HAMPTON - If folks want to use our county courthouse square, there will be a few rules to abide by.
Monday night the Hampton County Council approved a Courthouse Grounds Usage Policy for the Hampton County Watermelon Festival and other organizations that wish to stage events at the county courthouse.
Among the requirements listed in the policy is that the front parking lot of the courthouse could no longer be used for bleachers or trailers of any kind, which includes many of the food vendors who traditionally set up shop at the festival.
"I think it's fair," said councilman Chris Haulsee, former Festival Chairman. "I'm a little torn, personally, on a couple of things, but I don't think the county is asking too much."
The policy spells out 19 other requirements and forbids the use of any motorized vehicles on the courthouse square (except wheelchairs), the use of fireworks or cooking grease on the grounds, and the placement of any Port-A-Potties on the courthouse grounds. The policy also requires that all landscaping and flower beds be fenced off, and that tent stakes are prohibited.
Courthouse security will remain in force, and entry to the courthouse for non-business related matters will not be allowed.
"We'll see, after June, how this works," said Council chair Hugh Gray.
"Yes we will, I'd hate to see the festival not be there in the future," added Haulsee.

Economic announcements
In economic development matters, the council awarded the bid to construct a 50,000 square foot spec building at the Southern Carolina Commerce Park (also known as the Mega Site) to Trident Construction Company, which submitted the lowest bid of $1,537,000. Trident is the company that built the new Hampton Regional Medical Center.
The county has already secured $1 million in grant and/or private funding for this project, with the balance close at hand. A contract for construction will not be signed until all funding is received, said Economic Development Director Sandy Fowler, and this contract will have to approved by council.
Fowler also announced a $50,000 Coordinating Council Rural Infrastructure Grant was to be awarded to an existing industry, Spencer Industries in Hampton, and that bids would go out for the renovation of H. Mungin Center in Varnville by October. Construction on that project could begin by early 2011 to be completed by the fall of that year.
"We are proving to our local industries that Hampton County is the place to be," said Fowler. "We are open for business and we are cooking with gas."
The council also:
- Announced that a total of $8,826,100.85 has been received to date from the completed Capital Projects Sales Tax, with a final payment to be received in June. The council also reminded merchants and consumers that this project expired in December and to check your receipts to ensure you are paying 7 percent sales tax instead of 8 percent.
- Discussed several of the county's top needs during a Community Development Block Grant needs assessment. Among the needs listed were: a combined Fire/EMS Service, a multi-sport recreation facility, economic development, a four lane Highway 68 to the Industrial Park, road improvements, a new health department, a new library, a police substation, a viable airport, branding and signage to promote tourism, affordable housing, and a housing study.
The council expects to prioritize this list by the April 5 meeting.
- Awarded $2,429 in funding to the Community Animal Shelter of Hampton to complete its kennel expansion project. This money will come from contingency funds.
- Approved first reading by title only to the 2010-11 budget. The first budget workshop will be held March 22.
- Recognized County Risk Manager Dobie Hiers after the S.C. Workers Comp Trust recently awarded Hampton County with the Outstanding Safety Award and the Sustained Excellence in Risk Management Award.
- Appointed Louis Davis to the Keep Hampton County Beautiful Board and reappointed Dobie Hiers to the Hampton County Fire Board. Hiers is the county's Risk Manager and Battalion Fire Chief, and is the Fire Chief of Varnville and Cummings.
- Approved the Watermelon Festival Association's request to again use the airport clay pits for the annual Mud Run on June 27.