Stormwater Department's Riversweep Cleanup a Success

At first glance, the large group of volunteers digging through the sand along the banks of Sugar Creek on Oct. 7, 2023 looked more like a team of archaeologists.

With shovels and trash bags in hand, and with many donning boots and waders, the group of 40 volunteers spent hours searching for something important, but it wasn’t buried treasure. Instead they were searching for trash and other items that had been cast aside near the river, all part of the annual Catawba Riversweep event which is the Catawba Riverkeeper’s largest annual cleanup. This year’s event was a partnership between the Town of Fort Mill Stormwater Department, The River Place in Regent Park, York County government and the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation.

The volunteers, who spanned in age from 9 to 70+ years old, spent more than two hours pulling trash out of the creek and its surrounding area. The group collected a total of 3,425 pounds of trash, which included an astounding 107 tires.

“It was so incredible to see this group of volunteers, from kids to adults, working together to clean the creek. The work they put in was amazing to witness,” said Fort Mill Stormwater Management Coordinator Mina McLean MacDonald. “We were grinning all day, but we know this was just the first step in a long process to help bring Sugar Creek back to life.”

MacDonald said connecting people in our community to our waterways is the first step. 

“How can you fall in love with something you can’t see? Once people see the creeks and realize what the human impact has been on them, folks want to get involved and help. Volunteers make all the difference,” she said. 

Second Saturday Service

There is still time to join the Stormwater Department's monthly Second Saturday Service litter pick-up initiative. The last Second Saturday Service event for 2023 will be Nov. 11 and the program will start back again in January for the 2024 series! Click here for the Second Saturday Service signup link.

Community Art Project

The Stormwater Department will be bringing South Carolina artist Kirkland Smith to Fort Mill from April 8-12, 2024 for a collaborative community art project. Smith works with discarded plastics (single use items, broken children's toys, bottle caps and more) to create stunning collage works that she calls Assemblage (see examples of her art below). The Town and the Greenway will host Kirkland at the Greenway Gateway facility where the public can watch her create a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork for the Town. The public will be invited to bring their own plastic items to work into the piece and the Stormwater Department will be working with local schools and organizations to collect items for the workshop. The Stormwater Department is currently seeking sponsorships for the Kirkland Smith project. If you are interested in sponsoring this project, please contact Mina McLean McDonald at mmacdonald@fortmillsc.gov.

Further Information

For more information about other upcoming volunteer opportunities, information about the new Stormwater mural at Kingsley Town Center, or details about the Stormwater Art Contest, click the button below.

Pickleball Courts Now Lighted and Restrooms Open

The Town of Fort Mill is excited to announce two more additions to the Town's pickleball courts.

The courts, which are located outside the YMCA at the Complex (971 Tom Hall St.), are now lighted until 9:30 p.m. every day of the week. Also, the restroom facility near the courts is now open.

All pickleball courts are available for open play unless otherwise marked reserved by Town of Fort Mill staff. Please be respectful and courteous when using courts and share when possible.

The courts are part of a larger project which includes both the renovation and construction of six tennis courts, as well as a new restroom facility at the site. Stay tuned for progress on the tennis courts which are expected to be completed later this year.

A Fall Full of Fun at the Fort Mill Fall Festival

We had an amazing evening filled with food, fun and all things Fall at our Fort Mill Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023! Held at the Fort Mill Amphitheater & Walter Elisha Park, 345 N. White Street, the evening included music, costume contests, vendors, food, roving entertainment, kids crafts and pumpkin decorating. Click the button below to see more photos from the Fall Festival!

Also, the Town thanks David W. Martin Law Firm for being our Hay Maze Sponsor for the Fall Festival this year!

Town of Fort Mill staff celebrated Halloween in style this year with their annual Costume Contest at Town Hall on Oct. 31, 2023. Categories included scariest, cutest, most creative and best group. See above for some of their amazing creations!

Nov. 11: Veterans Day Ceremony, Veterans Memorial, 106 N. White St., 10:30 a.m.

Nov. 30: Christmas Village & Lighting of the Tree, Walter Elisha Park and Amphitheater, 345 N. White St., 5-8 p.m.

Dec. 2: 76th Annual Christmas Parade, Downtown Fort Mill, 11 a.m.

Dec. 9: Fort Mill Cookie Crawl, Downtown Fort Mill, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Click the links above or visit www.fortmillsc.gov/TownEvents for more information.

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