City Council recently amended the City ordinance for temporary signs to allow them in the right of way in residential areas only, provided they are 3 feet from the curb.
Temporary signs are prohibited in the public right of way, including medians and areas between the curb and sidewalk, in business districts, and on any street sign, utility pole, and light pole in the city.
The ordinance is included here, with the amended language italicized: 157.109. TEMPORARY SIGNS The following conditions shall apply to temporary signs. A. Temporary signs shall not exceed three square feet in residential zoning districts and 32 square feet in nonresidential zoning districts. A. Temporary signs shall be removed or replaced every 30 days, unless otherwise stated in this section. B. Temporary signs are prohibited on public property, street signs, utility poles, light poles, and in the public right of way, including medians and areas between the curb and sidewalk, unless the right of way adjoins the yard of a residential use adjacent to the right of way and the sign is more than 3 feet from the edge of the paved roadway. C. Temporary signs shall be limited to one per street frontage. D. Temporary signs shall not be illuminated. E. [RESERVED] F. Banners are allowed with a permit only in the CBD, GBD, LBD, OI, IND and CMU zoning districts.
Banners must be attached to a building and cannot exceed 32 square feet.
Only one banner shall be allowed per building.
Banners are allowed only if the combined square footage of the banner and all other signs does not exceed the maximum square footage allowed for building signs.
Excitement! Excitement is what I feel in taking the reins as Camden’s new mayor. What a great honor to lead the city I love so dearly. First, thank you to all my friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens for trusting me in this new role. Second, I pledge to each of you that I will do my utmost to be the best mayor in America and to help make Camden the best City it can be.
We all should know how lucky we are to live in this great City, where neighbors still know neighbors, people still treat others with respect, and families can grow surrounded by love and support. My goals as Mayor are to continue the good traditions we have and make changes to improve our City even more. We can do this!
Camden has been blessed with strong leadership, including our outgoing mayor and council. We owe them our thanks for their willingness to take on tough matters simply because of their love for our City. We also owe our thanks to our City employees for their dedication and hard work.
Here are a few of my top priorities to get working on right away: recruit new grocery stores to our City; explore innovative ways and modernization efforts to stabilize customers’ utility bills; engage with our citizens to guide development within Camden and preserve our heritage; make Camden a top destination for weekend visitors and tourists, help small businesses grow and prosper; the homelessness issues that have arisen in our downtown. Of foremost importance is improving the communication between our City government and our citizens.
There are other issues to take on, too many to list, but they include improving employee morale, cleaning up our City, modernizing facilities, removing large truck traffic downtown, and making our streets more walkable. I am committed to tackling these issues facing us with the support of our community.
Here are a few concrete steps I plan to implement immediately: regularly issue a newsletter to Camden’s citizens, updating them on what’s happening in the City; create a Mayor’s Cabinet of select nonprofits in the community to coordinate and provide critical services; the appointment of task forces made up of citizens and Council members to make recommendations on specific areas that need improvement in the operation of our City.
Growth is coming to Camden and we don’t have to be beggars anymore; we can be choosers. Together we should determine what Camden’s future will be and what environment our children and grandchildren experience. We hold a sacred trust to the generations that follow us to make Camden a better place than we found it.
Finally, I have decided to donate my Mayor’s salary back to the City of Camden, for the specific purpose of rewarding employees who go above and beyond the call of duty in their work. This decision is not to say that the Mayor and City Council members do not deserve a salary – in fact they deserve more than they receive for all the work they do. However, I am in a unique position after having served in many roles in our state and community and feel like it’s time for me to also give back in this way. My hope is that our City employees take this decision as a manifestation of my commitment to and confidence in them.
The African American Cultural Center of Camden will start Black History Month by hosting a “Let’s Talk About…” symposium on Saturday, February 1st at 1:00 pm in Liberty Hall at the Revolutionary War Visitor Center, 212 Broad Street.
The symposium, “Artists: Gatekeepers of the Human Experience” will feature ethnomusicologist and associate professor Dr. Birgitta Johnson of the University of South Carolina School of Music. Dr. Johnson will explore the field of musicology, its function in society, and what musicologists do in the cultural context, and how that has changed over time.
Light refreshments to be served following the symposium. Registration is not required, but encouraged by calling 803-432-2421 x1153 or emailing kspadacenta@camdensc.org.
The African American Cultural Center will also add additional hours beginning in February, open Fridays from 1:00 to 4:00 pm and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, at 517 York Street. An exhibit featuring some of Camden’s notable African Americans throughout history is on display, and will be added to throughout Black History Month.
The African American Cultural Center of Camden encourages an understanding of and an appreciation for the history and culture of people of African descent through discussions, exhibits, tours, lectures, and genealogical activities. A basic tenet of the African American Cultural Center is that we all are connected and have shared links through places, people, passions, and stories, making a stronger, more united city, state, region, and nation. The African American Cultural Center preserves documents and artifacts which reveal the stories and legacies of the Camden community of African descent.
The City of Camden, South Carolina (hereafter, the “City”) invites registered architects with historic preservation experience to submit their qualifications to be considered for a historic preservation planning project for Aberdeen, Camden, South Carolina. Shawn Putnam (Planning and Development Director) will receive qualification statements until 12:00 noon on February 14, 2025, via email ONLY at putnam@camdensc.org. Questions should be directed to Mr. Putnam at the email listed above.
Aberdeen is located at 1409 Broad Street, Camden, South Carolina. The Samuel Mathis House, known as “Aberdeen, was built ca. 1805 and is a contributing resource to the National Register of Historic Places-listed City of Camden Historic District. Built by prominent Camden residents Samuel and Margaret Mathis, Aberdeen remained in the family until the 20th century and has been continuously occupied as a family home until it was gifted to the City of Camden in 2021. Originally a simple one-story frame house built over a raised basement, the house sat on 273 acres close to the Mathis Store and a mile from the center of town. As the town grew, the acreage was subdivided and other homes built into one of the first neighborhoods in Camden. Even with the increased size from a ca. 1850 renovation, Aberdeen remains unique as a folk cottage style home in a neighborhood filled with typical antebellum two-story homes. It is also one of the few homes in Camden with Gothic revival elements. Currently managed by the City of Camden, Aberdeen is the only historic home open for tours in Camden. The City seeks the services of a registered architect or team of architects experienced in historic preservation to assess the existing conditions and produce plans and specifications for the stabilization and weatherization of Aberdeen.
The project has been funded by a state historic preservation grant, administered by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH). The conditions assessment and plans and specifications will be reviewed by SCDAH for compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
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.
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
