Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments Receives Award for “Beating Blight” Project

Santee Lynches Regional Council of Governments
2525 Corporate Way, Suite 200
Sumter SC 29154

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
Kyle Kelly (803-774-1377)

November 29, 2018
Sumter, SC – For Immediate Release

Sumter, SC – Santee-Lynches Council of Governments based in Sumter, SC has received a 2018 Aliceann Wohlbruck Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for the project “Tomorrow Together: The City of Manning’s Comprehensive Plan”.

Tomorrow Together is a proactive action-oriented Comprehensive Plan that outlines the City of Manning's aspirations to design the city it desires to become. Manning, a city of over 4,000 that serves as the county seat for Clarendon County, was in need of a new roadmap to position the city to capitalize on the momentum it has made in recent years on a number of initiatives that have improved the quality of life for its citizens and set a vision for future growth. The resulting plan ensures the city’s compliance with the State of South Carolina’s 1994 Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act, but does so in a way that is unique to Manning.

Traditionally, a small South Carolina city’s needs and services are intertwined across the categories of planning - namely transportation, natural resources, housing, community facilities, cultural resources, economic development, and land use. These elements are enshrined in the state’s law as required parts of a Comprehensive Plan, and are normally established as standalone chapters in a plan that resembles an inventory of assets with very little emphasis on goals and objectives, which turn the planning document into an action plan.

Manning’s approach, supported by Santee-Lynches planners, was to establish four cross-cutting goals and connect them to each of the required elements rather than create separate goals based on those elements. The four thematic goals are 1) Vibrant downtown, corridors, and neighborhoods; 2) Services, opportunities, and amenities for all; 3) A healthy and safe community; and 4) Job opportunities and economic vitality. The resulting plan combines a Current Conditions Inventory, a document that provides an inventory and assessment of various aspects of Manning, with a strategic plan which lays out the goals and objectives that will help make Manning a more vibrant and livable place.

Award-winning projects were honored during NADO’s 2018 Annual Training Conference, held October 13 – 16 in Charlotte, NC. The 2018 class of award recipients consists of 90 projects spanning 24 states. Santee-Lynches has won at least one national award 4 out of the past 5 years.

Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments is a premier organization committed to optimizing each member’s unique strengths by leading regional unity to create global impacts and cultivating a highly desired region to live, work, and play. We serve the counties of Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee and Sumter and the cities of Bishopville, Camden, Manning and Sumter. Our mission is to deliberately enhance the quality of life and provide opportunities for the advancement of our region.

We are a member of the SC COG network (SCCOGS.org). Collectively, the SC COGS are also solution providers, conveners, and consultants to the 10 regions of South Carolina. We provide a standard of excellence in the delivery of federal, state and regional services for our member communities to benefit all of South Carolina.

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