Mayor Vincent Sheheen has announced the establishment of the Mayor’s Cabinet.
The purpose of the Mayor’s Cabinet is to bring together a select group of non-profits in the community who perform services often handled by municipal government in other communities.
The goals of the Cabinet are to assist in coordinating service delivery, increase communications, enable joint planning, and any other areas necessary to provide benefits to the citizens of Camden.
The Mayor’s Cabinet shall begin work as soon as possible and shall be supported by staff of the City of Camden and the Cabinet Members. The Mayor’s Cabinet shall consist of the Mayor of the City of Camden and the Directors of the Arts Center of Kershaw County, United Way of Kershaw County, and the Historic Camden Foundation.
It is anticipated that the Mayor’s Cabinet shall meet quarterly or as needed, and coordinate activities as appropriate.
The City of Camden’s annual Arbor Day Ceremony and tree planting on Friday, December 6th commemorated the Arts Center of Kershaw County’s 50th Anniversary season this year.
“I spent so many years here as a child and have so many great memories here,” said Mayor Vincent Sheheen as he opened the program. “And I am excited to return here, as Mayor, and celebrate 50 years of the Arts Center and honor that with this Arbor Day commemoration.”
Mayor Sheheen was joined by City Councilman William Wilkes in the reading of the proclamation for Arbor Day, before presenting it to Arts Center Executive Director Dolly Patton. Each year, the City of Camden plants a tree to honor or commemorate an individual, group or organization. The City’s Parks & Trees Commission chooses the recipient of each Arbor Day tree planting. This year, a Chinese Fringetree, commonly referred to as the “Grancy Graybeard,” was chosen for the Arts Center and planted between the Douglas Reed House and the Daniels Education building.
“On behalf of the Arts Center of Kershaw County, I would like to sincerely thank the City of Camden for honoring 50 years of the Arts Center with the planting of a tree on Arbor Day,” said Arts Center Board President Lee Inabinet. “We are incredibly proud that, for the past 50 years, we have been able to serve the community through countless musical concerts, festivals, educational classes, theater productions and dance performances. We are deeply grateful and humbled by this recognition. It is our hope that 50 years from now, the citizens of Kershaw County will gather beneath this tree to celebrate 100 years of the arts in our community.”
Arbor Day began in Nebraska on April 10, 1872, when more than one million trees were planted as part of the celebration. In the U.S., Arbor Day is most commonly observed on the last Friday in April, but South Carolina is the only state to observe Arbor Day on the first Friday of December. This coincides with the best tree planting weather for this region, while trees are dormant and will focus on root growth instead of leaf production when planted.
Camden feels extra special during the holiday season, with our lights and decorations, events and activities and the general small town charm. Parades, performances, markets and other holiday fun abound and shops and restaurants are bustling with good cheer and great gift ideas.
Make plans to join in on some of these special holiday events and activities, starting with the City of Camden’s annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, December 5 at 6:00 pm at Broad Street Park, at the corner of Broad and Rutledge Street. The Tree Lighting Ceremony is a part of the Downtown Camden Cultural District’s “Christmas Wonderland”, where you’ll find a variety of activities and merchants will have extended shopping hours on the three Thursdays leading up to Christmas, December 5, 12 and 19. It also kicks off the “12 Days of Christmas”, highlighting community events taking place in and around Camden between December 5 and December 16, plus some bonus events leading up to Christmas. In addition to traditional holiday events, many local businesses will host open houses, pop-up shops, visits with Santa, and more fun and festive ways to help you complete your holiday shopping with less stress.
Here’s a listing of events taking place during the 12 Days of Christmas. Check back often, as more are added each week. We hope to see you out there!
Thursday, December 5
Holiday Market – 11:00 am – 6:00 pm – Arts Center of Kershaw County, 810 Lyttleton Street
The City of Camden, South Carolina is seeking qualified vendors to provide a totally integrated/cloud based Financial System and Utility Billing Software. Read the full Request for Qualifications here.
The City of Camden, South Carolina (the “City”) is seeking professional architectural and engineering services for the assessment of the Robert Mills Courthouse located at 607 Broad Street. Read the full Request for Qualifications here.
An assessment of this building is needed to determine the structural integrity, as well as the condition of the interior and exterior of the building. Following the assessment, the City requires recommendations for the repairs, improvements, and restoration for each building, including prioritization of and estimated costs for each recommendation.
The selected firm must be experienced in the historically sensitive assessment and restoration of older buildings. It will be critical that the selected firm can accurately estimate the scope and cost of the recommended improvements in order to provide budgetary figures. The scope of work should be broken down into the following categories: exterior, interior first floor and interior second floor.
Sealed Proposals shall be delivered under the terms and conditions of this RFQ, via mail or hand-delivery, as follows:
By Mail: City of Camden Attention: Shawn Putnam Post Office Box 7002 Camden, SC 29021
Hand-Delivery: City of Camden Attention: Shawn Putnam 1000 Lyttleton Street Camden, SC 29020
Proposals will be accepted until 12:00 PM, November 27, 2024. Any Proposals received after 12:00 PM, November 27, 2024 shall not be accepted. Further, any delay in receipt of the Proposal, whether by mail or hand-delivery, or any incompleteness or illegible portions of any Proposal, will be the responsibility of the bidder.
On September 10, 2024, Camden City Council approved a moratorium on new residential development within the city limits.
The purpose of the moratorium is to pause residential development to determine if changes are needed to development ordinances in order to allow for orderly growth, address increased demand for public services and infrastructure, and consider possible environmental impacts of development.
The moratorium only applies to new residential subdivisions. This includes any subdivision that contains single-family or multi-family homes. Any residential subdivision that received preliminary plat approval prior to the enactment of the moratorium is not affected. Commercial and non-residential development is not affected by the moratorium.
The moratorium is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2025 and may be extended by a resolution approved by City Council.
