Fatimah Brunson loves to make people laugh.

“If I can put a smile on your face, I’m good,” she said with a smile.

Now well known for her friendly demeanor and strong work ethic, Brunson has been with Sumter County Government for 15 years.

“It’s been good – I try to do my best and this is what I would do at home because I want to be comfortable, too,” she said.

Assigned to the Administration building, Brunson is the consummate detail-oriented individual who takes every aspect of her job seriously.

She cleans everything.

“The whole building every day,” she said. “Whatever I can’t see with my eyes doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

The Administration building houses the offices of the Assessor, the Auditor and the Treasurer – three departments with plenty of foot traffic and visitors from the general public. The building is also home to the Finance and Purchasing departments, along with the Administration, Clerk to Council, Council Chambers and the County Attorney.

“Fatimah does a wonderful job and we’re very proud of her,” said Lorraine Dennis, Assistant Administrator. “Before the pandemic we placed a high value on ensuring our buildings are clean and tidy and the last year has shone a spotlight on how important it is to keep everything sanitized, clean and safe for all of us. And if Fatima was getting a report card, it would be an A plus.”

If you see her during the work day, she might be listening to gospel music or hip-hop while she works, depending on the mood. She and her family are still processing the recent and sudden loss of her brother, Ali Brunson, 39, and she’s found gospel music helps.

“I’m still dealing with it but it’s still tough,” she said. “But the music calms me.”

Born in Sumter, Fatimah has an older sister, Majeeda, and younger brother, Kareem. She is also the proud mother of her son Shiheim McCray, 23, and daughter Diamond Brunson, 19.

When she has free time, they’re just chilling at home.

“My house is the hangout spot,” she said, laughing.

She’s also taking online classes to learn about medical billing and has almost completed the courses.

She jokes that when she gets off work, if she’s not doing coursework, she’s “doing the same thing I do here,” and cleaning up after her kids.

But then, when the day comes to an end…..

“The TV will watch me,” she said, laughing again. “Watch me lay down and go to sleep.”

*See PDF for information and scheduling.

You can register online here: 
https://reconline.sumtercountysc.org/wbwsc/webtrac.wsc/splash.html?InterfaceParameter=WebTrac_1

Recreation & Parks is 803-436-2248

*See PDF for information and scheduling.

You can register online here: 
https://reconline.sumtercountysc.org/wbwsc/webtrac.wsc/splash.html?InterfaceParameter=WebTrac_1

Recreation & Parks is 803-436-2248

*See PDF for information and scheduling.

A legendary group of African-American aviators will be celebrated in a traveling exhibit at the Sumter County Museum.

“The Tuskegee Airmen: The Segregated Skies of World War II,” will be on display at the museum from Jan. 21 to March 27, 2021.

Sumter County Museum Executive Director Annie Rivers said the exhibit in McKenzie Hall has been brought to Sumter courtesy of Kennesaw State University’s Museum of History and Holocaust Education. She became familiar with the university when the museum was in the process of bringing Temple Sinai Jewish History Center into their fold.

“I saw the traveling exhibits and there’s a focus on World War II history,” she said, “and thought it would be great to come here.”

With the recent unveiling of the Sumter Veterans Park, which will feature a replica P-51 Mustang and honors the Tuskegee Airmen, Rivers said it was a natural fit to have the exhibit here.

Also opening on Jan. 21 is “The Tragedy of St. Louis,” an exhibit at Temple Sinai Jewish History Center which tells the story of Jewish refugees who fled Germany in 1939 but were refused entry into Cuba.

Rivers said that exhibit is also in place courtesy of Kennesaw State University and a grant from the Atlanta-based Breman Foundation and will be here until March 27.

The Sumter County Museum’s website is getting a makeover, she said, thanks to Education and Visitor Services Manager Amanda Cox.

“We’re just about ready to unveil the full website,” Rivers said. “We’re excited to be able to do more with it.”

She also teamed with Cox to create several panels on display dedicated to showcasing our local Tuskegee Airmen – Willie L. Ashley Jr., Leroy Bowman, James P. Rembert and Emmett J. Rice. Also featured are a panel about James E. Randall, who was later stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, and a panel about the new Veterans Park.

The Sumter County Museum is located at 122 N. Washington St. and is open Thursday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (803) 775-0908

*See PDF for information and scheduling.

A bulk of South Carolina's population is now eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Those now eligible include:

• Anyone aged 55 and up

• People with increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
  • People aged 16-54 with one or more of the following high-risk medical conditions:
    • Cancer (current, not a history of cancer), chronic kidney disease (any stage), chronic lung disease, diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2), Down syndrome, heart disease (congestive heart disease, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary hypertension), HIV/AIDS, solid organ transplant, obesity (BMI >30), pregnancy, sickle cell disease.
  • People who have a developmental or other severe high-risk disability that makes developing severe life-threatening illness or death from COVID-19 infection more likely
• Frontline workers with increased occupational risk
  • Frontline workers with increased occupational risk are people who:
    • Must be in-person at their place of work, and
    • Perform a job that puts them at increased risk of exposure due to their frequent, close (less than6 feet) and ongoing (more than 15 minutes) contact with others in the work environment
      • A person's eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine isn't based on a specific job or work sector. If a person decides that they meet job risk using the criteria above, they are eligible.
      • Some examples of people who may be frontline workers based on risk may include school staff and daycare workers, criminal justice staff, government employees, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, and law enforcement officers.
• Individuals at increased risk in settings where people are living and working in close contact
  • Residents and workers in group home settings for the mentally or physically disabled or those with behavioral or substance abuse conditions
  • Workers and residents in homeless shelters
  • Workers and residents in community training homes
  • State and local correctional facility staff with direct inmate contact
  • Correctional and immigration detention facility inmates
  • Migrant farmworkers living in shared housing or reliant on shared transportation
• All workers in healthcare and community health settings who have routine, direct patient contact and were not vaccinated in Phase 1a

These are the locations in Sumter giving out vaccines:

Sumter Cut Rate Drug Store, 32 South Main Street. 
For more information: 803-773-8432
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Prisma Health Tuomey, 129 North Washington Street

Prisma info: https://prismahealth.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine

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Doctors Care at 2475 Broad Street 

Doctors Care info: https://doctorscare.com/coronavirus-information/

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Walmart's Pharmacy at 343 Pinewood Road 

https://www.walmart.com/cp/1228302

The CVS at 1080 Alice Drive 

https://www.cvs.com/


The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control: https://scdhec.gov/covid19
The DHEC Care Line is 1-855-472-3432

*See PDF for information and scheduling.

If you have a case in Family Court, you can now go online to check for any updates.

The Family Court Public Access allows you to go online and find out about scheduled hearings, the ability to search the docket, and the opportunity to search and find relevant case information quickly and easily.

The link is available through Sumter County’s website here: http://cms7.revize.com/revize/sumtersc/departments/e_-_i/family_court/index.php

*See PDF for information and scheduling.

The Santee Wateree Regional Transportation Authority is offering free rides on its buses and shuttles in Sumter County for the foreseeable future.

“We want to assist our citizens and to build up ridership and to let them know we are doing all we can do for our citizens,” said Lottie Jones, the Executive Director of SWRTA.

As the coronavirus has impacted pretty much every aspect of our lives, public transportation has been hit hard as well.

“We understand the hardship it’s had on folks in our area. And for the unemployed who may need to go places, but may not have funds,” she said.

Right now, SWRTA is operating only in Sumter and Lee counties, but continues to offer service to and from Columbia. The mid-day Express Commuter Route has been especially helpful for veterans who have appointments at the VA Hospital in Columbia, she said.

This service runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and is available not just for veterans, but for anyone who needs to go to Columbia and get back to Sumter.

Riders are required to wear masks, she said, and social distancing measures are in place. The SWRTA is in the process of putting hand-free sanitizer on the buses, she said, while several daily cleanings are now part of the normal protocol.

“We’ve taken many safety precautions,” she said, “and we want folks to feel secure while riding our vehicles.”

*See PDF for information and scheduling.

As of 11:59 p.m. on March 5, 2021, there have been 525,865 cases of Covid-19 in South Carolina, according to the state Department of Environmental Health and Control (DHEC).

There have unfortunately been 8,754 deaths, with 20,542 hospitalizations and a total number of tests reaching 6,155,586.  

For Sumter County, we’ve seen 9,615 cases of Covid-19, with 464 hospitalizations and 175 deaths. The total number of tests performed has been 108,148.

staying healthy: Wear a mask in public, socially distance from others by staying at least six feet apart, wash your hands often, avoid crowds and crowded places and if you don’t feel well, stay home.

If you don’t feel well you need to get tested.

There will be FREE TESTING at Alice Drive Baptist Church, 1305 Loring Mill Road, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, March 8 to Friday, March 12. Neither an appointment nor referral is needed. Saliva testing - do not eat or drink or smoke 30 minutes prior to testing. More information: 803-670-2998


There will be FREE TESTING at the Sumter County Health Department, 105 N. Magnolia St., from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Monday, March 8 to Friday, March 12. Neither an appointment nor a referral is needed, but you are urged to signup here: https://mako.luminatehealth.com/common/signup

There will be FREE TESTING at Central Carolina Technical College, 506 North Guignard Drive, courtesy of Tour Health, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday, March 8 to Sunday, March 14, 2021. No referral is needed, but an appointment is needed. You can register here: https://www.tourhealth.com/

There will be FREE TESTING at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital, 216 North Main Street, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, March 8 and from Wednesday, March 10 to Friday, March 12, 2021. A referral and an appointment are needed. Info: https://prismahealth.org/services/virtual-care

Other testing sites that charge a fee include Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital, 215 Main St., Colonial Family Practice, 325 Broad St., Sandhills Medical Foundation, 425 North Salem Ave., CVS Pharmacy, 41 East Calhoun St. and The Integrated Wellness Center, 738 W. Liberty St.

For more information, visit the DHEC website: https://scdhec.gov/

*See PDF for information and scheduling.

Sumter County Council Tuesday evening received a clean opinion from an external auditing firm regarding the County’s finances for the Fiscal Year that ended June 30, 2020.

Council members also approved formation of the Sumter City-County Litter Advisory Board.

At the outset of the meeting, County Attorney Johnathan Bryan spoke about second reading of an ordinance related to the business license renewal deadline. The move is intended to match recent legislation from the Statehouse, he said.

No one spoke during the Public Hearing and second reading passed unanimously.

Bryan spoke next about an ordinance to authorize the declaration of restrictive covenants on land at U.S. 521 South, St. Matthew Church Road and Race Track Road.

No one spoke during the Public Hearing and second reading passed unanimously.

Charlotte Allen with WebsterRogers LLP, an external auditing firm, gave a clean opinion on the County’s Fiscal Year that ended June 30, 2020.

She thanked the Finance Department for their help and Sumter County Administrator Gary Mixon said he appreciates the hard work of her firm. Mixon introduced Uvette Pope-Rogers, the County’s new Finance Director.

Mixon thanked Kelsey Andrews and the entire Finance Department for their hard work.

Bryan spoke next about a resolution to appoint and commission a Codes Enforcement Officer, and explained that currently, only Planning Director Helen Roodman is authorized to write a Land Use summons. She has asked to give Jeff Derwort from the Planning Department the authority to write a Land Use summons as well.

No new staff would be added, he said, in response to a question from Councilman Charles Edens. The resolution was approved unanimously.

Bryan then spoke about third reading of a Fee-in-Lieu Tax Agreement (FILOT) with Thompson Construction, which was approved unanimously, along with:

• Third reading of an ordinance to amend the master agreement governing Sumter-Lee Industrial Park to include property owned by Thompson Construction.

After some discussion, third reading of an ordinance to create the Sumter City-County Litter Advisory Board was approved.

Council Chairman James T. McCain Sr. noted the Fiscal, Tax and Property Committee met prior to the regular Council meeting to receive the audit results from Allen of WebsterRogers LLP.

Councilman Eugene Baten once again asked for a mask mandate for Sumter County.

Mixon noted the county budget process is underway. He also said the Public Comment portion of Council meetings will likely return soon, based on the downward trend of Covid-19 cases in Sumter County.

The meeting adjourned at 6:54 p.m.

*See PDF for information and scheduling.

An online newsletter from Sumter County Government is now available for free.
Each month the Gamecock County Gazette will be delivered via e-mail, and for those who wish to receive a digital copy please send your e-mail address to jperry@sumtercountysc.org and our communications coordinator will add you to the list.

To see the newsletter, click here

*See PDF for information and scheduling.