Sumter’s City and County Councils have signed an agreement which is designed to preserve 920 acres next to Shaw Air Force Base. The $6 million dollar land purchase next to Shaw is to prevent future development near the base.
City Councilman Walter “Sonny” Newman says this is good news for the Sumter community because Shaw is a big player in contributing to the economy of Sumter.
Newman said the tax payers made this possible. “We put it on the penny sales tax referendum, and the public voted for it –and so now we’ve approved the memorandum of understanding between the city and the county. We hope to be closing within in the next few days. We feel like we will have taken a giant stride towards preserving Shaw AFB for our community.”
The final agreement came at this week’s City Council meeting following the presentation of an amended version dealing with what happens if the land is ever sold.
