All posts by Laura Lance

City Government, City Parks and Recreation, Editorials, February 2024, Stormwater and Flooding, Trees and Deforestation

The Smith Hazel Story: What We Know

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There is much misunderstanding surrounding the Smith Hazel Park project. Linked at the bottom of this page are some of the numerous articles published in the Aiken Chronicles over the past 16 months on Smith Hazel and other northside parks

To be clear …

The Smith Hazel story is not about choosing trees over people. It’s not even a story about trees, although that’s what is being discussed, since the loss of trees will be a huge part of the collateral damage from the project the City has planned for this park. Nor is the Smith Hazel story about amenities, although citizens advocating for a pause and a public hearing on this project have been accused of trying to keep northside children from receiving long-awaited amenities.

No, the Smith Hazel Park story, much like the Pascalis and Williamsburg Street stories that preceded it, is, at its root, about a city government that eschews established processes; a city government that makes decisions in a vacuum behind closed doors; a city government that withholds information from the public and denies citizens opportunity for input. It is no wonder that the output from this municipal apparatus has been a series of wasteful and destructive projects driving increasing number of local residents to rise up and say, “No more!”

The Obstructionists and Naysayers

Individuals who have spent the past two years pushing and advocating for the northside parks, and pushing to see some of the windfall plutonium money spent on the long-neglected northside, are hardly the obstructionists and naysayers in this equation, nor are they devoid of ideas and inspiration for solutions.

Destroying 68 trees, bulldozing the landscape of the Smith Hazel park, and creating expensive stormwater issues in order to cram all of the northside amenities into the 5-acre Smith Hazel Park is not the solution to the city’s long-term failure to provide amenities on Aiken’s northside.

Consider this: Across the street from Smith Hazel is the 25-acre Perry Memorial Park, (from which the City recently considered disinvesting, see articles below) — a park that could be utilized for the ADA-compliant City intends to bulldoze into 5-acre Smith Hazel Park. Out on Hwy 1/Columbia Highway are 118 acres of land the city purchased in 2015 to finally, finally provide the northside with those long-promised amenities. So where are those amenities? 

ABOVE: The City’s concept plan for the 118 acres of land purchased for a northside park in 2015 which envisioned a generosity of amenities including 4 baseball fields, 8 soccer fields, 6 tennis courts, a track and stadium complex, a multi-purpose gymnasium, a swimming pool, 2 playgrounds, and five parking lots. All of these amenities were left on the cutting room floor in the final product except for the detention ponds, a partial amphitheater, a piece of playground equipment, and some parking lots.

Forty Acres

For whom was the Beverly D. Clyburn Generations Park (nee Northside Park) built? The park is located on the outskirts of town on a 118-acre plot of land the City bought on which to build that long-studied, long-deferred Northside recreation facility and park. From this 118 acres, 40 were denuded of trees, laid with sod, left largely bereft of amenities (no money, said the City) and pronounced as a park.

The amenities include an unfinished amiphiteater whose components must be trucked in for events. Portable sinks and porta-potties must also be trucked in, as there are only two toilets (presumably due to the fact that the City could only afford a septic tank for the park). Shade must also be trucked in. Portable playgrounds are also trucked in. The park has a one-mile walking track and a water fountain. This is all good, but it is not what the City spent 25 years promising the northside and hiring a Clemson University consultant to conduct high-dollar surveys in order to state the obvious about the unfulfilled need for recreation facilities on Aiken’s northside.

ABOVE: So much open space at the Northside Park. The potential is enormous. Why is there not even a single basketball court in this park?

In the wake of creating this park, City Council stated, as generations before them have stated, that the City will one day find the money to provide the northside with some park amenities. One councilmember offered that perhaps a public-private development project could make it happen.

Cue in the greenway project, which will connect the Beverly D. Clyburn Generations Park (nee Northside Park) northward, away from the City and toward the thousands of acres of forested land between northside Aiken and I-20 that the city is opening for development to be peopled with future residents for whom the City is installing new water infrastructure.

It’s just as well the Northside Park go to someone else. After all, the distance is too far for northside kids to walk, and even if it weren’t, there’s no sidewalk to get there. What parent wants their child walking or riding a bike down the busy four-lane Columbia Highway to go and … do what?

We’re All Northsiders Now

An analogy for the Smith Hazel story appears: The City will provide sparkling clear water for future residents in Aiken’s new north — the I-20 lands. The in-town residents, whose concerns and input about their drinking water and boil-water alerts have fallen on the deaf ears of a City Council body that refuses to listen to the people they’ve been empowered to serve, will have brown water.

About the Purported Dozen or More Public Hearings on the Smith Hazel Park Project

They never happened. While the City has kept the public abreast of plans for the evolving interior improvements planned for Smith Hazel, this cannot be said about the plans for the extensive demolition, tree removal and grading work on the property about which a public hearing has been requested, but never held.

A recent video circulating on Facebook with statements to the contrary was posted this week by the Umoja Village CEO and shared by Councilwoman Diggs. It contains a timeline of purported public hearings running from November 2022 through December 2023. This individual is unfortunately confused over the difference between a public meeting and a public hearing — a common and understandable misunderstanding. We could all benefit from lessons in government jargon so that we could better understand the processes of government.

The most cogent response to the claims in this video may be found in the two emails from City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh, which he sent on January 31, 2024 in answer to a request to, “Please provide evidence that the City has ever held a public hearing on the Smith Hazel Park project.”

A reading of the information provided in these two emails confirms that there has never been a public hearing on the plan for the Smith Hazel Park project.

About this Saturday’s Purported Public Hearing

In the above-mentioned video was an announcement that there would be “a public hearing, another public hearing, presented by the city of Aiken this Saturday.”

This is not true. Much of the confusion over the Smith Hazel Park project stems from the public’s lack of understanding on the difference between a public meeting and a public hearing, a difference that could be likened to the difference between an informal straw poll and an official election.

There will be no public hearing at Smith Hazel on Saturday if for no other reason that the legal requirement for announcing a public hearing has not been met.

Public Input

Over the past 7 days, the Mayor and City Council have received over 1240 letters and statements from local citizens calling for a pause on this project so that a public hearing — the first ever pubic hearing on the Smith Hazel Park — could be held.

An Impromptu Get Together

In response to the letter writing campaign, Mayor Milner sent emails to some of the letter writers inviting them to a meeting outdoors at Smith Hazel on Saturday, February 10 at 9:30 a.m. If it’s not raining, we can tell the Mayor or the City Manager our thoughts, opinions and wishes. It’s not clear just yet who will be there, but one thing is clear. No matter how closely or sincerely City officials do or don’t listen to our concerns, our words have zero impact on the course of this Smith Hazel Park project in the absence of a public hearing.

As Councilwoman Gail Diggs made clear in an interview with WFXG News yesterday afternoon, City Council is not prepared to bend in its determination to go forward with this destructive plan. “This project is going on,” she stated. “It will not come back to counsel for a vote.”

The City Manager has repeatedly stated as much. Our only hope, then, is that a vocal majority of the citizens arriving to the Saturday meeting will bring umbrellas and spend their energies urging the Mayor and any other Council members in attendance to use their authority to request a pause and a pubic hearing on this project. 

Whether or not trees are spared in the process is secondary. The important thing is the process itself, which is an established, democratic process and a process of which most people should be able to agree is necessary in a democratic society.

______________________

FOR FURTHER READING


Below is a history of but some of the articles published in the Aiken Chronicles over the past 16 months chronicling the advocacy of local citizens for our city’s parks, our parkways, our trees, our water, our quality of life.

September 21, 2022: Has it been only 18 months since the city was charging kids money to play basketball at Smith Hazel? (p.s. Citizens pushed back and won).
“Taking $2 from a child to play a game.”
September 22, 2022 Has it been only 10 years since the City was planning to build that long-promised, long-deferred northside Park on top of the city landfill? 
Editorial: A Northside Story
From September 27, 2022 by Don Moniak 
Divesting of Parks and Privatizing Open Space
October 11, 2022: A campaign to push back against the City’s move to disinvest of several Northside parks.
Aiken’s Disappearing Parks
October 11, 2022: A follow-up story to the above “Divesting of Parks and Privatizing Open Space.”
Aiken City Parks to Remain Open
From October 11, 2022.
Editorial: My Letter to Aiken City Council About Aiken’s Parks and Northside
October 26, 2022: In the wake of pubic pushback, the City waives the recreation fees it was charging children.
Daily Youth Recreation Fees Waived
October 27, 2023: Photos from April 2023 taken while following the unfolding Smith Hazel Park story and trying, unsuccessfully, to get information form the City, which spent 13 months making plans for Smith Hazel behind closed doors, without public input. 
The Smith Hazel Trees: A Photo Gallery
January 29, 2024: The title speaks for itself. I would add Pascalis to the list of unlearned lessons by our tone-deaf City government. 
The Unlearned Lessons from Williamsburg Street Now Being Visited onto Smith Hazel
February 1, 2024: We have been asking for a pause on the destructive Smith Hazel project to allow for a public hearing. In response, City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh was quoted in the January 26 front page of the Aiken Standard as saying, “The city has held several public meetings to discuss the upgrades and tree removal, including a Sept 11 public hearing”.  Curiously, there is zero evidence that any such meetings took place “to discuss the upgrades and tree removal” much less a public hearing. What’s up with that? Read Kelly Cornelius‘ article on this. https://aikenchronicles.com/…/what-public-hearing-the…/
What Public Hearing? The City of Aiken’s Assault on Trees and Public Input Continues
February 2, 2024: The way out of this time loop, which has City leadership creating plans in a vacuum, (the citizens for whom they work too far removed from their purview to be seen or heard), is through public hearings. A public hearing should be the standard for any project that proposes to improve a place by destroying it. 
It’s Groundhog Day. Got Déjà Vu?
February 2, 2024 through today:Those of us who are trying to find solutions get accused of being against everything and never offer solutions. Yet the record (see the above thread of articles) shows that just opposite is true. Let’s all learn what we can about the issues before us so that we can give informed input and use our voices wisely. https://actionnetwork.org/…/pause-the-smith-hazel-park…&
February 7, 2024: At the latest count, 1144 letters have been sent by Aiken citizens to City officials requesting a pause on the project to allow for a public hearing and informed public input. Read some of what they have to say. https://aikenchronicles.com/citizens-speak-on-smith-hazel/
Citizens Speak on Smith Hazel

City Government, Editorials, February 2024

It’s Groundhog Day. Got Déjà Vu?

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By Laura Lance
February 2, 2024

Is it Groundhog Day again already? Seems like only yesterday we were reeling from the shock of the Williamsburg Street-Farmers Market fiasco. Before that, it was Project Pascalis. And before that, it was the Powderhouse Connector, which, unlike the other two, at least provided public hearings, even as the end product leaves us to do little more than fasten our seatbelts and gape at the destruction and chaos that will unfold from this 400-acre plot over the next several years. Perhaps the Powderhouse Connector can serve as a cautionary tale on the importance of paying closer attention.

So here we go again, this time with the City prepared to rush headlong with a plan to improve one of Aiken’s gems, the lovely, historic Smith Hazel Park, by destroying 68 trees and bulldozing the land to comply with an idea drawn from wish lists collected buffet-style by the City. Why wasn’t a public hearing held to both inform the public of these plans and to provide a forum for public input — input that would then become part of the public record, available for all to see?

As-is, citizens have been forced this week to file FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests to see the contents of those wish lists that the City collected over the past year from citizens who weren’t given the benefit of the facts; forced to file FOIA requests to see the records of a public hearing that never happened.

What comments might City leadership have heard from the public, had they divulged the facts about the 68 trees, the bulldozers, and the unintended consequences of this plan — erosion, stormwater runoff, pollution, noise, and the loss of summer shade, aesthetics, and quality of life?

In the absence of communication from the City, we’re left to wonder. Why not plan a walking track over at the 25-acre Perry Memorial Park located across the street from Smith Hazel? Why are there no basketball courts, tennis courts, pickleball courts and soccer fields at the 100-acre Northside park property over on Hwy One? Why the impetus to shoehorn all of the northside amenities into the 5-acre Smith Hazel park? 

The way out of this time loop, which has City leadership creating plans in a vacuum, (the citizens for whom they work too far removed from their purview to be seen or heard), is through public hearings. A public hearing should be the standard for any project that proposes to improve a place by destroying it. 


City Parks and Recreation, Editorials, January 2024, Trees and Deforestation

The Unlearned Lessons from Williamsburg Street Now Being Visited onto Smith Hazel

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Sixty-eight trees are slated for destruction in a plan devised without opportunity for public input on the fate of this historic park.

After thirteen months of asking, the City finally answered the question via email on Friday afternoon, January 12: sixty-eight. That’s how many trees the City of Aiken plans to destroy in a project intended to improve the parklands at the five-acre Smith Hazel Recreation Centerin the historic Schofield neighborhood.

Two weeks later, on Friday, January 26, another answer arrived, this time via the local newspaper: No, the City is not going to hold a public hearing to give Smith Hazel neighborhood residents, park-goers, and the larger community opportunity to provide input on the future of the Smith Hazel park and its trees.

ABOVE: From the Aiken Standard newspaper, January 26, 2024

The largest among the Smith Hazel trees once shaded the grounds of the Aiken Graded School that formerly stood here — a school built in 1924 by contractor W.M. McGhee on 8 acres of land purchased by the hard work and effort of Aiken’s Black community of that era, including Messrs. W.M. McGhee, A.B. McGhee, George Ball, and Dr. C.C Johnson; a school where Mrs. Josie Smith Hazel once taught; a school that, despite the efforts of the northside community to save it, was closed in 1969, the year the Aiken schools integrated, and 1demolished by the City in 1973, as it was deemed too expensive to maintain. This history and these trees are part and parcel of this place.

A historic marker for the Aiken Graded School located at the northwest corner of the Smith Hazel Park.

And it’s not just the grand trees that matter. All of the trees matter; all are integral to the lovely, natural, parkland setting and the quality experience of this park.

April 2023 views of Smith Hazel. The ribbons on dozens of the trees, as was later learned, were intended to tag trees to be spared from demolition.

The decisions on each and every tree have deserved thoughtful consideration and our best efforts to preserve them where possible. This is why Smith Hazel park-goers and neighborhood residents spent the past thirteen months asking questions about the fate of the trees and pushing the City to allow them input. These citizens deserved, above all, the opportunity for at least one public hearing over the past thirteen months, so that they could help steer the course of Smith Hazel’s future. In the end, however, the fate of the park and its trees was seemingly decided by fiat.

How did we get here?

Below is an attempt to answer that question through a compilation of information gathered piecemeal over the past 13 months. The following is broken down into three sections — an overview, a timeline, and a list of points for further thought. Each section is expandable to allow for an optional, abridged account. This article will likely be updated as more information becomes known.

FAQs

What is the project?
Smith Hazel is slated for improvements to the indoor and outdoor facilities at the center. This article will address only the outdoor improvements, which include:

  • The demolition and replacement of the two existing tennis courts.
  • The demolition and replacement of the playground equipment and the addition of artificial turf.
  • The closure of the existing basketball court to be replaced with two new basketball courts.
  • The addition of a second picnic shelter.
  • The resurfacing and rerouting of the existing 1/4 mile walking trail.

So far, so good. It would appear that, with the exception of the second basketball court and the second picnic shelter, the footprint of the improved park would be similar to the footprint of the existing park.

So why are 68 trees slated to be removed?
A few explanations have been heard piecemeal over the months and been repeated anecdotally, including (1) that areas of the park will essentially be bulldozed to provide “clear lines of sight” for security reasons, and, (2) that the sloping elevations of the existing walking track is not ADA compliant, so the terrain will have to be leveled, requiring regrading of the earth and the removal of many trees. 

Who is funding this project?
The funding came from a Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant awarded to the City in October 2022. The City matched this with Capital Project Sales Tax IV funds, bringing the total money for the project to $900k.

What is being funded?
This particular grant is for outdoor recreation area only. No indoor work. The terms of the grant provide for, specifically, the replacement of existing amenities. For example, it will replace the two old tennis courts with two new tennis courts. It will replace the old playground with a new playground. Artificial turf is being added to the playground which will compound drainage and stormwater issues at the park. This is only one of a number of topics suited for a public hearing.

Why, then, are two basketball courts being installed to replace the one existing basketball court?
The City was reportedly able to secure additional funding to install a second basketball court as part of this project.

Why is the baskeball court being relocated from its existing spot?
As is the case with some other parks in Aiken, parts of the Smith Hazel property are located on SCDOT right of way land. The existing basketball court is in the SCDOT right of way. The LWCF grant can only be done on City property, which means the basketball court must be relocated to another part of the park. 

What will happen to the existing basketball court?
This area will be incorporated into the creation of approximately 40 parking spaces that are planned for a future project.

Why are the tennis courts being replaced when no one ever uses them?
For those unfamiliar with this park, the tennis courts were formerly used, but have been padlocked for years and off-limits to the public due to their hazardous condition from years of disinvestment by the City of Aiken in the Smith Hazel Recreation Center.  

The tennis courts at Smith Hazel have been padlocked for years.


What will happen with the existing 1/4 mile walking track?
The plan is to reconfigure the track to be ADA compliant. As was learned by those who attended the September 21, 2023 monthly meeting of the Schofield Community Association, the sloping terrain prevents the track from being ADA compliant. Leveling the elevation — which will require earth-moving equipment and the removal of a large number of trees — is seen as necessary to making an ADA compliant track on the 5-acre Smith Hazel park. Were other alternatives considered? Could a future, second walking track be created across the street at the 25-acre Perry Memorial Park? The potential is there for an even longer track. Might this be preferable to destroying the historic, Smith Hazel parkland to make it ADA compliant? A public hearing with public input could have integrated such questions, ideas and potential solutions into the process.

TIMELINE: December 2022 through January 2024

December 8, 2022
A meeting had been called by the City of Aiken at the Smith Hazel Recreation Center. This was described as a “public input meeting for local community residents to review Smith-Hazel Park design options.” Attendees arrived believing they would be providing input on the newly-announced, outdoor improvement project which was set to begin within just a few months. The presentation was given by Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director, Jessica Campbell.

As the meeting progressed, it became clear that input was not actually being sought for this project, or “phase one,” as it was being termed, but for other, future projects. At approximately minute 18:00 of the meeting, (per a citizen-recorded audio of the meeting) a citizen spoke up and asked Ms .Campbell if the citizen input being solicited by the City was for the current project or for future projects. Ms. Campbell confirmed that the input was for projects “down the road.” She said, “The idea is to have a concept plan for future development.”

In other words, the concept plan for the current project (below) had already been drawn up by Cranston Engineering, and there was no public input sought either before or after this plan was drawn.

ABOVE: A photo of the concept plan for the present-day project, which was posted at the December 8, 2022 meeting. In a peculiar twist of plot, attendees were not asked for input on the current project, as seen in the above drawing but, rather, were being asked for feedback on potential projects down the road.

Citizens had been called together to comment on ideas for potential future projects, illustrated by Option A and Option B.

ABOVE: Photos of the other two drawings present in the December 8, 2022 meeting. The public had been brought together to vote on Option A or B, not to give input on plans for the current project.

When asked if any trees would be disturbed by the project, Jessica Campbell stated that they did not yet know, as the final course of the walking track hadn’t yet been determined.

April 2023
After citizens observed ribbons on dozens of the trees in the Smith Hazel park, Aaron Campbell, the City horticulturist, was contacted. He stated his shared concern to spare as many trees as possible during the project. He stated his belief that the tagged trees were those NOT be cut. He assured the caller that there would be opportunity for public input on the trees before any action was taken.


April 10, 2023
Two citizens spoke at the regular City Council meeting about the trees at Smith Hazel and wondered if the ribbons were intended to mark the trees slated for removal. According to the minutes of the non-agenda comment period, Laura Lance, “noted that she understood that the matter would be before Council at some future date where the public would have an opportunity to talk about removal of the trees. She pointed out the importance of the tree canopy in Aiken. She asked when there would be opportunity for the public to know what is going to happen and have some input.” 

PRT Director Jessica Campbell, also present at the meeting, responded that the flags were for the trees not to be removed. According to the minutes, Ms. Campbell, “pointed out that those trees marked have been identified as substantial, high importance, high-priority to remain as is. she said the trees that are marked so the engineers can look and make sure the footprint of the amenities that are to be placed on the property fit within the landscape and does not create the removal of any of those marked trees.”

September 11, 2023
City Council held a work session on September 11, 2023, during which the topic of tree removals went undiscussed. There were, however, two items in the agenda package pertinent to the trees.

ABOVE: The two agenda items pertinent to the Smith Hazel outdoor improvement project. At this time, the precise number of inches of trees slated for removal was known, yet the number of trees slated for removal could not be given.

During the regular City Council meeting following the work session, Luis Rinaldini spoke to City Council about the above agenda items and on need for clarification on the matter of the trees:

“I would just like to comment on the agenda item that was included in the work session regarding the Smith Hazel renovation. It has a map and it has a page… referring to trees being cut down. But it really doesn’t give a lot of information. The information it gives us is confusing. There are something like 500 inches worth of trees, I’m not sure how that’s measured and what it means  And 230 inches to be removed, which sounds like, to the uninformed person, that half of the trees in that area are going to be to be cut down. So I think that, rather than just let it sit at that, we ought to get clarification and get a map that shows what trees are being affected, and why. Because, as you know, we’ve had some not great situations with trees, And I think it’s important that we change the way we look at those things, and we change the way, we approach things, reducing the number of trees that get cut down in our activities.”

Bill McGee also spoke at this meeting. Referring to earlier mention in the meeting that some trees would have to be removed at Smith Hazel, Mr. McGhee stated that they (the SCA, or Schofield Community Association) have requested the City to come to the next SCA meeting on September 21, 2023 to discuss with the community the plans and exterior of Smith Hazel. He said he hoped the tree issue would be included in the presentation. 

September 21, 2023
Attendees at the SCA’s regular monthly meeting received, from Mary Catherine Lawton,* Capital Projects Manager, what may have been the most comprehensive explanation by the City through the entire 13 months on the Smith Hazel park project. Even at this, the specifics on the numbers and locations of trees slated for destruction were not given. A video of this meeting can be viewed here, with the discussion on the outdoor improvements beginning at minute 22:35, starting with a citizen question on the any public input that went into the project. The answer provided Ms. Lawton was not quite clear.

*Correction: an earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the Assistant City Manager as the speaker at this event.

November 27, 2023
Bill McGhee, president of the Schofield Community Association, wrote to the City horticulturist, Aaron Campbell, requesting “a walkthrough of the plans for the trees involved in the project.”

December 5, 2023
Aaron Campbell responded to Mr. McGhee via email at 8:49 a.m. saying, “We are available to meet today at 1pm or Friday, December 22nd at 1pm.” 

December 9, 2023
Bill McGhee sent notice that a meeting had been arranged with Aaron Campbell for Dec 22 “to have a SCA group review the exterior SH renovation plans and the status of the surrounding trees.” 

December 12, 2023
Notices of the upcoming meeting were posted at the Aiken Chronicles and on social media including the Do It Right and Schofield Community Association Facebook pages. 

Upcoming Meeting on the Smith Hazel Trees
Notice posted at the SCA webste on December 12 for the Dec. 22 walk-through at Smith Hazel.

December 14, 2023
Beatrice McGhee emailed notice of the meeting to the SCA membership 

December 22, 2023
The meeting convened with over a dozen in attendance. Landscape architect Lance Cheeley, with Cranston Engineering, was in attendance and indicated, without further specifics, the plan to remove “many trees” including two significant pine trees and one significant oak. There was no actual walk-through, however, nor tagging of the trees, nor identification or total numbers of the trees slated for removal.  There was reportedly discussion among some attendees that a factor in the tree removal was the need for a “clear line of site” for security purposes.

December 26, 2023
Bill McGhee emailed a recap of “The Smith Hazel Tree Walk-through” to the SCA membership, with this update on the trees:

“The draft RFP includes the removal of two ‘significant” pine trees, one ‘significant’ oak, and many other non-significant trees.  No trees were tagged.  The many trees to be removed were not specifically identified. It was stated that the tree removal and replacement plan complied with the city’s landscape/tree maintenance policies.

January 8, 2024
Bill McGhee emailed Aaron Campbell requesting a copy of the City’s tree inventory of the Smith Hazel trees to review for discussion. 

January 10, 2024
Aaron Campbell responded that he could not give this information.  

January 12, 2024 (Friday at 3:20 p.m.)
Aaron Campbell emailed Bill McGhee a pdf (see image below) of the Cranston’s “Tree Removal Exhibit” for the park, with the following note: “Attached is the plan from Cranston engineering showing what trees are slated for removal.  Please let me know if you have any further questions.”

TOP: The Cranston Engineering “Tree Removal Exhibit” dated November 10, 2023. BELOW: The total number of trees to be removed.

A total of 68 trees are slated to be removed according to the Cranston drawing. This drawing is dated November 10, 2023. The drawing was only emailed to Mr. Bill McGhee on January 12, 2023. This was the first time that the City divulged the total number of trees to be destroyed.

January 15, 2024: (Monday holiday, Martin Luther King Day)

January 16, 2024: 
— Bill McGee left a message with Aaron Campbell to give him a call. Mr. McGhee’s call was never retuned.  
— Bill McGhee put out a notice urging attendance at the 5:30 p.m. meeting that evening of the City Recreation Commission on Banks Mill Road.  A total of six SCA member/tree preservation advocates attended: Bill McGhee, Linda Johnston, John Howard, Lee Doran Thornton, Lisa Smith, and Laura Lance. All gave their perspectives on this project regarding the shocking number of trees slated for removal and the frustration over the lack of public participation in the process. A public hearing was requested. The Recreation Commission respectfully listened and responded by making and approving two motions: (1) to recommend to City Council that a public hearing be held to allow for public input on the Smith Hazel trees, and (2) that ribbons be attached to the trees slated for removal so that the City, SCA and all interested parties could see what is planned for the park. 
— At 10:43 p.m. that night, local park advocates began a social media campaign to “pause the project.” Public interest and comment was robust. 

January  25,2024
Bill McGhee submitted a FOIA request for a listing, from the City’s tree inventory, of the type of grand and significant trees slated for removal at Smith Hazel and the dollar value assigned to each tree.

January 26, 2024
The local newspaper announced online that the Smith Hazel project is going to go forward without “more” public input, stating:

“The City of Aiken doesn’t intend to pause plans to make long-awaited upgrades to the Smith-Hazel Recreation Center, despite a community group and city board asking for a brief stoppage to have more public input on the project.”

POINTS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION

— Why is the City using the term, “more public input”? Given that the City has provided no opportunity for public hearing for public input on this project, the word “more” isn’t applicable.

— Cranston Engineering had already drawn the concept plans for the this project before the December 8, 2022 meeting. Why was there no public hearing for public input on this plan either before or after the plan was drawn up? 

— Why was the public given opportunity during this same December 8, 20220 meeting for input on hypothetical future plans for future projects of the park, but none for the current project, as shown in Cranston’s concept plan?

— Why were dozens of trees at Smith Hazel tagged with different color ribbons in April 2023? Who decided which trees would be tagged to be spared and which would be destroyed? And by what criteria? Does this mean that the City knew as far back as April 2023 how many trees would be destroyed? Why wasn’t the public included in at this stage of planning?

— Why did the city refuse the recent requests by citizens and the recommendation by the Recreation Commission in the wake of January 16th 2024 meeting to have to have the trees marked with ribbons to show the public and the city the trees slated for destruction?

— Why did the City Council not discuss the number of trees slated for destruction in its September 11, 2023 work session? And why didn’t the City take the opportunity of Mr. Rinaldini’s call for clarification in the City Council meeting that night to state how many trees will be removed?

— Why did the City hold a work session, (which only allows the public to attend as spectators), rather than a public hearing on September 11 to accommodate public input in the discussions?

— Were alternate plans considered to reduce the destruction of trees, and, if so, what were these plans and where is a record of them?

— Why did the City — knowing how important this topic was to advocates for our City’s parks and the trees — repeatedly fail to provide the requested information on the trees for all these months?

In Closing

One marked similarity in the Williamsburg Street and Smith Hazel stories is the lack of a public hearing for pubic input on a project that would radically change a public parkland. Another is the stealth manner in which the demolition of trees was planned and kept from the pubic. A less obvious similarity is what almost appears to be the staging of a felled, hollowed tree, as if this might justify the destruction of all.

An important difference in the two stories is that is that the destruction of the 11 trees on Williamsburg cannot be undone today. The planned destruction of 68 trees at Smith Hazel can and should be undone.

The issue at hand is not about being pro or anti-progress. Nor is it about an inability or refusal to acknowledge that reality that trees sometimes need to be removed in the course of development. No, this issue is about the need to follow good faith governance and established processes. Those among us advocating for our trees and our parks are merely asking that processes be followed, and that these processes be open, transparent, fair, lawful, and available to all.

Visible in the distance is a walker on the Smith Hazel walking track.

For more reading, see other Aiken Chronicles articles on the Williamsburg trees and the Smith Hazel trees.

1Correction: The date of the Aiken Graded School demolition was incorrectly given as 1969 in an earlier version. This has been correct to reflect the school was closed in 1969, the year the Aiken schools integrated. The school as then demolished in 1973.

Historic Aiken, January 2024

Upcoming Event: Opera & Broadway in Banksia

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The Friends of the Aiken County Historical Museum are excited to present “Opera & Broadway in Banksia,” a fundraiser for the museum on January 27. This intimate musical performance will feature Cristina Fontanelli & Friends. 

Cristina Fontanelli is a well-known personality through her recordings, her appearances on TV, radio, in concert, nightclubs, and opera, and through her acting debut on network television.
She has sung title roles with the Palm Beach Opera, the Cairo Opera, Opera of Hong Kong, the NY Grand Opera, NJ State Opera, and the Opera of the Hamptons.

Cristina is a guest artist with many prestigious orchestras, including the Boston Pops and the St. Louis Symphony, performing in major concert halls throughout the U.S. and the world, including the Lincoln and Kennedy Centers. She has completed three world tours with the Mantovani Orchestra. A listing of some of the popular “giants” she has appeared with include Tony Bennett and Joel Grey. Cristina’s beautiful soprano voice has taken her to the White House as part of President Clinton’s holiday celebration and Cristina was invited to open the ceremonies at the Stars and Stripes Inaugural Ball for President George W. Bush.

She has appeared as a PBS-TV/NY affiliate host for Andrea Bocelli’s “Live From Central Park” also starring Celine Dion and Tony Bennett; for the “Il Volo Takes Flight” special; Vienna Boys Choir and Qi Gong PBS-TV Specials. Please join Cristina plus world-class tenor and pianist friends for a night of dramatic singing in history.

Tickets can be purchased at achmfriends.org/events. There is a $75 General Admission ticket with a cocktail reception and a $100 VIP ticket with reserved seating, a champagne reception, and a meet & greet with the performers. 

The Friends of the ACHM is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Museum’s educational programming, artifact preservation, and exhibits development.
(Text taken from the Facebook event page)

January 2024, Nature News

The Aiken Camellia Show — A Tradition to Keep

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2026 UPDATE: This year’s Aiken Camellia Show will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at the First Presbyterian Church at 224 Barnwell Ave. NW from 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Want to attend or enter a bloom? See full details here. Now for a bit more about camellias, the Aiken Camellia Show, and why you should go. But first, this disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I am no expert on camellias or camellia shows, just an enthusiastic bystander and child of the South, where one picks up a few things. Please let me know if there are corrections to be made.

About Camellias

The two most commonly grown camellia species in our area are Camellia sasanqua (native to southern Japan) and Camellia japonica (native to China, Korea and Japan). Both are evergreens and faithful, cool-season bloomers. As a rule, sasanquas tend to have smaller leaves, and they bloom earlier, beginning in autumn. The japonica, which is generally more prized by camellia fanciers, tends to have larger leaves, and it blooms later, beginning in early winter. The japonica makes a fine cut flower, whereas many of the sasanquas tend to drop their petals faster than you get them into a vase. Depending on the variety, a camellia may bloom for one to three months or longer.

Above: Sasanqua ‘Setsugekka.’ A lovely, long-blooming shrub that scatters a festive confetti of petals onto the lawn.

Above: Japonicas hold their petals and will stay fresh-looking for days. This is a japonica ‘Lady Laura’ from my brother’s garden.

There are hundreds of camellia species and thousands of camellia varieties, or cultivars. We have three camellia species in our yard — sasanquas, japonicas, and a single sinensis, the latter of which is the source plant for green tea and matcha. Throughout autumn, the sinensis produces dozens upon dozens of small, cream-colored flowers utterly laden with pollen. A single blossom can occupy a bee for several minutes collecting bundles of pollen.

Between the three species, we have about two dozen cultivars in our yard. Some sound like they stepped off either the society page or a Clue game board — Marie Bracey, Professor Sargent, Marjorie Magnificent, Mrs. Charles Cobb, and Dr. Tinsley. Others have more descriptive names, such as Yuletide, Alba Plena, Debutante, White Empress, and Taylor’s Pink Perfection.

Above: An arrangement of my mother’s favorites. Dr. Tinsley is at the center, surrounded by (clockwise, starting at 1:00) Marjorie Magnificent, Herme, Marie Bracey, Mrs. Charles Cobb and Professor Sargent.

Once you become acquainted with camellias, it’s impossible to have just one favorite among the many cultivars. Two of my longtime favorites are Dr. Tinsley (an intriguing beauty that exudes a mysterious, sweet nectar), and the perfectly decorated, pink, rose and white Herme, which was said to be the favorite of author Eudora Welty. There are always new favorites to discover, which is one of the many delights of attending a camellia show.

Life for a camellia in Aiken is about as close to heaven as it gets, between our warm and humid climate, our temperate winters, and the acidic soil. Plant camellias in an understory of pine trees, and they will reward you with a lifetime of relatively carefree growth and a long bloom season of colorful pink, coral, rose, red and/or white flowers ranging from delicate, graceful and ethereal, to showy and festive.

Above: In our yard, the sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ blooms from October to December. Unlike many sasanquas, a cut flower will last several days in a bud vase

About the Camellia Show

The earliest camellia show in our area may have been an Augusta show that was hosted by the Sand Hill Garden Club in 1932. Annual Augusta camellia shows commenced, which drew Aiken Garden Club members and other camellia fanciers across the region who vied for ribbons, silver bowls, and best bloom awards. Local camellia show attendees of that era included well-known Aiken names and garden club legends such as Phelps, Wilds, Henderson, Salley, McLean, Crosland, and Woolsey. 

The very first Aiken Camellia Show may have been the one held by the Aiken Garden Club in 1934 at the home of Mrs. Robert H. Wilds on Hayne Avenue. Additional shows were sporadically held by various garden clubs over the next 20 years until 1954, when the shows became an annual Aiken tradition. 

This year marks 70 years of the annual Aiken Camellia Show. During the 1950s, the show was held at the Aiken Municipal auditorium. A few of these shows were canceled due to cold-weather damage to the blooms and buds — a hazard for camellia shows. During the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s the shows were held in the Kennedy Junior High gymnasium. Since the mid-1980s, the shows have been held at various other venues, including USC-Aiken, the Aiken Mall, and area church gymnasiums. 

While there have been a number of changes to the show over the years, two stand out as prominent in my mind. One is “gibbing,” the use of gibberellic acid to increase flower size and induce early blooming. The other is that, because increasing numbers of growers utilize greenhouses, a blast of winter freeze is no longer the death knell for a camellia show.

Above: A japonica ‘Herme’ with icicles and sleet.

Camellias under glass

I used to delight in visiting the greenhouse of a family friend and camellia grower in the 1970s-80s who kept camellias both outdoors and “under glass.” A camellia greenhouse is not a hothouse, but a cold greenhouse that protects from severe conditions. Attendees to the Aiken Camellia Show will notice that the blooms are categorized by numerous classes, most of which are further categorized according to whether the blooms were grown protected (under glass) or non-protected, which are defined as “those grown in natural surroundings without any man-made protection from the elements.”

My mother’s camellias

My mother, a hardworking, lifelong gardener of everything from kiwis to cabbages to calamondins — who, for decades kept a summer garden large enough to fill both the freezer and the canning pantry every year — also happens to love camellias. She’s entered a number of camellia shows over the past 50 years, but has also lost out to weather some years. Her most recent show was in 2019 at the age of ninety.

On the morning of the show, she went out into the yard at first light to select the best blooms. After labeling them and carefully packing them for transport, she took them to town to register them, then returned home to await the show later that day.

Above: My mother’s preparations for the Aiken Camellia Show.

Her odds of winning a ribbon would seem slim, given the caliber of competition and the fact that all of her blooms are grown outdoors and without the benefit of gibberellic acid. Much to her delight, four of her camellias won 1st place, and two won 3rd place. One of her camellias, a Herme, won a special award. 

Even if she’d won nothing, attending the show was, as always, a special occasion. We oohed and ahhed over the lovely blooms and discussed which ones we might one day plant in our yard. We also enjoyed the flower arrangement part of the show, which featured contemplative and artful Japanese floral arrangements, called Ikebana. 

Above: From the 2019 Aiken Camellia Show, held in the gymnasium of the First Presbyterian Church.

While there have been many changes to the Aiken Camellia Show over the years, the experience of attending a camellia show today is much like I remember from my early childhood.  Whether you’d like to enter your camellias in the show, or simply enjoy browsing the dazzling variety of blooms, the Aiken Camellia Show is a pleasure to attend. Chances are, you’ll leave with a list of favorites. As traditions go, this one’s a keeper. 

— Click here to get acquainted with the Aiken Camellia Society at their Facebook page:  

— Click here to learn about Hopelands Garden’s special section of Aiken cultivars, including ‘Miss Aiken,’ a cultivar created by natural pollination and registered in 1975 by local nurseryman Mr. George M. Owens.

— Click here to view a photo of the ‘Miss Aiken’ camellia at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, SC

In parting, a few words on the “Miss Aiken,” camellia. I don’t have a copyright free image of one, but you can see photos at the Brookgreen Gardens link, above, or visit one in person this February at the railroad depot at Union and Park this February. Or visit the one in Hopelands. I know of another ‘Miss Aiken’ in a southside yard, whose owners passed away about 20 year ago. This house has since seen two other owners. The latest owners likely don’t know about the treasure planted at the corner of their house. I breathe a sigh of relief whenever I drive by and see she’s there. One day I should stop by, introduce myself, and tell them the history of their ‘Miss Aiken.’

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Below: The newest addition to our camellia family, a sasanqua ‘October Magic Orchid’ which grows in a container beside the front door.