Juanita Thompson

The Sumter Board of Realtors® participated in Sumter's Microbrew Festival again this year. Last year wasn't the first year the Board participated, it was just the first time I participated. We had a blast, so we were really looking forward to it.

The weather was grim for most of the day, raining all day, occasionally coming down in buckets -- or as a former commander of mine used to put it, "raining like a cow p*****g on a flat rock." By two the rain had stopped, the weather radar indicated no storms approaching, the temperature was cool and comfortable. And we got quite a crowd.

The city doesn't supply food for the Microbrew Festival, I don't know why. They make arrangements with a caterer for the Sip and Stroll (wine tasting), but not the beer tasting. So we came up with our own plan. We rented a popcorn maker, bought chips and crackers and peanuts, and made cucumber sandwiches. The cucumber sandwiches were so popular we ran out well before the event was over and we had to raid our fridge for something else to feed people with. The pimento cheese and tomato sandwiches disappeared in short order and then all we had left was chips and cookies and nuts. Which we still have plenty of, by the way -- do you need any?

Anyway, some photos.

A few years ago a developer had a plan for what was said would be a garbage dump located near Shaw Air Force Base, in the area zoned to prevent residential encroachment on the base. That's the sort of thing that gets bases closed, and we don't want the base to close. Turned out it wasn't going to be a trash dump, but a place to collect construction waste - asphalt, sand, etc. And a few weeks ago in the local paper there was an article saying that earlier this year the developer came at the problem again, saying he was proposing a sand mine and concrete manufacturing plant.

Some history: A few years ago, when the word was being spread by a local citizen (who shall remain nameless), who lives over that way, that it was going to be a garbage dump she managed to get lots of people wound up about it. Not in itself a bad thing - people should be aware of what's going on in their neighborhoods and what's being planned to change things. The problem was that Ms Local Citizen had her facts wrong, including the proposed location. She was telling people it was going to be right across the street from an established subdivision.

When I was working in real estate, for the company that was taken over by another one last year, we used to work a model home at the entrance of a subdivision close to that contested area, behind the base. One day one of the agents, a friend of mine, was on duty out there when Ms Local Citizen marched in armed with pamphlets, buttonholed her and proceeded to read her the riot act about the "trash dump." She did this because at the time the developer was renting an office in our boss' building and had his sign out front, under the agency's sign. So naturally we were in cahoots with the guy about the trash dump. Or at least that was Ms Local Citizen's reasoning.

Ms Local Citizen got so belligerent the agent ended up demanding she leave. I don't know what she thought she was going to accomplish by browbeating a Real estate agent. Real estate agents have no leverage at all with developers, even ones that are renting offices in the same building they work in.

Some weeks later there was a hearing at the Board of Zoning Appeals. The room was packed. I know, I was there. So were several other agents. The plan to install the dump - the construction materials dump - was heard. Ms Local Citizen got up and spoke at length, demanding a decision right then. She got belligerent with the Board, too, even though they heard her out - even when she repeated her talking points three times. They didn't kick her out but they did end up pretty much telling her to shut up and sit down.

The developer ended up withdrawing his request and the whole issue seemed to die. Except he hadn't given up. A few weeks ago, there was another hearing regarding his proposal to open a sand and gravel mine. Ms Local Citizen was there. It wasn't so well attended this time, though. Only 22 people showed up.

The developer was granted permission to open his sand and gravel mine. The residents - at least the ones who bothered to show up for the hearing - weren't happy. The roads out there are going to take a beating. I drive those roads several times a week, so even though I don't live out that way it's going to be obvious to me if the sand and gravel mine trucks are causing a problem.

I can't help but wonder if the drastic decrease in interest by citizens who live out there have anything to do with her completely buffooning - or misrepresenting, who knows - the "trash dump's" purpose and location. Or her belligerent attitude.

But it looks like we're getting a sand and gravel mine out there. Not sure when. May be years from now.

And Ms Local Citizen will have to find another hobby horse to ride. Can't wait to find out what it is.

The office puppy is again in residence today. Compare last blog entry's photos to this, and see how she's growing!

Good dog!

Today one of my co-workers brought a lab puppy in she's thinking about buying. Yes, thinking. That's a foreign concept to me. But then it takes me about 30 seconds to bond with a critter, so taking a puppy home for the purpose of thinking about whether you want to keep him or her -- does not compute.

Here she is. Isn't she the cutest thing ever?

We spent the day (in between real work, of course) trying to decide what her name is.

We do work. Really.

Beach Forest is a subdivision of upscale brick homes right outside Sumter, SC that was originally intended to be a stand-alone community.  It was to have shops and recreation and very nice homes, some on watefront, all within a short drive of Sumter's amenities.  And it may yet have all that, it's just taking a tad bit longer to complete than the developers had in mind.  Not that it's a bad place to be, oh no.  The homes there are beautiful.

There have been 12 sales there in the past six months.  Average list price was $217,383; average sales price was $205,167 (94.17%).  Average days on market were 252 and average price per square foot was $92.41.

At the moment there are 14 homes for sale, and 16 lots.

That information came from the Sumter Board of Realtors® / MLS on January 30, 2011.

Here's a video I took yesterday while I was driving around.  Enjoy.