions.  According to Jerry Howard of the Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC), who worked on the project for months at local and state levels, approximately 300 jobs will be created immediately.  Most of the jobs will be customer service representatives making an average of $14.40 per hour; however, there will be about 78 administrative and executive positions ranging between $32,000 and $110,000.  The Greenville County One-Stop Career System will be assisting in recruitment for these jobs and can be reached at 864-467-8080.  You gotta love it Greenville:  teal colored greenbacks are coming to town in the form of much appreciated jobs during these tough economic times.  

Simpsonville Movie Complex Approved
A 14-screen multiplex cinema project in Simpsonville has received site plan approval from the city planning commission.  The complex is in the second phase of a 43-acre planned development bordered by South Street and South Industrial Drive, which is off I-385 just north of Fairview Road.  The site is also very close to the downtown area of Simpsonville which as seen a lot of upgrading and revitalization in the last few years.  The multiplex could be in operation by the end of 2009. 


Tree Health for Downtown Greenville
You may have recently seen all the commotion with the glorious trees of downtown Greenville.  In an effort to preserve the canopy and maintain the streets allure, several of the aging maples have been removed and replaced with Allee Elms and Holly shrubs.  The trees have been there since the 70s and the root systems have been restricted, causing cracking of the sidewalks and problems with tree health.  The new trees will be a more suitable species for the downtown environment and correct the current problems. The second phase of the project of will include restoration of nine more oaks, two along South Main and seven in the first block of North Main St.  There is also crown cleaning and mistletoe removal scheduled for all the oaks along Main Street.  Watch your head when walking downtown for the next few weeks!

Camp Spearhead By Combined Effort
The Greenville County Recreation District and the Greenville Hospital Systems Childrens Hospital have teamed up to create the new Camp Spearhead in north Greenville County.  The camp is specifically designed for children with disabilities such as cancer and other disorders, creating a retreat near the Blue Ridge Mountains near the intersection of Highways 276 and 11. Located north of Travelers Rest, its only a 40 minute drive from downtown Greenville.  The camp will begin construction this year and will be in the popular Pleasant Ridge Park that is currently run by the Recreations District. The funding for the $10 million program comes from the Greenville Hospitality tax, an allocation from the state of SC, the Cliffs Communities, Greenville County Council as well as generous public contributions.

Weather
The weather will be in the 40's and 50's this week with Mostly sunny, but some showers expected on Wednesday and Sunday.

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February 3rd, 2009 Edition 

New Cedar Falls Park for Greenville County
A new park along the Reedy River in southern Greenville County is slated to be complete in the fall of 2010, and will consist of an 87-acre parcel at the historic Cedar Falls area and another 17 acres at New Harrison Bridge Road.  The Cedar Falls Regional Park project will provide two miles of nature trails for runners, walkers, and cyclists, plus a 50-person picnic shelter, playground, restrooms, and an open lawn area for activities such as kite flying or flag football.  The park will be a boon for paddlers with a couple of important put-ins that will grant kayakers and canoeists access to either a 2 or 4.5 hour float.  The Cedar Falls dam once provided electricity for the 1800s Fork Shoals mill and is still a scenic portion of the Reedy with a beautiful portion of shoals below the dam. The park has been made possible by $2.7 million in oil spill fines levied in 1999 following a huge contamination of the river in 1996 by Colonial Oil Company. The spill was the sixth largest in U.S. history at that time and damaged 23 miles of river, leaving 35,000 fish dead.

Fountain Inn Annexes Land in Controversial Move
A controversial annexation technique known as shoestring annexation has been approved by the Fountain Inn council that will bring 460 acres of land around the Carolina Springs Golf Course into the city.  The move will connect an area around the Carolina Springs course where the Southern Venture Group Inc. has announced Eagle Springs, an upscale golf community with more than 500 homes. One of the shoestrings is a ten-foot swath that is nearly two miles long and runs though four properties along Jones Mill Road; land that the owners allowed to be annexed at the request of the developers, but that was not purchased. Scuffletown residents and County Council were caught off guard by this move, stating that the annexation does not follow the Scuffletown Road Area Plan. The Scuffletown area has been the center of several development controversies over the last few years as growth pressure from nearby Woodruff spills southward.  Noteworthy is that the city council vote comes on the heels of a proposed state legislature bill to ban this type of annexation where thin strips of land connect the city to parcels that are not contiguous to the current city limits. 

Children's Museum of Greenville Sets Opening Date
After a long wait, the Children's Museum of Greenville is on track to open in July of 2009 and provide a tremendous surprise for our community.  The multi-floored classroom-type setting will offer a variety of learning experiences, including a miniature supermarket, a climb-through human body and slide, Grandma Bettys Farm, a water engineers center, and an introduction to music and television at WTCM.  Carol Scott, the president and CEO, came to the project after running the Kidspace Childrens Museum in Pasadena, California, so we are expecting great things.  The museum will be located on Heritage Green where the old Greenville County Library was located.

County Home Inspectors Being Laid Off
If you are building a new home in Greenville County, keep a close eye on the county inspectors work as you go through the process.  Due to the economic slowdown, thirteen inspectors are being laid off, leaving only four chief inspectors and one additional inspector to cover all the permits.  That might not be enough to cover all the projects properly even though building permits are off about 65% in the last six months over 2007 figures.  For home buyers, I always recommend that purchasers employ a licensed independent home inspector who is familiar with the IRC and county codes.  For new home construction, that typically includes three visits: foundation, pre-drywall, and at completion after the completion of occupancy.  I consider this strategy money well spent because almost all of the issues with the house will be resolved prior to closing and call-backs will be minimized.  Mike Parker and his experienced team at Amerispec has proven to be a great resource for our past clients.

Snow in the Forecast
The weather will cool down a bit early this week and we might even see some snow flurries on Tuesday night.  Thats a slight chance yall.  Clearing on Wednesday and warmer by the weekend. The groundhog DID SEE HIS SHADOW so six more weeks of winter in the Greenville, SC area. * In the newsletter we send out I said the groundhog did not see his shadow...I had heard that on the radio, then didn't hear this other prediction until later. Sorry for the confusion.

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January 20th, 2009 Edition
Foreclosure Edition (see our foreclosure page)
According to Realtytracs report on the national foreclosure market, December of 2008 saw a surge in overall foreclosures.  The national numbers were up 17% from the previous month and 41% over December of 2007.  For the year, 2008 had 81% more foreclosures than 2007 and 1.84% of all U.S. houses had at least one foreclosure filing.  The Greenville market for these properties took a big jump in 2008 and ended up having 1.17% of all homes see a foreclosure filing and placed number 67 on Realtytracs list.  Topping their list was Stockton, CA, touting 9.46% of homes with a foreclosure. We will probably see more of these distressed homes hit the Greenville market in the coming months, but I estimate there to be about 150-200 current homes on the market as foreclosures.  At least half of these are under $100,000.

The jump in Decembers numbers were a bit surprising considering Freddie Macs suspension of all foreclosure sales and evictions through January 31 of 2009; these apply to occupied single family homes and 2-4 unit properties.  The extension will give servicers more time to implement the Streamlined Modification Program that started last December, but has yet to have an impact.

We are just starting to see mortgages renegotiated by banks in response to the  Federal Housing Finance Agencys Streamlined Modification Plan that intends to ease terms for American homeowners in financial trouble.  You will recall that FHFA was created to take over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last September.  any government assistance will be limited to mortgages that are owned or guaranteed by these two entities.  That adds up to about 20% (or 800,000) of the 4 million homeowners that were behind in their payments or in foreclosure at the end of June, 2008.  In order to qualify, the homeowner must be at least three months behind in payments and owe at least 90% of the value of their home.  If the homeowner meets these requirements, there are two options that can decrease their payments.  The interest rate can be cut so that they pay no more than 38% of their gross income on housing expenses, or they can extend their loan from 30 to 40 years.  The move targets homeowners that are effectively upside down and cannot sell their home and pay off what it owed to the bank, thus putting them into jeopardy of foreclosure.

Select Foreclosure Properties
MLS 1170045    702 Austin Woods Court  Greer SC  
List Price $159,900 
4BR/3.5 bath  2 car garage  
Last sold price:  $207,000 6/12/07

MLS 1166515  743 Ben Taylor Rd.  Fountain Inn, SC 29644
List Price: $129,900 
3br/2 bath 2 car garage, 1 acre
Last sold price $180,000  4/26/06

MLS 1171998  63 Birdsong Lane  Taylors SC 29687 
4 BR/2.5 bath 1 car garage
List Price: $112,900 
Last sold $154,000 8/28/06

Greenville Home Values Appreciate
Despite the increase in local foreclosures, there has been good news for overall values in the Upstate.  In Zillows recent home value report of 163 metropolitan areas through the third quarter of 2008, the Upstate of South Carolina held its own against the rest of the nation.  Nationally, home values plunged 9.7% in the past year, but the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson areas made the top ten for most appreciation.  Greenville (7^th) came in at a 2.8% gain, Anderson (8^th) was 2.7%, and Spartanburg (10^th) was 2.0%.  The top appreciating metro area was Ithica, NY with 5.6%, followed by State College, PA, Jacksonville, N.C., Winston-Salem, NC, Bay City, MI, and Rochester, NY.

Table Rock Cabins Undergoing Renovations
During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps created a lot of state parks as part of FDRs New Deal program to help stem unemployment.  Table Rock State Park was one of these and the sought after cabins at the park are undergoing renovation that will bring them up to historical standards.  The park service has employed a crew with historic restoration experience and is consulting with the parks historian to ensure that updates and furniture are appropriate to reflect the area.  Of the 14 cabins in the park, four have been completed and the fifth is in progress.  Contact the SC State Parks to make reservations at these unique lodgings, but make sure you do so early for big weekends.  Christmas reservations usually fill up about a year in advance!

Mountain Park office of Gary Player Now Open
Gary Player has officially opened its operations office at the new Village at Mountain Park, one of the new Cliffs communities in the northern part of Greenville County.  The office is a central feature in the exclusive golf community and will house events, the real estate and design divisions, and also contain a trophy room and merchandise shop.  The theme for this office is A Taste of Africa in tribute to Gary Players heritage in South Africa. The corporate office will remain in Palm Beach, FL., although corporate could move to SC at some point.  Eight families working for the Gary Player Group have relocated from Florida to the new center and about 22 people have been hired locally.  A Player family residence will be the first home built in the Estates, which will have about 100 villas.

 

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January 7th, 2009 Edition
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Allegiant Air - Low AirFares
Greenville has seen a lot of relocation traffic from Florida in the past 5 years and Allegiant Air has recognized the market niche by adding service from GSP International to Charlotte County Airport, located between Sarasota and Ft. Meyers.  Allegiant opened low cost fares to Orlando, Tampa Bay, and Ft. Lauderdale in 2006 and continues that trend in an economic era that has many airlines cutting routes or going out of business.  They plan to offer introductory flights to Charlotte Co for $59 one-way from December 24 to April 30, 2009.  Allegiant has also announced that they will provide service from Columbia to Orlando, a route that that terminated in 2007.  Since the Greenville market has proven to be so successful, perhaps they were preliminary in their assessment of the South Carolina market.

Indoor Football Returns!
Indoor football is getting another shot at the Upstate market with the announcement that the Carolina Force will open their season in March in the Bi-Lo center.   Greenville will be one of 16 teams in the American Indoor Football League (AIFL) and will play all their home games on Saturday at the Bi-Lo.  The Force has a three-year contract with Bi_Lo with an option for two more seasons.  The last foray into this market was by the Carolina Rhinos who were here three years but played their last game in 2002.  The Greenville Grrrowl hockey team was the last professional sports team to leave the Bi-Lo after 10 years in Greenville.  Tryouts for local talent were held in December at the Brushy Creek Soccer Complex and about 70 athletes turned out, trying for a spot on the 25-man roster.  Most athletes have played college ball and several notable figures were in attendance.  If hired, the can use it as a springboard to a higher level, and make about $200 per game.

Swap Rabbit Trail Recieves $10k Grant
Greenvilles up and coming bicycle and pedestrian route, known as the Swamp Rabbit Trail, got a $10,000 grant from the Bikes Belong Coalition.  Bikes Belong is part of the bicycling industry focused on putting more people on bikes often, and support projects such as Safe Routes to School.  That international project puts together routes that children can take on their way to school. 

According to their site, the percentage of kids who walk or bike to school has declined from 50% to 15% since 1970, while obesity in children has risen from 8% to 30% during the same time frame.  Bikes Belong lobbies the federal government to maximize federal funding and awards grants for projects that create more and better places to ride.  With more places to ride, more people will be riding, buying bicycle equipment, with the benefit of creating healthier communities, cleaner air, and less traffic.

Chattooga River opening up to boats
One of our local rivers, the Wild and Scenic Chattooga, is considering opening up an upper section to non-commercialized and non-motorized boats.  The river was made famous by the movie Deliverance where many scenes were shot on the lower sections of whitewater rapids.  The upper portion between highway 28 and County Line Road in North Carolina is calmer and forms the border between Georgia and the western edge of the Upstate of South Carolina.  Current use of the river includes hikers and fisherman, who would value the peacefulness of the area and generally oppose additional traffic.  However, the change would allow boaters on the section between December 1 and March 1 when the water levels are higher and less than optimal for fishing.  Representatives for the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, who will make the decision, have extended the time frame, citing a large flow of public input on the matter.  They expect a decision to be made in 2009.

January 2009 Weather

It looks like our Upstate is getting a good cold soaking for a few  days, through Thursday night. Indeed, it will be a bit cold with the lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s.  If we are fortunate, we might get 2-4 inches of rain that will help fill up the local reservoirs.