Hope all is well Simpsonville!  I wanted to update you on a few things around the city that has happened since we last spoke.  (1) The city won an award at the MASC meetings last month for the Simpsonville Arts Center.  The city was presented with the John P. Riley Jr. Award for Economic Development.  If you haven’t had a chance to go inside the SAC yet, you really need to.  The rehab of this building is beautiful and worth the price of admissions.  Along with the SAC, there was some kind of issue that arose from The Milltown Players who performed there, and they ended up parting ways with the city and will not be finishing their 2023 show scheduled.  However, the Arts Center is still going to provide shows and entertainment.  You can go to their website www.SimpsonvilleArtsCenter.com to see the future show schedule.  (2)  The sign ups to run for Council and Mayor seats have come and gone.  Several citizens signed up to run in Ward 1, Ward 3 and Ward 5. Two others along with the current mayor signed up to run for the mayor’s seat.  The election is coming up this November.  (3) Council passed 2 new ordinances in our last meeting.  One will prevent drivers to cut through private roads and parking lots to avoid traffic or traffic lights.  The city has had many complaints from local business owners on both the speed of drivers as well as the number of cars.  This is private property after all and not city streets.  It was proving itself to be very unsafe.  Police will do what they can to inform the public, but eventually this will lead to a fine of up to $250 for violators.  The other item Council passed was to make it harder for business partners of a business that Council revoked, from allowing them to come back into the city and applying for a new business license.   For example, Council rejected a business license from a business in the city last spring for selling tobacco products to underage teenagers.  This business was warned by police and written up over 10 times.  Eventually, Council had to step in and revoke their license.  This ordinance will prevent, or at least make it very difficult, for a business partner of the same business to apply for a new license in the city of the same kind of business.  This was passed simply to prevent law breakers from continuing bad behavior and in this case, endangering our youth.  (4) A new outdoor eating facility will be coming to our downtown area at 136 S. Main Street next spring.  Being built on what was previously Danny Smith’s “Fixin’ & Fillin’ location, this will be another place you can eat outside and listen to live entertainment.   Since it wasn’t a rezoning application, the business owners nor developer had to come before Council.  Though many believe that Council has 100% say so of everything that happens here, that theory is very incorrect.  Here is a prime example of just that. 

Again, I hope you are well and this column informs you of what is going on in the city and things that will be coming to the city.  As far as the street reconfiguring, we still do not have any solid dates from the SCDOT…so stand by for future announcements on this. 

Please, reach out to me at any time if there is anything that I can do. 

God Bless!
Aaron Rupe
Simpsonville City Council
Ward 2■