Cup Plant to Close Amid $145M Dixie Expansion
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PRIDE OF DARLINGTON 2 OPINION 4 OBITUARIES 8 PUZZLES 7 LEGALS 11 CLASSIFIEDS PAGE 8 QUOTE ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.’ EDMUND BURKE Vol. 146, No. 6 NewONE SECTION • 12 PAGES s&PressESTABLISHED 1874 FEBRUARY 5, 2020 75¢ Darlington, S.C. WWW.NEWSANDPRESS.NET Cup plant to close amid $145M Dixie expansion By Bobby Bryant Darlington will not create new the city,” said Darlington said David Duncan, executive Pacific said its cup customers of city-owned property for a Editor jobs, but will modernize and Mayor Curtis Boyd – except for vice president for Georgia- “will continue to be served total of $187,000 to an undis- [email protected] expand the plate and bowl the fact that the plate-making Pacific’s Consumer Products from Georgia-Pacific Dixie closed buyer for undisclosed capacity of the facility,” plant will be shut down. But Group. “The demand for our plants in Lexington, Ky., and Georgia-Pacific has revealed Georgia-Pacific announced in a hopefully, Boyd said, many of plates and bowls continues to Lehigh Valley, Pa.” purposes. The council’s agenda the secret of “Project Peach,” press release. those employees will be able to grow as consumers value the “All of the future Darlington referred to this as an “econom- and it means good news and Referring to the 80 or so find jobs in other divisions of Dixie brand’s unique combina- operations will be clustered on ic development” deal known bad news for Darlington’s huge employees whose jobs will end the Dixie complex. tion of convenience and per- the Old Florence Road proper- only as “Project Peach.” Dixie plant. with the closing of the cup- The expansion will begin in formance.” ty, using the existing plate The good news: Georgia- making plant, Georgia-Pacific March with a targeted comple- Abraham Adkins, plant operation as the building block On March 5, when council Pacific is investing more than said: “During the coming tion of first quarter 2022. director for the Darlington for the expansion,” the compa- took a final vote on the deal, $145 million to expand and months, Georgia-Pacific will “During this time,” Georgia- Dixie operations, said in the ny said. the buyer of the land was modernize its operations for work with affected employees Pacific said, “the plate plant company’s news release: “This The announcement last revealed as Georgia-Pacific. On manufacturing paper plates on transitions to roles in plate will continue to operate. Over is an exciting investment for week resolves the mystery of May 9, during a work session and paper bowls. operations, other opportunities time, the site will add new our employees and our commu- “Project Peach,” the code name The bad news: The company within GP or other Koch com- machinery, including a new nity. It will transform the under which local governments on the city’s budget for this fis- is shutting down its cup-mak- panies or opportunities outside plate printing press. A new, Darlington plant into a modern have been discussing the cal year, building inspector ing plant here – the plant so of the company.” modern warehouse also will be and competitive operation.” Georgia-Pacific expansion plan Alex Gainey said the city well-known that most Total employment at the part of the expansion.” The cup-making plant is for at least a year. expected to earn $160,000 or Darlington residents refer to Darlington facility is about 500 “This truly is an investment expected to close “by On Feb. 12, 2019, the entire facility as “Dixie people, said company in our customers and con- September,” and its current dis- Darlington City Council, after a more in permitting fees as a Cup.” spokesman Tom Strother. sumers who use our products tribution center is to close half-hour executive session, result of “Project Peach” – sug- “The investment at The deal is “wonderful for and value the Dixie brand,” “sometime in 2021.” Georgia- voted to sell a total of 22 acres gesting a big building project. Darlington honors Carraway with new park Hartsville mayhem By Samantha Lyles shine and swing sets at the [email protected] Magnolia Street park (which features playground equipment ‘just heartbreaking’ On Thursday, Jan. 30, and a basketball court), guest Darlington celebrated the offi- speakers shared memories of By Bobby Bryant cial opening of a new city park Editor Carraway. [email protected] named in honor of fallen police Andrews, who began his officer Sgt. Terrence Carraway remarks by noting that former On Jan. 26, two men fired with a ribbon cutting ceremony Mayor of Darlington Gloria volleys of gunshots into a attended by Carraway's family Hines had in 2016 prioritized crowd of perhaps 200 people and friends. at Mac’s Lounge on Camden While kids enjoyed the sun- PARK ON PAGE 12 Avenue in Hartsville. Now, Darlington County residents are dealing with grief for the Mills Dickey three men killed, concern for the three hospitalized with W h i s p e r e r ” gunshot wounds and shock because of his that a mass shooting could love for his happen here. three dogs “Never in 1 million years ( D i a m o n d , would I think that this would Envy and be my family’s turn. And to be Obama). He honest, this should not be also loved another family’s turn,” Rev. fishing and William Robinson Jr., brother football. McCall of one of the slain men, told A third WPDE-TV. “Stop the violence, person, iden- man. Stop it. Put the guns tified by Darlington County Ribbon-cutting at Darlington’s new Terrence Carraway Park. Coroner Todd Hardee as down, put the metal down. (More photos on Page 12.) PHOTO BY SAMANTHA LYLES Mayor Curtis Boyd speaks at park. PHOTO BY SAMANTHA LYLES Garrett Bakhsh, 18, a Talk, man. Learn to talk it Maryland student attending out.” Coker University, died two Bryan Robinson, 29, died days after being wounded in in the attack on the bar, along the attack. Bakhsh, according Names are near for 2 new schools with Dicaprio Collins, 21 to news reports, was in his (some news reports spell his By Bobby Bryant got a look at each community’s Elementary (63 percent), one to name Darlington’s new first semester at Coker. He first name Decapio). Editor was the son of two police offi- favorite picks during the Jan. Lamar Elementary (33 per- elementary school, opening Robinson’s obituary on Hines [email protected] cers and was studying crimi- 27 board meeting. cent) and Lamar Community this year, for J.L. Cain. (The Funeral Home’s website nal justice. For the new school in Elementary (4 percent). describes him as “a nurturing “Bay Road Elementary” and Hartsville, the community likes The board also will decide new elementary will replace a The first two identified “Lamar-Spaulding Elementary” school that’s long been named man who had a deep and pro- suspects, Darius Grant Bay Road Elementary (32 per- on mascots for the new schools. found love for people. … He are the public’s top choices for for Cain and another school, Dickey, 20, and Davijon Kahlil cent), Hartsville Elementary For Hartsville, the finalists are was a peacemaker and a names for new $20 million (25 percent), South Hartsville Bear, Eagle, Fox, Phoenix and Brunson-Dargan.) Committees McCall, 24, of Hartsville, are schools being built in Hartsville problem-solver with the most in the Darlington County jail. Elementary (23 percent), New Wolf. For Lamar, the finalists were formed, choices narrowed and Lamar. humble spirit and smile.” Dickey was charged with four Heights Elementary (13 per- are Bear, Fox, Lion, Tiger and The obituary says he The Darlington County and votes were cast by e-mail counts of attempted murder, cent) and Unity Elementary (7 Panther. worked with his father at school board will have final say and paper ballots. pointing and presenting a percent). School district spokes- Gainey Tool and Fab. He was on the names – a vote is expect- For Lamar’s school, the woman Audrey Childers said Also at last week’s meeting, known as “the Dog SHOOTING ON PAGE 3 ed this month – but members favorites are Lamar-Spaulding the voting process followed the NAMES ON PAGE 3 Kilgo seeks re-election FDTC receives clean audit, but needs enrollment boost to County Council By Samantha Lyles revenues held steady year-to- Poston said FDTC's assets [email protected] year at about $28 million. All total about $66.4 million for Robert L. “Bobby” Kilgo Jr. is these issues. adult stepdaughters and eight The Florence-Darlington told, the school's net position 2019, down from about $68 seeking re-election for Kilgo understands the pri- grandchildren. He enjoys decreased by $2.4 million in million in 2018 – a decrease Darlington County Council mary mission of council is to books, travel and most espe- Technical College (FDTC) Commission on Technical 2019. primarily due to those assets District 1. His district includes bring jobs to Darlington cially helping the citizens of “Your enrollment was depreciating in value. much of the city of Darlington County. Since Kilgo was elect- Darlington. Education met on Jan. 28 and received the good news that down last year. When your Current liabilities - “basi- and Palmetto Precinct. He has ed, the county has seen the After retiring from the prac- enrollment's down, tuition's cally what you owe people,” represented the district since 2013 expansion of Canfor in tice of law, he returned to col- the school's most recent audit revealed no major accounting down, and everything has a said Poston – totaled $5.8 mil- 2013.