Aiken County leaders share progress with $168M SRS funds
Aiken County, SC. (WRDW/WAGT) - With more than $168 million to spend in plutonium settlement money, Aiken County leaders are looking ahead to what the future holds.
Cars buzzing by and families walking the streets are all signs of growth in Aiken County.
“We continually see that growth given the presentation today we’re gonna see it multiply I think and that’s a good thing,” said Aiken County neighbor, Nathaniel Dicks.
With nearly $170 million being split up into multiple areas of the community, including $25 million for downtown Aiken, $6 million for infrastructure, $30 million for the ASD’s career and tech center, and much more.
Leaders say these are steps in the right direction.
“These are things that we will see that will really make the quality of life better in our community and in our county for the next years to come,” said Chairman of the Aiken County Legislative Delegation, Senator Tom Young.
The money is also funding healthcare advancements in the county with $6 million going toward the new Clyburn Center for Maternal and Child Health at Rural Health Services opening in December and $11.5 million for a new nursing education center at Aiken Technical College, which will break ground in January 2025.
“There’s a big need in our region for nurses,” said Young.
Dicks, who’s lived in Aiken County his whole life, hopes the growth not only attracts people to Aiken County but makes them stay too.
“We desperately need to keep our younger, bright, intelligent students who get out of school and not come back here to remain here ultimately wanting to come back and stay here and take part of the growth,” said Dicks.
See below for a full list of where the money is being spent:
- $30 million: Aiken Schools new Career Development Center
- $25 million: Aiken downtown redevelopment
- $20 million: New Savannah River Lock and Dam
- $20 million: SRS National Lab at University of South Carolina Aiken
- $15 million: Cyber Command Center in North Augusta
- $10 million: National Guard Dreamport at University of South Carolina Aiken
- $11.5 million: New Nursing Center at Aiken Tech
- $10 million: Industrial Park in Eastern Aiken County
- $4 million: Major water line along Highway 39 in eastern Aiken County
- $6 million: Aiken County Rural Health Services new building
- $500,000: Children’s Place new facility
- $250,000: Aiken County United Way infrastructure
- $2 million: N. Augusta Regional Solid Waste Station
- $6 million: Small Town Infrastructure
- $1.5 million: Aiken Tech Welding Lab
- $900k: Aiken Railroad Museum
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