Do we really need three Bank of America branches on 5th Street though?  I’m a BoA customer and rarely set foot in a branch anyway.

Im a BOA customer and I havent heard anything?

We really don’t need the Bank of America.  Just leave the automated teller outside.  That should be enough.  Even though those nice tellers who work inside the bank will be laid off.  Who said Bank of America is closing anyway.  I think Bonnie Odey should check out her facts before posting total lies.

I talked to one of the Tellers inside the main branch today and she said they are not closing!

kbob, we call ‘em rumors, not lies.

I am a BOA customer and I got a letter in the mail informing me they will be closing in March. I hate that those people will be losing their jobs, but I myself rarely ever go in. I can do everything online or thru drivethru

Im a BOA customer and I didnt get nothing in the mail, telling me they were closing I saw it on HVTD and I saw they have the for sale signs up on the building! Wonder what the real reason the BOA and Southern Candy Kitchen are both Closing????

I got a letter from BoA that it’s closing.

I got a letter through mail that said they were closing. I love that BOA. Thats the only one I go to and I would hate to see it close.

Got the same letter…

Ditto… just the downtown office though! Same here as far as using ATM pretty much for all my transactions!

Dear friends,
The Bank of America will be closing the downtown branch in the middle of March.  Having two other branches with drive-in tellers within a mile of each other doesn’t seem to make much business sense to Bank of America.  With the advent of ATM deposit scanning technology, there is very little need to enter the doors (much to my disappointment—I like visiting with the staff)

We have been working closely with Bank of America to secure the downtown anchor and make sure that we protect business growth.  I hate that we have businesses closing, most due to tough economic times; however, I want to keep focused on the ones that have opened and are expanding!  We have been working hard to grow the downtown spaces, and there will be three new buildings constructed downtown in the coming months!

Make sure to spend your hard earned dollars downtown and with local businesses whenever you can.  It makes a difference!

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you,

Mel Pennington
Mayor, City of Hartsville

Mel you are the man!  Thank you for clearing this up and posting a definite answer on this topic as well as the other one. 

You really should post here more often.  This could be a great way to get information out to the public on the small issues everyone is so interested in, like

What about the hotel?
What’s being done about vacant buildings in the city?
Blue laws? (answered)
Etc…

Yes, you would have to endure the fact that it is an semi-anonymous site.  But at least you get honest feedback that way, right?

Dear Hartsvillian2,

Please don’t take offense to this, but I hate not knowing who is asking the question—but here are the answers.

The forum is getting cranked up again by my participation and I think that’s great.  I’m not going to be posting many more replies here for a few reasons; however, you guys are hitting on some great questions that we are on the verge of addressing.

What I mean by that is that I have been working diligently on my website so that it can be a central platform for information and education.  There are just too many forums to watch and too many outlets to use.  I stay pretty busy on facebook although I prefer to use twitter (facebook has too many distractions currently) and of course I give my cell phone and email to just about anyone.  We are working on some big ideas for helping to communicate with our citizens—they deserve to know.

I am also keeping regular office hours and can be available most any time for appointments, and then there is the newspaper column and state of the city address.

All of these are great avenues—but none beat showing up to meetings and getting involved; however, most citizens would rather just ask than have to show up, and I’m okay with that too.

So let me get to the meat of your questions:
The Hotel,  I’m not going to comment on it this week for some very good reasons which I’ll share very soon in an article.  Let me be very clear—we will build a hotel there.  Make no mistake from what you may hear or see.

Vacant buildings: I don’t know where to begin on this.  It is a constant battle of people trying to get into business and a hard financial environment.  We actually don’t have that many vacant buildings downtown.  Most are getting ready for renovations, renting/leasing, or trying to be sold.  Keep in mind that we have three brand new two story buildings going in downtown in the next few months.  This is the most growth and expansion we have seen in decades.

Keep your eye out for the article I’ll be writing in the paper, send me questions, lets meet, and look out for my website re-launch soon.

In the mean time, get a twitter account - I’m in constant contact with you that way, or get a facebook account ( I Check it a few times )

My most important message to everyone on this post is this: Asking questions, having concerns, and wanting change is natural and expected.  Being a part of that change will make it happen much faster than one person, or one council acting alone.

We need your help to make Hartsville the best place to live and work!

With Regards,

Mel Pennington
Mayor, City of Hartsville

Again, thank you Mel.  My questions were just generic ones off the top of my head, and I realize you’ve answered some of them recently or can’t answer them for obvious reasons.  In my business much is secret in the interest of competition so I understand.

You are doing a great job, and Hartsville is as good a city as ever, especially considering the economy.  Keep it up!  I will stay positive too.

And like I said before, I think you should keep posting here.  Anonymous questions are frequently the best ones.  Someone once told me it was the only honest feedback.