ICYMI: Senator Scott, Secretary Carson Visit Spartanburg

Washington – U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) welcomed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to Spartanburg to meet with local leaders about how they can help economically distressed communities. Senator Scott and Secretary Carson toured locations that are part of Spartanburg’s revitalization efforts, which include public-private partnerships to help the city’s most vulnerable communities. They visited Northside Initiative sites Harvest Park Urban Farm, Monarch Café, and Cleveland Academy, as well as Drayton Mills Loft and students at the Meeting Street Academy. Senator Scott is chairman of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development.

To learn more about Senator Scott’s tour with Secretary Carson, check out the article below:

Ben Carson, Tim Scott tout city’s public-private partnerships
Spartanburg Herald-Journal
Bob Montgomery
November 6, 2017

Meeting Street Academy student Daija Downing gathered her poise before handing U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina a framed poem as a gift from her class, thanking him for his support of the five-year-old school.

“How old are you?” Scott asked her.

“My birthday is tomorrow,” she said.

Scott then gave her a present she’d never forget. He led her classmates in chorus of “Happy Birthday.” Downing, who turns 10 on Tuesday, blushed.

Meeting Street Academy was the third and final stop on a visit to Spartanburg Monday by South Carolina’s junior senator and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. The visit’s purpose was to meet local leaders and see firsthand the successes of community projects that have involved private investment.

(…)

The Northside Initiative includes Victoria Gardens, an 80-unit complex being converted under a HUD rental assistance program, and the Brawley Street Model Bock, a $10 million mixed-income housing development with 15 market-rate and five affordable multi-family apartments, medical offices and commercial space.

Harvest Park, also includes a functioning cafe and small grocer that offers fresh fruit and vegetables.

(…)

Former Spartanburg Mayor Bill Barnet, the CEO and chairman of the Northside Development Group, was among those who met with Carson and Scott.

“The senator, who has spent a good bit of time here, understands what we’ve been able to accomplish,” Barnet said. “This is a unique opportunity by shining a light that not only helps our community, but helps others.”

(…)

At Meeting Street Academy, Scott and Carson told third- and fourth-graders they grew up in difficult circumstances. Both encouraged the youngsters to read as much as possible.

“There’s an old saying, leaders are readers,” Scott said. “I became a business owner. (Carson) became a neurosurgeon.”

The school opened in 2012 as a private school, aiming to bring in students whose families were zoned for low-performing schools and lacked the financial means to pay for private education. Recently, the school became a school of choice by opening as part of the public School District 7 system.

Read entire article here.